The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the number of refugees in Morocco reached almost 20,000, in addition to asylum seekers, according to the UN organization’s latest data.
Morocco used to be a transit destination for most migrants, while now, it is both a transit and a host country, said UNHCR.
The number of refugees and asylum seekers totaled 19,620 by the end of March, with a majority of about 9,522 people seeking asylum in the North African country, added the UNHCR.
In terms of gender, the UN organization indicated that there is a greater presence of men among the refugees, as they represent 62.7% of asylum seekers or 5,971 people.
Women accounted for 3,551 residing in Morocco, added the same source.
Additionally, all refugees who have arrived in the kingdom are aged between 18 and 59.
Syrian refugees constitute the largest community of asylum seekers in the North African country.
UNHCR further stated that a total of 5,150 Syrian people already reside in Morocco.
Previously, the High Commission for Planning (HCP) conducted a survey on forced migration in the country in 2021, revealing that 1 in every 2 refugees is of Syrian origin, representing 54.4% of the total number of refugees.
Yemenis come next, with a total number of 1,171 refugees, representing 12.3% of the overall total.
HCP specified that Yemenis are followed by those fleeing from some areas of central Africa with 9.9%, and Ivorians with 4.5%.
This survey also specified that in 2021 there were 3,000 migrants, including 2,220 in a regular situation or not, while 800 of them were asylum seekers.
According to HCP, 16.7% come from the Ivory Coast, 15.9% from Senegal, 12.3% from Guinea, and 10.1% from DR Congo.
On the other hand, there are also people coming from Cameroon, Mali, and the Central African Republic with 8.7%, 4.9%, and 2.3%, respectively.
Likewise, there are also people from other African countries who have chosen the Moroccan destination to improve their living conditions (15.1%), added HCP.
Globally, there have never been as many displaced people in the world as in 2021. From January to November, over 84 million people were forced to leave their homes, according to UNHCR data published by the UN in its annual review.
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