--- title: Morocco — English Wikipedia · full text with trees · page 5 description: Wikipedia's «Morocco», whole, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics, CC BY-SA 4.0. It begins: Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/5/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/) / [en](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/) / Morocco # Morocco · page 5 From Wikipedia, [«Morocco»](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco), revision of the 2026-09-01 dump, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The trees and pragmatics of these pages, Mova's parse of that text, are CC BY-SA 4.0 too. [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/) [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/4/) **5** [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/6/) There have been substantial improvements in access to water supply, and to a lesser extent to sanitation, over the past fifteen years.[425](../../425/ "tree and pragmatics") Remaining challenges include a low level of wastewater treatment (only 13% of collected wastewater is being treated), lack of house connections in the poorest urban neighbourhoods and limited sustainability of rural systems (20% of rural systems are estimated not to function).[426](../../426/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2005, a National Sanitation Programme was approved that aims at treating 60% of collected wastewater and connecting 80% of urban households to sewers by 2020.[\[207\]](../../page/6/#ref-207 "note 207")[427](../../427/ "tree and pragmatics") The issue of lack of water connections for some of the urban poor is being addressed as part of the [National Human Development Initiative](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Human_Development_Initiative), under which residents of informal settlements have received land titles and have fees waived that are normally paid to utilities in order to connect to the water and sewer network.[428](../../428/ "tree and pragmatics") An investment programme of about MAD 15 billion was made to cover the centres managed by ONEP from 2003–2017.[\[205\]](../../page/6/#ref-205 "note 205")[429](../../429/ "tree and pragmatics") Japanese and Canadian cooperators and [AFESD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Fund_for_Economic_and_Social_Development) have also financed several projects for ONEP.[\[205\]](../../page/6/#ref-205 "note 205")[430](../../430/ "tree and pragmatics") Though, between 1960 and 2020, the per capita availability of [renewable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_resource) water resources went from 2,560 m3 to about 620 m3 per person annually.[431](../../431/ "tree and pragmatics") The World Bank has reported that they have supported the [Noor Solar Power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouarzazate_Solar_Power_Station) project in Morocco with US$700 million in financing the project "To address water scarcity and its impacts on agriculture."[\[208\]](../../page/6/#ref-208 "note 208")[432](../../432/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Science and technology Main article: [Science and technology in Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_Morocco) The [Moroccan government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_government) has been implementing reforms to improve the quality of education and make research more responsive to socio-economic needs.[433](../../433/ "tree and pragmatics") In May 2009, Morocco's prime minister, [Abbas El Fassi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbas_El_Fassi), announced that investment in science and technology would rise from US$620,000 in 2008 to US$8.5 million (69 million Moroccan dirhams) in 2009 to finance the laboratories construction, training courses for researchers and a scholarship programme for science during a meeting at the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research.[\[209\]](../../page/6/#ref-209 "note 209")[434](../../434/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco was ranked 67th in the [Global Innovation Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Innovation_Index) in 2025,[\[210\]](../../page/6/#ref-210 "note 210")[\[211\]](../../page/6/#ref-211 "note 211") an increase in ranking from 2020 at 75th.[\[212\]](../../page/6/#ref-212 "note 212")[435](../../435/ "tree and pragmatics") The Moroccan Innovation Strategy was launched at the country's first National Innovation Summit in June 2009 by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Investment and the Digital Economy.[436](../../436/ "tree and pragmatics") The Moroccan Innovation Strategy fixed the target of producing 1,000 Moroccan patents and creating 200 innovative start-ups by 2014.[437](../../437/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2012, Moroccan inventors applied for 197 patents, up from 152 two years earlier.[438](../../438/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2011, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and New Technologies created a Moroccan Club of Innovation, in partnership with the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property.[439](../../439/ "tree and pragmatics") The idea is to create a network of players in innovation to help them develop innovative projects.[\[213\]](../../page/6/#ref-213 "note 213")[440](../../440/ "tree and pragmatics") The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is supporting research in advanced technologies.[441](../../441/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Moroccan Phosphate Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCP_Group) (Office chérifien des phosphates) has invested in a project to develop a [smart city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_city), King Mohammed VI Green City, around Mohammed VI University located between Casablanca and Marrakesh,[\[214\]](../../page/6/#ref-214 "note 214") at a cost of DH 4.7 billion (circa US$479 million).[\[213\]](../../page/6/#ref-213 "note 213")[\[215\]](../../page/6/#ref-215 "note 215")[442](../../442/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2012, the [Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_II_Academy_of_Sciences_and_Technologies) identified a number of sectors where Morocco has a comparative advantage and skilled human capital, including mining, fisheries, food chemistry and new technologies.[443](../../443/ "tree and pragmatics") It also identified a number of strategic sectors, such as renewable energies, health sectors, the environment and geosciences.[\[213\]](../../page/6/#ref-213 "note 213")[\[216\]](../../page/6/#ref-216 "note 216")[444](../../444/ "tree and pragmatics") On 20 May 2015 – less than a year post its inception – the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research presented a report to the King offering a Vision for Education in Morocco 2015–2030.[445](../../445/ "tree and pragmatics") The report advocated making education egalitarian and, thus, accessible to the greatest number.[446](../../446/ "tree and pragmatics") The report also recommended developing an integrated national innovation system which would be financed by gradually increasing the share of GDP devoted to research and development (R&D) from 0.73% of GDP in 2010 to '1% in the short term, 1.5% by 2025 and 2% by 2030'.[\[213\]](../../page/6/#ref-213 "note 213")[447](../../447/ "tree and pragmatics") As of 2015, Morocco had three technoparks.[448](../../448/ "tree and pragmatics") Since the first technopark was established in Rabat in 2005, a second has been set up in Casablanca, followed, in 2015, by a third in Tangier.[449](../../449/ "tree and pragmatics") The technoparks host start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises specialising in [information and communication technologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology) (ICTs), 'green' technologies (namely, [environmentally friendly technologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_technology)) and cultural industries.[\[213\]](../../page/6/#ref-213 "note 213")[450](../../450/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Office Marocain de la Propriété Industrielle et Commerciale, [patent filing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_application) in Morocco grew by 167% during the period 2015–2019.[\[217\]](../../page/6/#ref-217 "note 217")[451](../../451/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024, Morocco's population is among the top four most-connected to the Internet in continental Africa, by number of population.[\[218\]](../../page/6/#ref-218 "note 218")[452](../../452/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2022, the number of Internet users in Morocco reached around 31.6 million.[\[219\]](../../page/6/#ref-219 "note 219")[453](../../453/ "tree and pragmatics") Later, as of January 2024, Morocco had approximately 34.5 million internet users; it has a [penetration rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Internet_usage) of about 90.7%.[\[220\]](../../page/6/#ref-220 "note 220")[454](../../454/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco has several Internet-related projects; an example of such is the National Digital Development Strategy 2030.[\[221\]](../../page/6/#ref-221 "note 221")[455](../../455/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024, as part of another program called the Connected Campus, the American wireless network provider [Cambium Networks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambium_Networks) deployed 18,000 [Wi-Fi access points](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_access_point) for public universities in Morocco.[\[222\]](../../page/6/#ref-222 "note 222")[456](../../456/ "tree and pragmatics") ## Demographics Main article: [Demographics of Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Morocco), [Moroccans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccans) ### Population Morocco has a population of around 36,828,330 inhabitants (2024 census).[\[26\]](../../page/6/#ref-26 "note 26")[457](../../457/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco's population was 11.6 million in 1960.[\[223\]](../../page/6/#ref-223 "note 223")[458](../../458/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024, 49.7% of the population is female, while 50.3% of it is male.[\[220\]](../../page/6/#ref-220 "note 220")[459](../../459/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the 2014 Morocco population census, there were around 84,000 immigrants in the country.[460](../../460/ "tree and pragmatics") Of these foreign-born residents, most were of [French](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_people) origin, followed by individuals mainly from various nations in West Africa and Algeria.[\[224\]](../../page/6/#ref-224 "note 224")[461](../../461/ "tree and pragmatics") There are also a number of foreign residents of [Spanish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_people) origin.[462](../../462/ "tree and pragmatics") Some of them are descendants of colonial settlers, who primarily work for European multinational companies, while others are married to Moroccans or are retirees.[463](../../463/ "tree and pragmatics") Prior to independence, Morocco was home to half a million [Europeans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Moroccans), most of whom were [Christians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian).[\[225\]](../../page/6/#ref-225 "note 225")[464](../../464/ "tree and pragmatics") Also, prior to independence, Morocco was home to 250,000 Spaniards.[\[226\]](../../page/6/#ref-226 "note 226")[465](../../465/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco's once prominent [Jewish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews) minority has decreased significantly since its peak of 265,000 in 1948, declining to around 3,500 in 2022.[\[227\]](../../page/6/#ref-227 "note 227")[466](../../466/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco has a large [diaspora](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_diaspora), most of which is located in France, which has reportedly more than one million Moroccans (up to the third generation).[467](../../467/ "tree and pragmatics") There are also large Moroccan communities in Spain (about 700,000 Moroccans),[\[228\]](../../page/6/#ref-228 "note 228") the Netherlands (360,000), and Belgium (300,000).[\[229\]](../../page/6/#ref-229 "note 229")[468](../../468/ "tree and pragmatics") Other large communities can be found in Italy, Canada, the United States, and Israel, where [Moroccan Jews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_Jews) are thought to constitute the second-largest Jewish ethnic subgroup.[\[230\]](../../page/6/#ref-230 "note 230")[469](../../469/ "tree and pragmatics") #### Ethnic groups In Morocco, [ethnic identity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_identity) is deeply intertwined with language and culture, with the population primarily comprising two major groups: [Arabs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghrebi_Arabs) and [Berbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbers).[\[231\]](../../page/6/#ref-231 "note 231")[\[232\]](../../page/6/#ref-232 "note 232")[470](../../470/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco is the country with the largest Berber population in the world.[\[233\]](../../page/6/#ref-233 "note 233")[\[234\]](../../page/6/#ref-234 "note 234")[471](../../471/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco's State Statistics Bureau (the [Higher Planning Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haut_Commissariat_au_Plan_%28Morocco%29)) does not collect data on ethnic demographics, citing the historical difficulty of distinguishing between Arabs and Berbers, even among Berber-languages' speakers.[\[235\]](../../page/6/#ref-235 "note 235")[472](../../472/ "tree and pragmatics") According to 2024 census data, 92.7% of the population speaks Arabic, while 24.8% regularly speak an Amazigh variety.[\[236\]](../../page/6/#ref-236 "note 236")[473](../../473/ "tree and pragmatics") Mainstream [Amazigh activists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberism) dispute this percentage arguing in reality it is closer to 35–40%.[\[237\]](../../page/6/#ref-237 "note 237")[474](../../474/ "tree and pragmatics") Despite the lack of official ethnic statistics, estimates generally put the Berber population as ranging between 35–60% of the population,[\[238\]](../../page/6/#ref-238 "note 238")[\[239\]](../../page/6/#ref-239 "note 239")[\[240\]](../../page/6/#ref-240 "note 240") while estimates of the Arab population range between 44–60%.[\[240\]](../../page/6/#ref-240 "note 240")[\[241\]](../../page/6/#ref-241 "note 241")[475](../../475/ "tree and pragmatics") Berbers, who are also known as Amazigh, are typically divided into three main groups with varying dialects who live spread out in rural mountain areas, namely the [Rifians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifians) in the [Rif](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rif), the [Central Atlas Amazigh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Atlas_Tamazight) in the [Middle Atlas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Atlas), and the [Shilha people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilha_people) in the [Anti-Atlas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Atlas).[\[242\]](../../page/6/#ref-242 "note 242")[\[243\]](../../page/6/#ref-243 "note 243")[476](../../476/ "tree and pragmatics") Since the 7th century, the [influx of Arab migrants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_migrations_to_the_Maghreb) from the [Arabian Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula) has contributed to shaping Morocco's demographic, cultural, and genetic landscape.[\[244\]](../../page/6/#ref-244 "note 244")[477](../../477/ "tree and pragmatics") Additionally, a considerable portion of the population includes [Haratin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haratin), [Sahrawis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahrawis), and [Gnawa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnawa), descendants of West African or mixed-race [enslaved peoples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Saharan_slave_trade), as well as [Moriscos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morisco), European Muslims expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 17th century.[\[245\]](../../page/6/#ref-245 "note 245")[478](../../478/ "tree and pragmatics") Additionally, [Minority Rights Group International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Rights_Group_International) estimates that around 90,000 [Sahrawis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahrawis) reside in internationally recognised Morocco, compared to approximately 190,000 in the disputed Western Sahara.[\[246\]](../../page/6/#ref-246 "note 246")[479](../../479/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Religion Main article: [Religion in Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Morocco) The religious affiliation in the country was estimated by the [Pew Forum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pew_Forum) in 2010 as 99% [Muslim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim), with all remaining groups accounting for less than 1% of the population.[\[247\]](../../page/6/#ref-247 "note 247")[480](../../480/ "tree and pragmatics") Of those affiliated with Islam, virtually all are [Sunni Muslims](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islam), with [Shia Muslims](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_Islam) accounting for less than 0.1%.[\[248\]](../../page/6/#ref-248 "note 248")[481](../../481/ "tree and pragmatics") However, nearly 15% of Moroccans nonetheless describe themselves as non religious according to a 2018 survey conducted by the research network Arab Barometer; the same survey saw nearly 100 percent of respondents identify as Muslims.[\[249\]](../../page/6/#ref-249 "note 249")[482](../../482/ "tree and pragmatics") Another 2021 Arab Barometer survey found that 67.8% of Moroccans identified as religious, 29.1% as somewhat religious, and 3.1% as non religious.[\[250\]](../../page/6/#ref-250 "note 250")[483](../../483/ "tree and pragmatics") The 2015 [Gallup International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallup_International_Association) poll reported that 93% of Moroccans considered themselves to be religious.[\[251\]](../../page/6/#ref-251 "note 251")[484](../../484/ "tree and pragmatics") Prior to Morocco's independence in 1956, the country was home to a significant [Christian community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Morocco), numbering over [500,000 Christians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Moroccans), predominantly of Spanish and French ancestry.[\[252\]](../../page/6/#ref-252 "note 252")[485](../../485/ "tree and pragmatics") These [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church) settlers had a historic legacy and a powerful presence.[\[252\]](../../page/6/#ref-252 "note 252")[486](../../486/ "tree and pragmatics") However, following Morocco's independence, many of these [Christian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity) settlers left to Spain or France.[\[252\]](../../page/6/#ref-252 "note 252")[487](../../487/ "tree and pragmatics") The predominantly Catholic and Protestant foreign-resident Christian community consists of approximately 40,000 practising members.[488](../../488/ "tree and pragmatics") Most foreign resident [Christians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christians) reside in the [Casablanca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca), [Tangier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangier), [Marrakesh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh) and [Rabat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabat) [corpus](../../../Rabat/ "in our corpus") urban areas.[\[253\]](../../page/6/#ref-253 "note 253")[489](../../489/ "tree and pragmatics") Meanwhile, the Moroccan Association of Human Rights estimates there are 25,000 Christian citizens.[\[253\]](../../page/6/#ref-253 "note 253")[490](../../490/ "tree and pragmatics") Before the [founding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Declaration_of_Independence) of the [State of Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Israel) in 1948, there were about [265,000 Jews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_Jews) in the country, which gave Morocco the largest Jewish community in the [Muslim world](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_world).[491](../../491/ "tree and pragmatics") The most recent estimates put the size of the historic Casablanca Jewish community at about 2,500,[\[254\]](../../page/6/#ref-254 "note 254")[\[255\]](../../page/6/#ref-255 "note 255") and the Rabat and Marrakesh Jewish communities at about 100 members each.[492](../../492/ "tree and pragmatics") The remainder of the Jewish population is dispersed throughout the country.[493](../../493/ "tree and pragmatics") This population is mostly elderly, with a decreasing number of young people.[\[256\]](../../page/6/#ref-256 "note 256")[494](../../494/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Baháʼí Faith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baháʼí_Faith) community, located in urban areas, numbers 350 to 400 persons.[\[256\]](../../page/6/#ref-256 "note 256")[495](../../495/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Languages Main article: [Languages of Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Morocco) Morocco's official languages are [Arabic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic) and [Berber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berber_language).[\[1\]](../../page/6/#ref-1 "note 1")[\[257\]](../../page/6/#ref-257 "note 257")[496](../../496/ "tree and pragmatics") The country's distinctive group of Moroccan Arabic dialects is referred to as [Darija](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darija).[\[258\]](../../page/6/#ref-258 "note 258")[497](../../497/ "tree and pragmatics") Approximately 92.7% of the whole population can speak Arabic.[498](../../498/ "tree and pragmatics") Berber languages are spoken by 24.8% of the population in three dialects ([Tarifit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riff_language) spoken by 3.2%, [Tashelhit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilha_language) spoken by 14.2% and [Central Atlas Tamazight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Morocco_Tamazight) spoken by 7.4%).[\[259\]](../../page/6/#ref-259 "note 259")[499](../../499/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the 2024 census, 99.2%, or almost the entire literate population of Morocco, could read and write in Arabic, whereas 1.5% of the population could read and write in Berber.[500](../../500/ "tree and pragmatics") The census also reported that 80.6% of Moroccans consider Arabic to be their native language, while 18.9% regard any of the various Berber languages as their mother tongue.[\[259\]](../../page/6/#ref-259 "note 259")[\[260\]](../../page/6/#ref-260 "note 260")[501](../../501/ "tree and pragmatics") After Morocco declared independence in 1956, French and Arabic became the main languages of administration and education.[\[261\]](../../page/6/#ref-261 "note 261")[502](../../502/ "tree and pragmatics") [French](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language) is widely used in governmental institutions, media, mid-size and large companies, international commerce with French-speaking countries and often in international diplomacy.[\[262\]](../../page/6/#ref-262 "note 262")[503](../../503/ "tree and pragmatics") French is taught as an obligatory language in all schools.[504](../../504/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the 2004 census, 2.19 million Moroccans spoke a foreign language other than French.[\[263\]](../../page/6/#ref-263 "note 263")[505](../../505/ "tree and pragmatics") [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language), while far behind French in terms of number of speakers, is the first foreign language of choice, since French is obligatory, among educated youth and professionals.[506](../../506/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2010, there were 10,366,000 French-speakers in Morocco, or about 32% of the population.[\[264\]](../../page/6/#ref-264 "note 264")[\[3\]](../../page/6/#ref-3 "note 3")[507](../../507/ "tree and pragmatics") According to [Ethnologue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologue), as of 2016, there are 1,536,590 individuals (or approximately 4.5% of the population) in Morocco who speak [Spanish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language).[\[265\]](../../page/6/#ref-265 "note 265")[508](../../508/ "tree and pragmatics") Spanish is mostly spoken in northern Morocco and the former [Spanish Sahara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Sahara) because Spain had previously occupied those areas.[\[266\]](../../page/6/#ref-266 "note 266")[509](../../509/ "tree and pragmatics") Meanwhile, a 2018 study by the [Instituto Cervantes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Cervantes) found 1.7 million Moroccans who were at least proficient in Spanish, placing Morocco as the country with the most Spanish speakers outside the Hispanophone world (unless the United States is also excluded from Spanish-speaking countries).[\[267\]](../../page/6/#ref-267 "note 267")[510](../../510/ "tree and pragmatics") A significant portion of northern Morocco receives Spanish media, television signal and radio airwaves, which reportedly facilitate competence in the language in the region.[\[261\]](../../page/6/#ref-261 "note 261")[511](../../511/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Education Main article: [Education in Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Morocco) Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school.[512](../../512/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024, Morocco's [literacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy) rate was 75,2%, with youth literacy at 98.4%.[\[268\]](../../page/6/#ref-268 "note 268")[\[269\]](../../page/6/#ref-269 "note 269")[\[270\]](../../page/6/#ref-270 "note 270")[513](../../513/ "tree and pragmatics") In September 2006, UNESCO awarded Morocco, among such countries as [Cuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba) [corpus](../../../Cuba/ "in our corpus"), [Pakistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan) [corpus](../../../Pakistan/ "in our corpus"), [India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India) [corpus](../../../India/ "in our corpus") and [Turkey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey) [corpus](../../../Turkey/ "in our corpus"), the "UNESCO 2006 Literacy Prize."[\[271\]](../../page/6/#ref-271 "note 271")[514](../../514/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco has more than [four dozen universities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Morocco), institutes of higher learning and polytechnics dispersed at urban centres throughout the country.[515](../../515/ "tree and pragmatics") Its leading institutions include [Mohammed V University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_V_University) in Rabat, the country's largest university, with branches in Casablanca and Fès; the Hassan II Agriculture and Veterinary Institute in Rabat, which conducts leading social science research in addition to its agricultural specialties; and [Al-Akhawayn University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Akhawayn_University) in Ifrane, the first English-language university in Northwest Africa,[\[272\]](../../page/6/#ref-272 "note 272") inaugurated in 1995 with contributions from Saudi Arabia and the United States.[516](../../516/ "tree and pragmatics") The [al-Qarawiyin University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Al-Karaouine), founded by [Fatima al-Fihri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_al-Fihri) in the city of Fez in 859 as a [madrasa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasa),[\[273\]](../../page/6/#ref-273 "note 273") is considered by some sources, including [UNESCO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO), to be the "oldest university in the world."[\[274\]](../../page/6/#ref-274 "note 274")[517](../../517/ "tree and pragmatics") Morocco has also some prestigious postgraduate schools, including: [Mohammed VI Polytechnic University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_VI_Polytechnic_University), l'[Institut national des postes et télécommunications](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_national_des_postes_et_télécommunications), École Nationale Supérieure d'Électricité et de Mecanique (ENSEM), [EMI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Mohammadia_d%27ingénieurs), [ISCAE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISCAE), [INSEA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Instistute_of_Statistics_and_Applied_Economics), [National School of Mineral Industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_School_of_Mineral_Industry), [École Hassania des Travaux Publics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Hassania_des_Travaux_Publics), Les Écoles nationales de commerce et de gestion and École supérieure de technologie de Casablanca.[\[275\]](../../page/6/#ref-275 "note 275")[\[276\]](../../page/6/#ref-276 "note 276")[518](../../518/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Health Main article: [Health in Morocco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Morocco) [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/) [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/4/) **5** [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/6/) - ← previous: [page 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/4/) - next →: [page 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Morocco/page/6/) - ↑ back to [English Wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/)