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Casablanca – Mr. Lahlimi the president of the High Commission for Planning (HCP) has revealed during the International Workshop on Demographic Projections held last Monday in Rabat that the median age of the Moroccan population will increase from 21 years in 2012 to 24, 1 years by 2050.
The statistics suggest that a large segment of the Moroccan population will be at the age of employment by 2050. The new demographic change will certainly be a major challenge for employment, one of the most ailing sectors.
Mr. Lahlimi asserts that drastic proactive measures should be undertaken to cope with the change in the country’s demographic structure.
He pinpointed also that the demographic profile of the African continent will undergo substantial changes. The African population aged between 15 and 59 is expected to reach 1, 3 billion in the period between 2010 and 2050.
Nevertheless, the population in North Africa is expected to increase at a slower pace. The Fertility rate in North Africa is estimated to 2, 4% child per woman in comparison to the Sub-Saharan Africa where fertility rate has reached 4, 5% child per woman.
The median age for the African population is expected to rise mainly due to rising life expectancy and declining fertility.
Life expectancy represents the life span of a new born. It can decrease sharply due to war and diseases. Improvement in the health system and welfare is liable to increase life expectancy.
Low fertility rates are ascribed to the free access to contraception, late marriage and new division of labor among genders.
On the other hand, studies conducted by the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (NIDS) revealed that one quarter of the Moroccan population will be aged above 60 by 2050, despite the fact that its population has been a young and fertile workforce for decades. The median age in the African continent will be increasing considerably by 2050.
Mr. Lahlimi asserted that the new demographic profile requires an accommodation of values, social norms as well as social and substantial economic reforms.
He seized the opportunity to explain that the decrease in fertility rate may have a positive impact on economy. In fact, saving habits tends to increase in a context of low fertility which is liable to enhance the purchasing power of families and eventually stimulate economic growth.
The demographic data predict unanimously that the demographic profile of Morocco is undergoing an inevitable change both in the age of its active population, as well as the proportion of its aged citizens.
The government needs imperatively to set long term strategies to be better prepared for this demographic metamorphosis.
The young as well as the elder generation need adequate policies to cater for their needs in terms of job opportunities and retirement regulations.
