Rabat – A new survey from BBC News Arabic and the Arab Barometer shows that more than 40 % of Moroccans dream of emigrating.
The survey’s findings are the result of more than 25,0000 interviews in 11 countries from late 2018 and spring 2019.
“In every place questioned, research suggested that at least one in five people were considering emigrating,” the survey said.
The interviews found that those with the desire to leave their countries wanted to do so due to financial considerations.
“Economic reasons were overwhelmingly cited as the driving factor,” the report said.
In Morocco, the overall unemployment rate rose from 9.8% in the last quarter of 2019 to 10% in the first fiscal quarter.
The survey shows that 64% of the people interviewed in Morocco said that they would emigrate to Europe, while 12% of them would go to North America if they could. The report adds that 5% want to emigrate to Gulf countries.
The report’s findings back other statistics, which indicate that the majority of Moroccan young people would like to emigrate for better living conditions due to a lack of job opportunities.
A recent report from Moroccan marketing agency Sunergia showed that four out of ten Moroccans would emigrate if they could.
The study, which interviewed 10,000 people, revealed that women were more inclined toward emigration than men.
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Morocco has also been hit by the brain drain phenomenon as more than 600 engineers leave the country every year due to the lack of job opportunities.
In addition to Morocco, the BBC and Arab Barometer research network covers other Arab countries where citizens welcome the possibility to leave their countries.
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Overall, the statistics found that at least 20% of those interviewed in all 11 countries wanted to emigrate, with an even higher number wanting to emigrate from countries including Sudan.
The survey reports that “in Sudan, this accounted for half the population.”
In addition to emigration, the findings of the survey also indicate that a growing number of people across the Arab world are turning their backs on Islam.
The report shows that close to 15% of Morrocans identify as not religious, an increase from under 5% in 2013. The decrease in religious identity paralleled a waning trust in religious leaders.
The survey shows that faith in religious leaders dropped considerably in Morocco, down from about 45% in 2012-2013 to 25% in the most recent survey.
