Moroccans Maintain 1st Position as First Foreign Community in Spain

Rabat – New data from the Spanish Ministry of Integration, Social Security, and Migration shows Moroccans  maintaining their position as the first foreign community legally established in Spain.

Moroccans are followed by Chinese (97,064).

A total of 264,304 Moroccans were registered with social security in Spain at the end of February.

The total number of foreigners affiliated to Spanish social security reached 2,053,997 people in February. The number represents an increase of 0.4% compared to January (9,328).

Out of all the foreign workers contributing to social security in Spain, about 1,309,920, people come from non-EU countries.

Approximately 744,077 are from European countries.

Morocco estimates the number of Moroccan residing abroad at over five million.

The government held several events, in which it paid tribute to Moroccans living overseas and their contribution to the national economy.

Every summer, Morocco welcomes over two million  Moroccans living abroad, who come to spend their holiday with their relatives.

But in 2020 the COVID-19 crisis prevented mostMoroccans from making the trip home.

Despite the crisis, the Moroccan considerably contributed to maintaining the resilience of Morocco’s economy. 

Remittances from Moroccans residing abroad grew to nearly $660 million (MAD 5.9 billion) in January 2021.

The Moroccan Foreign Exchange Office recently reported that the fund transfers for January 2021 increased by 8.8% compared to those of January 2020, which reached $604 million (MAD 5.4 billion). Since remittances began to be recorded, they have shown a general upwards trend. 

According to projections by Bank Al Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, remittances from Moroccann expatriates will increase by 6.3% in 2021 and by 2% in 2022.

Money transfers from Moroccans living abroad to their families in Morocco reached MAD 61.91 billion ($7.05 billion) at the end of November 2020.

The number shows a significant increase compared to the previous year, suggesting that Moroccans’ remittances went up despite the COVID-19 crisis.

The diaspora significantly contributes to Morocco’s economy through remittances. Around 10% of the remittances from Morocco’s diaspora are directed to investments.