Laayoune – Morocco has Spent MAD 42.6 billion ($4.1 billion) on its military in 2019 according to the latest report from the US Department of Defense.
Compared to other countries in the same region, Egypt came first with MAD 705 billion ($68.1 billion) spent on its military budget, whereas Algeria came in second with over MAD 106 billion ($10.3 billion).
Meanwhile, Libya and Tunisia spent MAD 35.5 ($3.43 billion) and MAD 15.32 ($1.48 billion) on their military in 2019, respectively.
The study included information on each nation’s 2019 military strength in terms of personnel. Egypt had the largest armed forces in North Africa with 430,000 in 2019, followed by Algeria with over 250,000, Morocco with 220,000, Tunisia with 45,000, and Libya with 45,000.
The size of armed forces relative to the size of the population in each North African country was as follows: Egypt’s forces made up 0.43% of the total population, Algeria’s 0.58%, Morocco’s 0.61%, Libya’s 0.66%, and Tunisia’s 0.40%.
According to the report, Morocco’s military spending accounted for 3.7% of its GDP in 2019.
Read also: Morocco to Start Processing Conscripts for Mandatory Military Service
Between 2017 and 2019, Morocco imported MAD 10.4 billion ($1 billion) worth of armaments. This total includes MAD 2 billion ($200 million) spent on arms from China, MAD 1 billion ($100 million) from European Union (EU) nations, and MAD 1 billion ($100 million) from non-EU nations.
The report also detailed that, in 2019, the Moroccan army had 180,000 soldiers, 9,000 in the navy, 13,000 pilots, and 25,000 irregular and paramilitary troops.
In May 2022, Morocco reinstated conscription, reintroducing compulsory military duty for young Moroccans.
Following the first draft this year,178,166 Moroccans completed the census process for the 2022 military service requirement between December 13, 2021, and February 10, 2022.
