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Morocco has ranked 70th out of 118 countries in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2025 Energy Transition Index (ETI), slipping five places from last year. The drop signals persistent obstacles in the country’s energy transition efforts.
The ETI – which tracks countries’ progress toward cleaner, more secure, and sustainable energy systems – evaluates both the current performance of national energy systems and their readiness for future transition. The assessment covers key areas such as energy security, access and equity, environmental sustainability, and structural preparedness, including regulation, innovation, infrastructure, education, and investment.
Morocco received an overall score of 53.7 points, placing it in the middle of the global pack. The latest ranking underscores the need for more robust policies and investment to advance energy reforms and accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels.
Global trends
The 2025 Energy Transition Index is once again led by Nordic countries, with Sweden topping the list with a score of 77.5, followed by Finland and Denmark. In the Middle East and North Africa region, the United Arab Emirates ranks highest at 43rd globally, while the Democratic Republic of Congo comes in last at 118th.
China achieved its best-ever position at 12th, driven by major investments in clean energy and its central role in renewable technology development. The United States, ranked 17th, benefited from enhanced energy security and expanded sustainable infrastructure.
The report notes steady global improvements in energy equity and sustainability, largely due to lower energy prices, reformed subsidies, and reduced carbon intensity. However, it also points to growing vulnerabilities.
In 2024, global energy demand rose by 2.2%—the sharpest increase in years—fueled in large part by rapid electrification and the energy-intensive expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure, particularly data centers. While renewable energy deployment has advanced, CO₂ emissions reached a record 37.8 billion tons, signaling a widening gap between climate goals and current trajectories.
Clean energy investment also reached a milestone in 2024, surpassing $2 trillion for the first time—twice the level recorded in 2020. Yet this figure still falls far short of the estimated $5.6 trillion needed annually to stay on track for 2030 climate targets. More concerning is the slowdown in investment growth, which dropped to 11% last year after three consecutive years of 24–29% growth.
Moving forward
To address these mounting challenges, the WEF calls for more localized and resilient approaches to the energy transition. This includes regulatory frameworks that are both stable and adaptable, upgraded infrastructure—particularly grids, storage, and interconnections—and increased access to finance, especially for developing economies.
The report also urges countries to fast-track innovation in clean fuels, smart grids, and energy storage, and to prioritize clean technology deployment in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as heavy industry and maritime transport. Lastly, it stresses the critical importance of human capital development to ensure the workforce can support and sustain next-generation energy systems.
In the face of these global and domestic challenges, Morocco is pushing to accelerate its own transition. On Wednesday, Energy Transition Minister Leila Benali and Transport Minister Abdessamad Kayouh met in Rabat to align their departments on shared green ambitions.
Their discussion focused on integrating cleaner energy into all modes of transport—land, sea, and air—through the use of renewable energy molecules and updated infrastructure. Beyond decarbonizing mobility, the ministers emphasized Morocco’s industrial future, identifying key green sectors such as solar, wind, cables, and batteries as opportunities for investment and strategic independence.
The meeting reflected a growing national effort to synchronize energy and transport reform, improve coordination, and position Morocco as a credible regional leader in the green economy. As Benali noted recently, two decades of investment in renewable infrastructure have laid the foundation for this ambition—now the challenge is to scale it, connect it, and sustain it.
