Agadir – Morocco ranked 90th globally in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, down two places from last year, according to the StartupBlink report.
After a slight decline, Morocco maintained its position as the third-ranked startup ecosystem in North Africa, behind Egypt and Tunisia.
StartupBlink showed Morocco’s momentum, with the country posting annual ecosystem growth of 30.7%, nearly double the North African average of 17.6%. The report also estimates the value of Morocco’s startup ecosystem at approximately $1.1 billion.
One of Morocco’s strongest performances came in ecosystem stakeholder engagement. The country ranked first in North Africa in StartupBlink’s Ecosystem Stakeholder Strength Pillar, “outperforming its 3rd-place overall Northern Africa standing and reflecting strong engagement across startups, investors, corporates, and institutions,” StartupBlink noted.
Morocco held steady amid strong startup growth
The report noted that Morocco’s business environment continues to outperform its overall startup ecosystem ranking. The country ranked 80th globally in the Innovators Business Environment Index, suggesting that favorable business conditions have not yet fully translated into startup ecosystem outcomes.
Within the Arab League, Morocco ranked 10th overall but achieved stronger results in several categories. The country placed third in Corporate Engagement and fifth in both Ecosystem Returns and Ecosystem Maturity, indicating growing institutional support and increasing ecosystem sophistication.
E-commerce and retail emerged as Morocco’s strongest startup industry, ranking 62nd globally and second in North Africa.
Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech lead growth
Morocco also stood out for the geographic spread of its startup activity. The country now has three cities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 startup ecosystems, more than any other North African nation.
Casablanca retained its position as North Africa’s second-ranked startup city and ninth in Africa overall, posting growth of 23.1%. Rabat recorded one of the region’s strongest performances, climbing 39 places to 772nd globally after achieving 44% growth. Marrakech entered the global top 1,000 for the first time, rising 189 positions to 871st with nearly 100% growth.
The report points to a growing network of ecosystem builders helping drive Morocco’s startup ambitions.
These include the Agency for Digital Development (ADD), which oversees digital transformation initiatives; Technopark, a nationwide network of technology parks supporting startups and tech firms; Maroc Numeric Fund Ventures, an early-stage venture capital investor; Tamwilcom, which manages public financing mechanisms for startups; and GIZ Morocco, which works with public and private partners to support entrepreneurship and economic development.
The report explained that Morocco’s startup ecosystem has expanded through a series of policy and investment milestones over the past decade. In 2017, the country launched the Innov Invest Fund, a $70 million financing project backed by the World Bank and the European Union to support early-stage startups.
The ecosystem gained further international visibility in 2021 when Chari became the first Moroccan startup accepted into Y Combinator, one of the world’s most influential startup accelerators.
In 2023, Marrakech hosted the inaugural edition of GITEX Africa, which has since become one of the continent’s largest technology and startup gatherings. The following year, Morocco announced its Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, which aims to digitize public services and support the creation and scaling of 3,000 startups by the end of the decade.
More recently, in 2025, Morocco launched the Startup Venture Building program in partnership with 500 Global and Flat6Labs to support 800 startups.
While Egypt and Tunisia continue to lead North Africa’s startup rankings, StartupBlink’s latest findings suggest Morocco is narrowing the gap through rapid ecosystem growth, stronger stakeholder engagement, and the emergence of multiple startup centers beyond Casablanca.
