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Marrakech – Morocco’s economy grew 4.4% in 2024, with GDP reaching MAD 1,614.57 billion ($161.46 billion) at current prices. Yet the wealth generated remains heavily concentrated in a handful of regions, according to the annual regional accounts published Monday by the country’s High Commission for Planning (HCP).
The data paint a picture of persistent and slightly worsening inequality across the country’s 12 regions. Five regions captured nearly three-quarters of all household consumption spending. A single region – Casablanca-Settat – accounted for nearly a third of national GDP. And the gap between the richest and poorest regions, measured by per capita output, continued to widen.
GDP in volume terms reached MAD 1,550.45 billion ($155.05 billion), an 8.7% increase over 2023 at current prices. The HCP noted that regional growth performances were sharply contrasted despite the national average of 4.4%.
Eight regions outpaced the national average. Laayoune-Saguia al Hamra led with 7.6% growth, driven by non-market services and maritime fishing. Dakhla-Oued ed Dahab followed at 7%, fueled by fishing and construction. Souss-Massa posted 6.8%, supported by agriculture and services, while Draa-Tafilalet grew 6.2% on the strength of construction activity.
The Oriental recorded 5.9% after contracting in 2023. Marrakech-Safi reached 5.1%, driven by hospitality and food services. Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima grew 4.9%, propelled by manufacturing and services. Guelmim-Oued Noun rounded out the above-average group at 4.6%.
Four regions grew below the national average. Casablanca-Settat posted 4.3%, supported by manufacturing and financial services. Rabat-Sale-Kenitra recorded 3.5%, reflecting stable public administration activity. Beni Mellal-Khenifra managed 2.1% after its 2023 contraction. Fes-Meknes trailed at just 1.6%, down from 8.8% in 2023, due to a sharp decline in agricultural output.
Three regions generate 58% of the national GDP
The concentration of wealth creation remained striking. At current prices, Casablanca-Settat alone generated 32.3% of national GDP – MAD 520,894 million ($52.09 billion). Rabat-Sale-Kenitra contributed 15.5%, and Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima 10.7%. Together, the three regions produced 58.4% of national output.
Five mid-tier regions – Marrakech-Safi (8.7%), Fes-Meknes (8.2%), Souss-Massa (6.6%), Beni Mellal-Khenifra (5.3%), and the Oriental (5.1%) – collectively accounted for 33.8%. The remaining four regions, including Draa-Tafilalet and the three southern regions in the Western Sahara, contributed just 7.8%.
The mean absolute deviation between regional GDP figures and the regional average rose from MAD 83.6 billion ($8.36 billion) in 2023 to MAD 90.9 billion ($9.09 billion) in 2024, confirming a slight increase in regional inequality.
Per capita GDP nationally stood at MAD 43,891 ($4,389). Five regions exceeded that figure: Dakhla-Oued ed Dahab at MAD 92,904 ($9,290), Laayoune-Saguia al Hamra at MAD 73,718 ($7,372), Casablanca-Settat at MAD 67,859 ($6,786), Guelmim-Oued Noun at MAD 50,604 ($5,060), and Rabat-Sale-Kenitra at MAD 48,797 ($4,880).
At the bottom, Marrakech-Safi recorded just MAD 28,692 ($2,869). The per capita dispersion gap widened by MAD 707 ($71), from MAD 14,853 ($1,485) to MAD 15,560 ($1,556).
Sectoral analysis revealed distinct regional specializations. Primary activities – agriculture and fishing – represented 10.7% of national GDP but reached 24.6% in Fes-Meknes and 19.3% in Draa-Tafilalet. Casablanca-Settat had the lowest primary share at 3.7%.
Secondary activities made up 25.6% nationally, with Casablanca-Settat dominating at 45.9% of national industrial value added, followed by Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima at 14%.
The tertiary sector represented 52.9% of GDP, with four regions – Casablanca-Settat (28.6%), Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (18.3%), Marrakech-Safi (10.3%), and Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (9%) – accounting for 66.2% of all services output.
Household spending mirrors GDP concentration
Household final consumption expenditure (DCFM) totaled MAD 944.1 billion ($94.41 billion) in 2024. Five regions absorbed 74.4% of that total: Casablanca-Settat (25.3%), Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (14.8%), Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (11.6%), Fes-Meknes (11.4%), and Marrakech-Safi (11.3%). The remaining seven regions shared 25.6%, ranging from 0.8% for Dakhla-Oued ed Dahab to 7.2% for Souss-Massa.
Per capita household spending averaged MAD 25,664 ($2,566) nationally. Six regions exceeded that level: Dakhla-Oued ed Dahab at MAD 34,515 ($3,452), Casablanca-Settat at MAD 31,173 ($3,117), the Oriental at MAD 27,805 ($2,781), Rabat-Sale-Kenitra at MAD 27,250 ($2,725), Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima at MAD 27,210 ($2,721), and Laayoune-Saguia al Hamra at MAD 25,696 ($2,570). Draa-Tafilalet recorded the lowest at MAD 18,292 ($1,829).
Consumption disparities also deepened. The mean absolute deviation between regional DCFM figures and the regional average climbed from MAD 48.5 billion ($4.85 billion) in 2023 to MAD 51.5 billion ($5.15 billion). Per capita spending dispersion rose from MAD 3,423 ($342) to MAD 3,609 ($361).
The 2024 regional accounts, based on semi-definitive data, point to the structural imbalance at the heart of Morocco’s territorial economy – a reality that continued to intensify even as overall growth accelerated.
Indeed, the numbers echo the warning King Mohammed VI delivered in his Throne Day speech in July 2025, when he declared that “there is no place today or tomorrow for a Morocco moving at two speeds.”
The monarch, at the time, demanded that the government adopt a new generation of territorial development programs grounded in local specificities, insisting that economic achievements remain hollow without tangible improvements in citizens’ daily lives across all regions.
