Casablanca – Morocco’s disability prevalence rate reached 8.7% in 2026, including 2.3% of people with severe disabilities, Secretary of State for Social Integration Abdeljabbar Rachidi said Thursday in Rabat.
Speaking at a press conference presenting the preliminary results of the country’s third National Survey on Disability, Rachidi said the rate had increased by 1.9 percentage points from the 6.8% recorded in the 2014 survey.
He attributed the change mainly to new tools used to classify disability in the latest survey. These include children aged 2 to 17, UNICEF tools, and the expanded Washington Group questionnaire for adults aged 18 and over. Morocco’s growing share of older people also contributed to the change, he said.
The findings showed that around 29% of Moroccan households include at least one person with a disability. Rachidi said the figure reflects the wider social impact of disability on families, including care, support and direct and indirect costs. Some 65.6% of people with disabilities said their families remain responsible for medication and pharmacy expenses.
Women accounted for 53.6% of people with disabilities, compared with 46.4% for men. The survey also found that 60.5% live in urban areas and 39.5% in rural areas. Rachidi said the figures point to the need for more targeted policies that take local needs into account.
The survey, which began in January 2026, aims to update indicators on disability prevalence and examine the living conditions of people with disabilities. It also looks at barriers to social and economic integration and access to social services, education, employment, social protection and participation, to develop indicators for integrated public policy.
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The latest findings come after Morocco’s 2024 census recorded a disability rate of 4.8%, compared with 5.1% in the 2014 census. The new survey uses different tools and a broader approach to measuring disability, including children aged 2 to 17 and the expanded Washington Group questionnaire for adults.
The sample expanded from around 16,000 households in 2014 to 20,412 in 2026. The survey used a statistical sampling framework designed to produce representative results for the target population.
Fieldwork involved 47 teams and 236 researchers, who received training and were selected before the survey began to improve their understanding of the questionnaire and ensure consistent implementation.
People with disabilities and their families identified access to basic rights and services, particularly healthcare, education and employment, among their main needs.
The survey was conducted by the State Secretariat for Social Integration in partnership with the High Commission for Planning, the National Observatory for Human Development and the United Nations Population Fund.
In January, Morocco launched the third national disability survey, citing 2024 census data showing a 4.8% disability rate, compared with 5.1% in 2014. The new survey was intended to provide updated national data.
