Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Education in Morocco - statistics & facts
Formal education in Morocco consists of primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. It is mandatory for children in the country to be enrolled in school for a period of nine years, between the ages of seven and 16. As there are no public pre-primary educational institutions, these are managed by private entities supervised by the country's Ministry of Education. Despite the controversy surrounding the languages of instruction in the country, most courses are taught in Arabic and French. Other languages commonly taught are English, Spanish, and Amazigh, which was recognized as an official language in 2011.
Students and teaching staff in compulsory education
In 2022, Morocco counted nearly 8,130 primary schools. The number of school-going children at this educational level grew steadily from 2009 onwards, totaling over 4.67 million in 2022. Elementary school teachers instead exceeded 175,200. After five years of primary education, students attend lower-secondary schools for four years. As of the same year, almost 3.2 million students were enrolled in secondary schools, while teachers amounted to nearly 160,000. Although basic education is compulsory, many children do not attend school. As of 2022, over 21,000 pupils were out of primary school in Morocco.Rising tertiary education enrollment
Around 1.35 million students attended tertiary education in Morocco in 2022. The number of enrollees increased significantly in recent years, growing from approximately 450,000 students in 2010. Enrollment and successful completion of higher education programs is more common among women, who represented 52.4 percent of the university graduates in the country in 2021. Moreover, out of all tertiary student enrollments, nearly eight percent were in private institutions. Regarding teachers and professors, the number of teaching staff at the tertiary level added up to roughly 12,900 women and 26,100 men in 2022.International student mobility
Outbound students from Morocco are significantly higher in number than inbound students, leading to a negative foreign student mobility net flow of 45,300 students in 2021. As of 2020, foreign students in the country were mainly from West Africa, mostly from Mali. However, many students have come from other parts of the world to study in Morocco over the years. In addition, over 68,700 Moroccan university students studied abroad in 2021. Internationally mobile students from Morocco were mainly registered in North America and Western Europe, compared to other world regions.
