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As Morocco undergoes a demographic transition, highlighted by the 2024 census, family models are undergoing significant change. According to the 2025 National Family Survey (ENF), these shifts are part of a broader context of socioeconomic developments reshaping both lifestyles and family organization. Presented on April 8, 2026, by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), the findings stem from the second such survey since 1995 and offer deeper insight into the transformation of family structures.
In this regard, the HCP notes that «the average household size has decreased from 4.6 people in 2014 to 3.9 in 2024, now falling below the threshold of four people per household». According to the same source, «this shift reflects the gradual decline of extended cohabitation and the erosion of the family model based on multi-generational co-residence, in favor of smaller households and, consequently, greater residential autonomy». In other words, these findings shed light on the demographic, social, and economic transformations taking place at the household level.
Smaller families and childless couples
Nuclear families are now «the most widespread form of domestic organization in Morocco», accounting for 73% of households in 2025, compared to 60.8% in 1995. This increase of more than 12 percentage points reflects «a structural transformation in living arrangements, characterized by a tightening of the household around the parental core». However, this evolution remains gradual, with a more pronounced rise in rural areas (from 58.1% in 1995 to 72.7% in 2025). In urban areas, the share has increased from 63% to 72.9%, pointing to «a near convergence» of family models across the country.
Alongside this growing «nuclearization», the HCP highlights that «the transformation of residential norms, changes in housing, and constraints in the housing market» are also driving «more limited household configurations», particularly in cities. The ENF 2025 further reveals a rise in childless couples. «Nationally, their share has increased from 3.4% in 1995 to 9.4% in 2025», marking a six-point increase. The report notes that this trend is nearly identical in both urban areas (from 3.4% to 9.4%) and rural areas (from 3.5% to 9.3%).
This reflects «a cross-cutting transformation of the family landscape, regardless of place of residence or population group». For the HCP, it is «a key indicator of the evolution of the family cycle», extending beyond a single profile. These situations may correspond to «recently formed couples, later unions, or choices shaped by employment and housing conditions». Notably, nearly 24% of the heads of these households are aged between 30 and 59, «indicating a significant share of childless households of working age», the report adds.
The HCP also highlights the rise of «empty nest» households, referring to couples whose children have left the family home. The heads of these households have an average age of 64.1 years, with 72.8% aged 60 and above. This trend reflects «a transition to post-parental stages of the life cycle, consistent with demographic aging», the HCP explains.
Rise in single-parent families
The report also points to another notable shift in Morocco’s family structure: the increase in single-parent households with children. Between 1995 and 2025, their share rose from 7.3% to 8.8%, an increase of more than 1.5 percentage points over one generation. Although still moderate, this change «confirms the steady growth of single parenthood and its consolidation among observed family forms», according to the ENF.
This trend unfolds within «a broader diversification of marital paths», notably marked by rising divorce rates (23.3% of single-parent household heads) and widowhood (56.6%). It also reflects situations linked to migration, as 12.5% of household heads are married, with women accounting for 91.1% and men 8.9%.
These developments offer key insights into family composition, as well as the evolution of family networks, intergenerational solidarity, social mobility, and the values associated with family life, the HCP notes. They point to «the emergence of new family dynamics and shifting life trajectories, particularly in relation to marriage, divorce, fertility, and living conditions».
Underlying these changes are «evolving individual aspirations and social behaviors, reflecting the gradual adaptation of the family to transformations within Moroccan society». Yet, «the family continues to occupy a central place», fulfilling essential roles in maintaining social bonds. Overall, these trends illustrate «a growing distance from the traditional family model and the gradual consolidation of a new reality», one that calls for «adapted public policies».
