Nearly a quarter of Moroccans intend to emigrate, survey shows

Nearly a quarter (23.3%) of Moroccans intend to emigrate, according to the initial results of the first phase of the national survey on international migration carried out in 2018-2019 by the High Planning Commission (HCP).

The intention to emigrate does not vary according to the type of household, said the survey that covered a sample of 5,765 non-migrant individuals, adding that it is 23.3% among non-migrants from households with no migrants (non-migrant household) and 23.8% among those from households with at least one migrant (migrant household).

This intention varies significantly according to gender, age and level of education, according to the survey, noting that it constitutes 28.6 per cent of men against 17.7 per cent of women and 40.3 per cent of persons aged 15-29 years against 10.3 per cent of persons aged 45-59 years.

25% of persons intending to emigrate have secondary or higher education compared to 12.4% of those with no education. In addition, 4 out of 10 (40.6%) non-migrants with vocational training intend to emigrate, the survey noted.

The same source added that 41.1% of non-migrants in the Eastern region wish to emigrate abroad, followed by those in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (30.8%), Marrakech-Safi (26.7%) and Drâa-Tafilalet (26.2%).

With 70%, economic reasons are the primary motivation for those intending to emigrate, followed by social grounds (24.4%).

HCP underlined that Europe is the top destination for respondents with 80% of the choices expressed. Next come North American countries with 8.8% and Arab States (2.8%).

According to the survey, a non-migrant is defined as any member of the household, aged 15-59, who has never resided abroad or has lived abroad for less than 3 months.

The second phase of this survey, scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, concerns forced and irregular migration.