Moroccan Youth: Between Dreams and Harsh Reality Amid Rising Unemployment
According to a report by the Moroccan League for Human Rights (LMDDH) published yesterday to mark International Youth Day on August 12, Moroccan youth encounter formidable barriers in employment, political participation, education, health, and social integration.
The report, themed around the UN's 'Local Youth Action for Sustainable Development Goals and Beyond 2030,' delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current situation backed by official statistics.
Unemployment persists as one of the most critical issues affecting young Moroccans. The report cites that the overall unemployment rate reached 12.8% in the second quarter of 2025, but the figure skyrockets among youth aged 15-24, hitting between 35.8% and 36.7% between February and August.
The outlook appears even bleaker for those with higher education degrees, with unemployment rates reaching 19.6% in February and surging to approximately 40% in some regions by July.
According to official figures, Morocco requires around 240,000 jobs annually, while nearly 350,000 young people enter the labor market each year.
This adds heavy pressure on available opportunities, deepens the supply-demand gap, and calls for structural reforms, effective public policies, and investment in promising sectors to absorb more youth.
The report notes that 67% of working youth find themselves trapped in the informal sector, which typically lacks social protection and decent working conditions, heightening their vulnerability.
'This reflects the substantial disconnect between educational outcomes and job market requirements,' states the LMDDH report, urging a review of economic and educational policies to ensure better alignment between skills supply and demand.
Political participation among youth remains worryingly scarce despite repeated calls for greater involvement. Analysis of electoral rolls revealed that youth registration plummeted from 30% of the total electorate in 2011 to merely 20% by March 2024.
'There exists an iron dome that permanently and structurally limits youth integration into electoral and democratic life,' the report points out, noting that youth representation in elected institutions has also diminished compared to previous elections.
A failing education system leaves youth unprepared
The educational system grapples with profound shortcomings that directly impact youth development and prospects. According to the report, school dropout rates, while showing improvement nationally to 4.4% by March, persist at alarming levels in rural areas where 14.2% of those aged 15-17 abandoned their studies in 2024.
Classroom overcrowding continues to undermine educational quality, with 12.9% of secondary schools suffering from this issue in August. The report indicates that approximately 15,000 classrooms exceed 41 students, hampering teacher effectiveness and student learning outcomes.
Higher education institutions struggle with multiple structural deficiencies, including overcrowding in open-access programs, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient funding for scientific research.
The LMDDH report emphasizes that many university programs fall short of equipping students with the skills and competencies employers seek, widening the divide between educational outcomes and economic needs.
Vocational training, while recognized as vital for bridging this gap, demands expanded coverage, diversified specializations, and robust partnerships with the private sector to maintain relevance to evolving job market requirements.
Mental health services for youth remain woefully inadequate, with the Minister of Health revealing in April that Morocco has only 319 psychiatrists in the public sector, far below the World Health Organization (WHO)'s recommended minimum of 15.3 psychiatrists per 10,000 people.
The report also draws attention to rising suicide rates among young people. While exact statistics remain disputed, with the Ministry of Health acknowledging it lacks precise figures specifically for youth, the report stresses that available data from various sources indicate concerning trends that underscore the urgent need to strengthen mental health services and provide psychological support for young people.
Addiction, migration, and crime threaten youth futures
Drug abuse among Moroccan youth has reached disturbing proportions. According to the High Commission for Planning, 9.4% of young people aged 15-24 admitted to consuming hashish at least once in their lives as of 2023.
The report references a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime study from 2025 documenting troubling patterns, including a significant surge in pharmaceutical drug misuse among minors and modest increases in cocaine and heroin consumption.
The Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE) reported in August that Morocco counts six million smokers, including half a million minors, while gambling ensnares 3.3 million people, 40% of whom stand at direct risk of addiction.
Irregular migration or 'harraga' proliferates among desperate youth. In 2024, authorities intercepted 78,685 irregular migration attempts, a 4.6% increase from the previous year.
More tragically, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) documented approximately 2,000 deaths or disappearances in the Strait of Gibraltar and Atlantic Ocean, with 78% being youth under thirty.
Crime and delinquency rates among young people have escalated markedly. According to the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration, inmates under 30 years old totaled 18,754 in 2024, constituting 43% of the total prison population.
The Public Prosecutor's Office reported that 63% of crimes committed in public places in 2023 were perpetrated by youth between 16 and 25 years old.
Racism and hate speech targeting youth have intensified, particularly in digital spaces. A 2023 survey by the LMDDH and the Moroccan Center for Citizenship revealed 87% of young participants endorsed preventing African migrants from sub-Saharan countries from entering Morocco, while 55% opposed Morocco becoming a host country for migrants. The report observed that youth aged 18-35 exhibited 'more aggressive and more fanatical discourse.'
To tackle these multifaceted issues, the LMDDH proposes implementing a comprehensive national plan to curb school dropouts, overhauling university curricula to better match job market needs, initiating a 'Safe Migration Program' with seasonal visas, establishing early integration centers for psychological and social intervention, and forming a national observatory to monitor crime and youth issues.
Achieving sustainable development in Morocco hinges largely on the state's capacity to invest in youth and cultivate an appropriate environment for their prosperity, argues the report.
This requires strong political commitment, coordination between various government sectors, and genuine involvement of young people themselves in shaping policies that affect their lives, it concludes. Tags: Moroccan YouthYoung Moroccans
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