At the confluence of Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, Morocco seeks to transform itself into a regional business hub by leveraging its geographically strategic location, political stability, and world-class infrastructure to expand as a regional manufacturing and export base for international companies. Morocco actively encourages and facilitates foreign investment, particularly in export sectors like manufacturing, through positive macro-economic policies, trade liberalization, investment incentives, and structural reforms. The Government of Morocco implements strategies aimed at boosting employment, attracting foreign investment, and raising performance and output in key revenue-earning sectors, with an emphasis placed on value-added industries such as renewables, automotive, aerospace, textile, pharmaceuticals, outsourcing, and agro-industry.

As part of the Government’s development plan, Morocco continues to make major investments in renewable energy and is on track to meet its stated goal of 52 percent total installed capacity by 2030. The New Development Model , an overarching plan for economic reform released in April of 2021, lays out the country’s ambition to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption from 19.5 percent in 2021 to 40 percent by 2035. Opportunities for green investment include smart grids, green hydrogen, energy storage, and renewable energy.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD)  World Investment Report 2022  , Morocco attracted the ninth-most foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa in 2021. Inbound FDI rose by 52 percent in 2021 to $2.2 billion, vice $1.7 billion in 2020 and 2019 and a 2018 peak of $3.6 billion. France, the United Arab Emirates, and Spain hold a majority of FDI stocks. Manufacturing attracted the highest share of FDI stocks, followed by real estate, telecommunications, tourism, and energy and mines. Morocco continues to orient itself as the “gateway to Africa,” and expanded on this role with its return to the African Union in January 2017 and the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), which entered into force in 2021. In June 2019, Morocco opened an extension of the Tangier-Med commercial shipping port, making it the largest in Africa and the Mediterranean; the government is developing a third phase for the port which will increase capacity to five million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Tangier is connected to Morocco’s political capital in Rabat and commercial hub in Casablanca by Africa’s first high-speed train service. However, weak intellectual property rights enforcement, inefficient government bureaucracy, corruption, and the slow pace of regulatory reform remain challenges.

In 2022, Morocco introduced a series of reforms to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing legislation, regulations, and criminal penalties to address the weaknesses identified when Morocco was placed on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list” of countries subjected to increased monitoring due to deficiencies in anti-money laundering and terrorist financing compliance in 2021. As a result of these reforms, in February 2023, Morocco was taken off the FATF grey list.

August 21, The OECD Economic Outlook projects Morocco's economy to expand by 3.8% in 2025 and 2026, largely driven by the recovery of the agricultural sector. After the severe droughts of 2023–2024, agriculture is expected to play a central role in supporting national growth.

August 21, Morocco is rapidly emerging as a global automotive manufacturing powerhouse, challenging traditional European players and poised to surpass Italy in vehicle output. In 2024, Morocco produced over 700,000 vehicles, with projections indicating it will reach one million units in 2025.

August 8, Morocco received 11.6 million tourists at the end of July 2025, a 16% increase against the same period in 2024. These results confirm that the solid momentum has been maintained, the ministry emphasized in a press release, pointing out that 52% of arrivals are Moroccan expatriates.

August 2, According to the latest World Investment Report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Morocco attracted USD 1.64 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2024, representing a 55% increase compared with 2023. It has become the second-largest FDI destination in North Africa and ranks 13th on the African continent.

July 25, Morocco’s economy is projected to sustain a growth rate of around 4% in both 2025 and 2026, driven by agricultural recovery, resilient domestic demand, and continued public and private investment. However, persistent trade deficits, limited employment gains, and inefficiencies in investment returns temper the overall outlook.

July 23, Morocco’s trade deficit widened to 304.9 billion dirhams (MAD) in 2024, marking a 6.8% increase compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Foreign Exchange Office.

July 11, Morocco and China are entering a new phase of bilateral cooperation with the launch of a multimodal logistics corridor linking Chengdu, China, to Tangier, Morocco, aimed at boosting trade and investment between the two countries and the wider African continent.

July 10, Morocco’s Gross National Income per capita reached $3,760 in 2024, keeping the country in the lower-middle-income category, according to the World Bank’s latest income classification report. 

July 9, Morocco’s automotive industry recorded a robust 36% increase in production during the first half of 2025, reflecting the country’s accelerating transformation into a regional industrial powerhouse.

June 10       According to a recent report by the African Export-Import Bank, Morocco ranks as the fourth most indebted economy in Africa. It reveals that six African countries account for 50% of the continent’s external debt. South Africa leads the Africa’s total external debt, followed by Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco. 

June 6        Morocco’s economy expanded 3.8% in 2024, the country’s statistics office, the High Commission of Planning, published in a report. The pace is a slight improvement from 3.7% in 2023 and reflects the country’s slow but fragile recovery, powered by strong domestic demand and persistent inflation.

June 6        Morocco aims to build on its strengthened automotive approach to increase its electric vehicle production capacity by 53%. Morocco's Minister of Industry announced the news, noting that the country's goal is to increase production to reach 107,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2025. 

May 19        According to Morocco Diplomatic News, the country is experiencing rapid infrastructure development in transportation, energy, water, municipal works, and public facilities. By 2035, the government aims to upgrade 7,000 km of national roads, 2,000 km of highways, and 45,000 km of rural roads. It also plans to expand rail connections from 23 to 43 cities by 2040, covering about 87% of the population.

May 15          A recent report by Oliver Wyman titled In-Depth Analysis of Automotive Labor Costs reveals that Morocco has been ranked as the most competitive country in the world in terms of labor costs in the automotive industry.

May 5         Unemployment affected 1.63 million people in Morocco during the first three months of this year, increasing pressure on the government, which had promised to reduce the unemployment rate amid fragile economic growth. According to the High Commission for Planning, the unemployment rate reached 13.3% in the first quarter of this year, compared to 13.7% during the same period last year.

May 01        Morocco offers foreign investors tax incentives of up to 30% of the total investment amount, including direct investment subsidies based on project characteristics, geographical location and sector, as well as tax exemptions for the first year for new companies or those established in specific zones, according to Morocco's Minister of Investment.

April 25, A new World Bank report has drawn attention to a concerning trend in the Middle East and North Africa: since 2000, per capita GDP growth in the region has lagged behind that of comparable economies. The report attributes much of this stagnation to the underperformance of the private sector.

April 2, Morocco is planning to build a new civilian airport in the North-western Atlantic port of Casablanca as part of a massive national logistics expansion programme. The new airport would be linked by a new road network and high-speed trains which are being developed for the 2030 World Cup games.

April 22, Morocco's economy could grow by 3.9% in 2025 and maintain steady momentum with 3.7% the following year, according to the latest outlook from the International Monetary Fund. 

April 21, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Zeekr has officially launched in Morocco through a strategic partnership with Tractafric Motors Morocco. Founded in 2021 by Geely Holding Group, Zeekr brings two premium electric models to the Moroccan market.

April 12, Morocco has surpassed 90% coverage of local municipalities in its urban planning strategy. This high coverage rate marks a turning point in Morocco's efforts to manage urban growth, stimulate private investment, and improve socioeconomic conditions across both urban and rural areas.

March 30     Tanger Med continues to solidify Morocco’s leadership in port operations across Africa and the Mediterranean. The port has risen in global rankings, securing 17th place worldwide, which lists the top 30 container ports globally.

March 27      Morocco's economy is poised to grow 3.6% in 2025 before moderating to 3.5% in 2026, according to the World Bank, as favorable weather bolsters agriculture while non-agricultural sectors maintain steady expansion.

March 25        Morocco has signed an investment agreement with Chinese textiles company Sunrise Group for MAD 2.3 billion (USD 230 million). The agreement will see the establishment of two industrial units located in Skhirat and Fez. 

March 22       Morocco has unveiled ambitious plans to invest MAD 12.5 billion (~ $1.25 billion) in strategic highway infrastructure projects ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The investment agreement covers the period from 2025 to 2032 and focuses on three major projects: the Continental Rabat-Casablanca Highway, the Tit Mellil-Berrechid Highway, and transforming the Ain Harrouda and Sidi Maarouf junctions.

March 9          Morocco has secured the top rank of North African countries’ list in the 2025 economic freedom index, according to the Index of Economic Freedom. On a global level, the North African country secured the 86 spot with a score of 60.3, while in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, Morocco’s economy ranked 7 out of 14 countries, ahead of Kuwait and following Saudi Arabia.

February 21, Morocco maintained its 50th position globally in the 2025 Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, leading North Africa and ranking third continentally behind South Africa (41st) and Egypt (38th).

February 21, Based on the results of the National Household Living Standards Survey 2022-2023, the average annual income of Moroccan households in 2022 was $8,917. The figure was $10,352 in urban areas and $5,605 in rural areas. The per capita annual income was $2,195, with $2,699 in urban areas and $1,286 in rural areas.

February 14, Morocco's Ambassador to China has detailed the country's expanding role as a strategic hub for Chinese investors seeking access to European, American, and African markets, particularly in the flourishing electric vehicle sector.

February 11, Morocco’s economy is set to grow by 3.9% in 2025, up from 3.2% in 2024, as the IMF recommends the country’s central bank to adopt an inflation-targeting framework and accelerate debt reduction efforts.

February 5, A report by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) of Morocco shows that the unemployment rate in Morocco in 2024 was 13.3%, a slight increase from 13% in 2023. The unemployment rate in rural areas rose from 6.3% to 6.8%, and the urban unemployment rate increased marginally from 16.8% to 16.9%.

January 28          Morocco has launched a project to build its largest logistics zone at a cost of around 550 million Moroccan dirhams ($55 million). The zone is located in the Western Atlantic Casablanca province and is part of projects undertaken by the North African Arab nation in preparation for the 2030 World Cup.

January 22       Morocco's Minister of Transport and Logistics unveiled an ambitious MAD 96 billion ($9.6 billion) investment plan to modernize the country's railway infrastructure by 2030. 

January 22         Morocco's Minister of Transport and Logistics announced that the country will invest approximately MAD 42 billion ($4.1 billion) in airport expansion projects by 2030.

January 16         Moroccan households are grappling with persistent economic challenges. In the fourth quarter of 2024, a mere 11.1% of Moroccan families expressed optimism about their ability to save over the next 12 months, while a staggering 88.9% saw no such possibility.   

January 9         Morocco has exceeded its tourism target, reaching 17.4 million visitors by the end of 2024 – two years ahead of the 2026 goal. Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism released the new data today, noting that the number represents a 20% increase compared to 2023 – amounting to nearly three million additional tourists.

December 28, According to Morocco's Les Inspirations ECO, despite the huge economic potential of fintech, Morocco's shift to a "cashless society" remains distant due to structural constraints and a cash-dominated consumption habit.

December 24, The 2023-2024 audit report of Morocco shows that the country's macroeconomy is recovering balance. The GDP grew by 3.4% in 2023, and is expected to grow by 2.8% in 2024, with inflation controlled at 1.3%. 

December 17, Morocco aims to double its passenger capacity from 38 million to nearly 80 million by 2030 in a major expansion of the country's airports. The move is part of a significant tourism drive as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, along with with Spain and Portugal.

December 11, Morocco has reported a 20% year-on-year increase in tourists through to the end of November, welcoming close to 16 million visitors. The number of international visitors increased by 26% (1.5 million).