Share of population living in urban areas in Morocco

Morocco: Share of population living in urban areas was 78.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
78.1%
World rank
91st
of 236 countries
All-time high
78.1%
in 2020
All-time low
46.1%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Morocco, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 46.1 %1955: 49.3 %1960: 52.7 %1965: 55.9 %1970: 59.3 %1975: 62.4 %1980: 65 %1985: 67.5 %1990: 69.5 %1995: 71.3 %2000: 72.7 %2005: 74.4 %2010: 75.9 %2015: 77.1 %2020: 78.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Morocco is 78.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Morocco peaked at 78.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 46.1%, in 1950.

That places Morocco 91st out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 47.7% 46.1% 49.3% 2
1960s 54.3% 52.7% 55.9% 2
1970s 60.8% 59.3% 62.4% 2
1980s 66.2% 65.0% 67.5% 2
1990s 70.4% 69.5% 71.3% 2
2000s 73.6% 72.7% 74.4% 2
2010s 76.5% 75.9% 77.1% 2
2020s 78.1% 78.1% 78.1% 1

Countries ranked near Morocco

  1. 88 Spain 78.6% compare
  2. 89 South Africa 78.6% compare
  3. 90 Belgium 78.4% compare
  4. 92 Ecuador 77.5% compare
  5. 93 Mexico 77.3% compare
  6. 94 Oman 77.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Morocco

All data for Morocco →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Morocco?
Share of population living in urban areas in Morocco was 78.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Morocco?
The highest recorded value was 78.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Morocco?
The lowest recorded value was 46.1% in 1950.
How does Morocco rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Morocco ranks 91st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Morocco?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Morocco data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.