The number of elderly people in Morocco has increased from one million to 4.5 million between 1970 and 2022, i.e. a rise with an annual rate of 2.8%, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).
This rate is higher than that of the entire population of Morocco, which stands at 1.7%, said the HCP in an information note published on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, celebrated on October 1 of each year.
By 2050, this number should reach 10 million people, according to HCP projections, representing an annual increase of 2.9% (compared to 0.6% for the entire population of Morocco).
The demographic weight of the elderly would then be 23.2% instead of the current 12.2%. This rapid change is explained by the increase in life expectancy at birth, from 47 years at the beginning of the 1960s to 76.9 years at present.
By gender, in 2022, the number of elderly women will be 2.3 million, or 100,000 more than men, and will reach 5.4 million in 2050, or 770,000 more. This is due to the fact that women have a higher life expectancy, estimated at 78.6 years at birth (compared to 75.2 years for men) and 22.3 years at age 60 (compared to 20 years for men).
