Morocco will hold the 7th general population and housing census in late summer 2024, King Mohammed VI announced on Thursday.
In a letter to Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, the sovereign said that this operation represents “a valuable tool to achieve our societal project and to properly deploy our development model, built on the principles of political democracy, economic efficiency, human development and social and territorial cohesion”.
The king underlined that the periodic renewal of this operation, at regular intervals every ten years, is “a thoughtful choice that allows us to be better equipped to accurately grasp the demographic and socio-economic evolution of the country, anticipate the changing needs of our citizens and devise relevant policies accordingly”.
The sovereign noted that this strategically important ten-year event is of interest to the whole nation and beyond: national and international institutions, political, trade union and economic actors, civil society, Moroccan families and all foreign residents.
The king noted that this operation requires the broad mobilization of significant human and logistical resources, commitment and close and effective coordination of all public administrations, public institutions, decentralized services, as well as regional, provincial and local authorities and elected councils.
In the announcement, the monarch called on the Interior Minister, the High Commissioner for Planning and all walis and governors to ensure optimal operational organization of this census in compliance with the deadlines and in close coordination with other stakeholders on the ground, urging citizens to actively participate and provide accurate information for the common good.
Upon completion of data collection, the King urged the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP) to diligently process and analyze these data to make the results readily available to decision-makers and stakeholders.
“This speed in the exploitation of data will allow, among other things, the rapid identification of emerging trends to develop relevant public policies and adapt various programs for the good of our Nation and the well-being of our people,” the King added.
According to the last general population and housing census conducted in 2014, the North African country had 33,610,084 inhabitants, of which 23,527,055 were aged over 18.