Morocco disability prevalence rises to 8.7 percent

Preliminary results from Morocco’s third national disability survey indicate that the disability prevalence rate has risen to 8.7 percent in 2026, up from 6.8 percent in 2014. This represents a 1.9 percentage point increase.

Abdeljabbar Errachidi, the Secretary of State in charge of Social Inclusion, noted that the rise may not reflect a literal increase in disability cases but rather improvements in monitoring methodologies. The new study adopted international standards from UNICEF and the Washington Group, including children aged two to 17 and accounting for demographic shifts such as an aging population.

The data reveals that 29 percent of Moroccan households include at least one person with a disability. This highlights significant economic and social pressures, as 65.6 percent of people with disabilities have their medication and pharmacy costs covered by their families.

Demographically, women account for 53.6 percent of people with disabilities, compared to 46.4 percent for men. Additionally, 60.5 percent of the affected population resides in urban areas, while 39.5 percent live in rural regions.