Why there is a decline in fertility in Morocco, UN report explains

The report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the High Commission for Planning (HCP) was launched in commemoration of World Population Day, challenges prevailing narratives by revealing that many Moroccans still want to have children but feel unable to do so.

Titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World,” the report is based on a UNFPA/YouGov survey in 14 countries, including Morocco. It found that one in three Moroccans have not had the number of children they desire, with nearly half of them citing financial reasons as the main obstacle, Le Matin reports.

“It is not the desire to have children that is lacking, but rather an abdication in the face of increasingly hostile conditions,” the report states.

Marielle Sander, UNFPA’s representative in Morocco, stressed that the declining fertility rate is “not just about the number of children I will have, but the world in which they will live,” quoting a young Moroccan interviewed during consultations.

Sander urged policymakers to look beyond statistics and address the root causes that obstruct people’s reproductive choices. She noted the importance of this year’s observance, which also marks 50 years of partnership between UNFPA and Morocco during a time of “profound demographic transformations.”

She further argued that “Morocco still has the opportunity to benefit from its demographic dividend, provided it invests in the key levers: education, particularly for girls, access to employment for women; and sexual and reproductive health for young people.”

Sander also highlighted the unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities, which continue to fall disproportionately on women. “Parenthood must become a shared choice, not a female burden.” She advocated for stronger policies supporting family life, more recognition for the care economy, and private sector participation in creating work-life balance.