HCP Report: Three regions generate 57.9% of national wealth

The three regions of Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima concentrated 57.9% of the national wealth in 2022, according to data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP). This unequal distribution of economic production highlights growing disparities between the regions of the Kingdom.

Casablanca-Settat stands out at the top with a contribution of 31.4% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), followed by Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (16.1%) and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (10.4%). These three regions continue to play a key role in the Moroccan economy, strengthening their position as major economic hubs.

Behind this trio, five other regions, namely Marrakech-Safi (8.3%), Fez-Meknes (7.9%), Souss-Massa (6.6%), Béni Mellal-Khénifra (6.1%) and the Oriental (5.1%), generated 33.5% of the GDP in 2022. The regions of Drâa-Tafilalet and the three southern regions, for their part, contributed 7.9% to the creation of national wealth.

Increasingly marked regional disparities

Real GDP growth rates also vary significantly across regions. Four regions recorded growth rates above the national average of 1.5%: Souss-Massa (7.5%), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (5.2%), Marrakech-Safi (4.6%), and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra (2.9%). In contrast, more modest growth was observed in other regions, such as Guelmim-Oued Noun and Drâa-Tafilalet (1.3%), while Casablanca-Settat posted the lowest growth (0.2%). The regions of Béni Mellal-Khénifra and Fez-Meknes recorded negative growth of 4.7% and 1.9%, respectively.

In 2022, the national economy reached a GDP in volume of 1,296 billion dirhams, with a moderate growth of 1.5% compared to 2021. In terms of value, the GDP amounted to 1,330.5 billion dirhams at current prices, marking an increase of 4.2%.

Concentration of added value in the primary sector

The primary sector (agriculture and fisheries) continues to play a decisive role in several regions of the country. Seven regions produced 82.4% of the national value added of the primary sector in 2022. Fez-Meknes leads with a contribution of 21.3% to GDP, followed by Drâa-Tafilalet (19.3%) and Souss-Massa (17.4%). In these regions, economic dependence on agriculture and fisheries far exceeds the national average of 9.8% of GDP.

On the other hand, Casablanca-Settat has the lowest share of added value in the primary sector, with only 3.2%, reflecting an economic structure more oriented towards the industrial and tertiary sectors.

Industry and services: Casablanca-Settat and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima dominate

Industrial activities are highly concentrated in the regions of Casablanca-Settat and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, which contributed 58.6% to the national added value of the secondary sector in 2022. However, this figure shows a slight decline compared to 2021, when these two regions accounted for 60.5% of the country’s industrial activity.

The contribution of secondary sector activities to the national GDP is 25.9%, with four regions exceeding this average, notably Casablanca-Settat (37.2%), Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra (35.1%), Béni Mellal-Khénifra (34.1%) and Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima (33.5%).

Tertiary activities, which include market and non-market services, generated more than half of the national wealth in 2022 (54.6%). The three regions of Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima take the lion’s share with 55.8% of the added value of services. Some regions, such as Guelmim-Oued Noun and Dakhla-Oued-Ed-Daha, show an economic structure very dominated by the tertiary sector, with respective contributions of 73.9% and 67.9%.

GDP per capita: disparities and concentration of wealth

In terms of GDP per capita, five regions recorded levels above the national average of 36,284 dirhams in 2022. Dakhla-Oued Eddahab comes first with a GDP per capita of 80,996 dirhams, followed by Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra (71,246 dirhams) and Casablanca-Settat (54,997 dirhams). Guelmim-Oued Noun (44,432 dirhams) and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (43,124 dirhams) complete this group.

The other regions have GDP per capita levels ranging from 22,730 dirhams (Marrakech-Safi) to 35,641 dirhams (Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima). Despite a slight reduction in the gaps, the dispersion of GDP per capita remains high, with an average absolute gap that increased from 14,617 dirhams in 2021 to 14,552 dirhams in 2022.

Disparities in household consumption expenditure

Disparities are also evident in household final consumption expenditure (DCFM), which reached 816 billion dirhams at the national level in 2022. The regions of Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima and Fez-Meknes account for almost two-thirds (62.9%) of this expenditure, with respective shares of 25.3%, 14.7%, 11.5% and 11.5%.

Marrakech-Safi (11.3%), Souss-Massa (7.2%) and the Oriental (7%) account for almost a quarter of the DCFM, while the other five regions contribute 11.7%. In terms of per capita consumption, six regions exceed the national average of 22,253 dirhams, with Dakhla-Oued Eddahab in the lead (31,316 dirhams) and Casablanca-Settat in second place (27,128 dirhams).

In this context, regional disparities in consumption have widened, with an average absolute gap increasing from 3,155 dirhams in 2021 to 3,345 dirhams in 2022.

LNT