Morocco's health and education outcomes have improved significantly in recent years, with access expanding considerably. However, persistent challenges remain, including shortages of medical personnel, weak learning outcomes, regional disparities, and outdated infrastructure. While public spending levels in these sectors are relatively high compared to peers, efficiency gaps persist, and budget under-execution is common, indicating potential for better results with existing resources.
Health Sector
- Outcomes: Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) at birth is around 62.34 years, comparable to emerging market and regional peers. Infant mortality rates have declined.
- Capacity Constraints: The health system faces significant capacity constraints, with a national average density of 16.09 health workers per 10,000 inhabitants, below WHO recommendations.
- Expenditures: Current health spending stands at about 5.7% of GDP, with government spending at 2.3% of GDP. Out-of-pocket spending remains high at around 43% of total current health spending.
- Reforms: Major reforms include universal health care coverage, strengthening human resources, improving infrastructure, and enhancing governance. The government aims to reach 45 health workers per 10,000 inhabitants by 2035.
- Efficiency: Reforms are moving in the right direction, but further acceleration is needed to enhance governance, institutional capacity, and implementation to ensure durable efficiency improvements.
Education Sector
- Access: Education enrollment has increased across all levels, with gross primary enrollment at around 115–117%, secondary enrollment up by 27 percentage points, and tertiary enrollment up by 34 percentage points from 2010 to 2024.
- Challenges: Weak education outcomes, regional inequities, skill mismatches, and teacher-related constraints remain significant issues.
- Expenditures: Public expenditure on education is about 6% of GDP, well above regional peers, but spending efficiency and budget under-execution remain concerns.
- Reforms: The Education Strategic Vision 2015–2030 and the New Development Model outline reforms to expand access, promote equity, improve quality, and strengthen infrastructure. Key initiatives include accelerating universal preschool education, scaling up the "Pioneer School" model, and expanding the education network.
- Governance: Despite high spending and an ambitious reform agenda, weak governance and limited decentralization progress undermine effectiveness. Strengthening governance, accountability, and execution capacity is crucial for effective implementation.
Conclusion
Morocco has made progress in improving health and education outcomes, but efficiency gaps and governance challenges persist. Ambitious reforms are underway, but further efforts are needed to enhance governance, institutional capacity, and implementation to achieve better results with existing resources.
