A moderately free economy—this is the assessment of the latest report by the American think tank The Heritage Foundation. In the ranking, Morocco stands 86th out of 176 countries covered in the 2025 Index, marking an improvement of 3.5 points compared to last year. Within North Africa, Morocco is well ahead of Tunisia (149th) and Algeria (160th).
The report attributes this notable progress to reforms that encourage greater private sector dynamism, along with improved competitiveness and diversification of the productive base.
Whether one agrees with all aspects or not, these indices and reports provide valuable benchmarks, allowing Morocco to compare itself to other economies and to align its progress with well-known realities and weaknesses. Overall, the country is still checking the right boxes, despite economic shocks.
But while strategies are in place, how can Morocco achieve stronger growth and job creation? The latest unemployment figures serve as a stark reminder, confirming a persistent trend. To address this, the government has recently launched a roadmap aimed at «saving Private…Employment». While waiting for results, Morocco’s economy still faces other challenges. At the forefront is the long-standing issue of the informal sector, which traps a large number of workers in low-quality jobs. Other critical battles include enhancing market competition, strengthening research & development (R&D), improving production efficiency and quality, and tackling corruption—a deep-rooted plague that infiltrates all sectors, often ignored due to its pervasiveness. Simply put, there is still work to be done to transform this «moderately free economy» into something more solid and efficient. It’s time to sift through and eliminate everything that no longer serves a purpose.
