HCP data show that 31% of Morocco's seniors have no income, a share that rises to 51.6% among older women. As the population ages, families are left to cover gaps in pensions and social care, issues that also featured in the 2026 election debate.
HCP data show that 31% of Moroccan seniors have no pension, job, financial support or other source of income. The share rises to 51.6% among older women, compared with 9.8% among men. Families often step in, but they are covering gaps that pensions and social protection do not.
The pressure is set to grow. The High Commission for Planning (HCP), Morocco's official statistics agency, counted 36,828,330 people in 2024. People aged 60 and over made up 13.8% of the population, or about five million. That share was 9.4% in 2014. HCP projects it will reach 22.9% by 2050, or nearly 10 million people. Later estimates put the figure at 10.9 million by 2060. The official HCP portal publishes the country's population and social statistics.
The shift is clear.
Ageing has also entered the political debate. Coverage of Morocco's 2026 parliamentary election reported that people aged 60 and over make up more than 29% of registered voters. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, the figure is 4%. Pension levels and household costs have featured in the wider election discussion. Campaign promises are not enacted policy.
During the campaign, a pledge to raise the minimum pension to 3,000 dirhams was reported alongside criticism that most current pensioners receive less than 1,600 dirhams. As of 28 September 2026, available reporting indicates that the issue remains under discussion. No new nationwide pension reform has been confirmed. HCP's projections show why the distinction matters: an ageing population will increase demand for reliable income and care over time.
Family care cannot replace income security
Nearly six in ten older people live with at least one child, according to an HCP survey of more than 14,000 households. The largest group, 32.3%, live in nuclear families with unmarried children. Another 20.4% live in extended families with younger generations, while 6.6% live in single-parent households. Only 5.9% live alone. More than nine in ten say they feel completely safe at home.
Living with family does not always mean feeling connected. Some degree of loneliness affects 23.2% of seniors, including 9.8% who say they feel it constantly. The rate is 28.6% among women and 17.6% among men. Sociologist Bouchaib Majdoul says the extended-family model has weakened as households have shifted toward nuclear families. He also points to geographic mobility, women's participation in the workforce and economic constraints.
The gap is stark.
Pensions are the main source of income for only 25.5% of seniors. The figure is 34.1% for men and 17.1% for women. It reaches 33.8% in urban areas but just 10% in rural areas. Nearly one-third of pension recipients say their payments are insufficient. Only 9% of seniors say their income meets all their needs.
Relatives provide most cash transfers to older people. Of the transfers received during the previous year, 70.4% came from family, compared with 19.8% from social assistance and 9.9% from organisations and neighbours. The pension gap is part of a wider squeeze on household finances, also described in reporting on civil servant debt.
Nearly two-thirds of seniors who still work, 64.3%, say the lack of a pension forces them to continue past 60. Pension reform consultant Réda Benamar says the priority should be to raise and protect small pensions. He argues that this would reduce older people's economic vulnerability.
Care needs are growing beyond the home
Nearly half of seniors, 47.8%, consider dedicated residential care facilities necessary. Their leading expectations are a fulfilling social life, named by 39.7%, and decent living conditions, named by 34.1%. Only 11.1% put qualified staff first. The figures suggest demand for places to live, not just medical facilities.
Most older people remain independent in household tasks. Still, 16.9% report physical dependence. The rate rises from 13.6% among people aged 60 to 69 to 25% among those aged 70 to 75. Women report dependence more often than men, at 19.4% versus 14.3%. Among people who need help, 80% receive it from immediate family. Spouses and daughters play substantial roles.
Families have limits.
That support may become harder to provide as families get smaller and children move farther away. Social protection expert Aziz Khorsi says Mandatory Health Insurance (AMO) does not cover loss of autonomy, home care or palliative care. He describes dependency as a long-term social risk that needs funding beyond the health-insurance framework.
Morocco's ageing challenge is already visible in the gap between what families provide and what formal protection covers. Raising and targeting small pensions could address immediate income insecurity. It cannot replace a system that also recognises long-term dependency and care. HCP's data show marked gender differences in income and pension access. A policy that overlooks women's lower pension coverage and much higher likelihood of having no income would leave the sharpest vulnerability in place.
