Middle class statistics spur debate in Morocco
2009-05-14
A recent government study in Morocco is stirring up controversy over the definition of "middle class".
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Casablanca – 14/05/09
 [Getty Images] Middle class families in Morocco are slowly vanishing, some experts say. |
The state of the middle class is under review in Morocco, with experts debating the criteria used to define it, its size as a percentage of the population, and the quality of life it offers. Questionable numbers published in a recent High Commission for Planning (HCP) study have further fuelled this heated discussion.
The HCP study, released May 6th, shows that the middle class in Morocco accounts for 53% of the population, compared with 34% for the lower class and 13% for the upper class. Some 59% of the urban population belongs to the middle class, compared with 45% in rural areas.
Twenty-eight per cent of middle class households have an income greater than the national average of 5,308 dirhams per month, 42% belong to the intermediate category with income between the median and the national average, and 30% are in the lower category with income below the national median of 3,500 dirhams, explained High Commissioner for Planning Ahmed Lahlimi.
These statistics have stimulated a vigorous debate. Many have said that in the current period marked by the steady erosion of spending power and the negative effects of the international economic crisis on the labour market, the figure of 53% of Moroccans belonging to the middle class is an exaggeration. Others feel the definition of the middle class is incorrect and should be changed to give a clearer picture of the situation.
"The cost of living has increased so much over the past ten years that the middle class has been crushed, and many of them have started to disappear," explained economist Jamil Mellakhi. "A few years ago, someone earning 3,000 dirhams could provide their family with a decent standard of living; that is no longer the case today."
Mellakhi added that a household income of 3,500 to 5,000 dirhams per month could not be used as the defining characteristic of the middle class.
Several members of the public struck a similar note.
"Teachers, for example, belonged to the middle class in the 1980s. A primary school teacher would earn enough on their own to cover family expenditures and live comfortably," said Souhaila Kawtari, herself a teacher. "Over the past few years, things have changed. You can no longer say that teachers belong to the middle class."
Lahlimi explained that the definition of the middle class used for Morocco draws just as much on social self-classification by heads of household as it does on the objective criteria of income and living standards.
Self-evaluation does have its limitations. The results obtained from this approach are clearly skewed by cultural factors: the dominant culture is based around the idea of a happy medium, which means that both rich and poor like to identify themselves as middle class, Lahlimi added.
"So among the richest 20% of the population, 75% consider themselves to be middle class; meanwhile the figure is 37% for the poorest 20% of the population."
Sociologist Samira Brami agreed. Moroccans, she said, by virtue of their upbringing, are imbued with a spirit of resignation; hence, even poor people consider themselves from the middle class. "Similarly, the way of life changes from town to town. Someone living in Oujda will not have the same standard of living as someone in Casablanca. Other criteria come into play: leisure activities, comparisons, education, etc."
The prime minister's cabinet stated that the government is currently working on ways to provide support to the middle class, through controlling costs (housing, health, staple goods), encouraging employment to increase the number of wage earners within families, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and improving public transport and rural development policies.
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Abu Amina Posted 2009-05-14
It is very hard to belive the statistics, a lot of people a living well just by the sale of fruit and vegetables in the marked. this is from the Article: Someone living in Oujda will not have the same standard of living as someone in Casablanca. i come from Oujda and it is all wrong we have a lot of people from casablnca working here, they do not count all the traffic that is going on from Algeria and Melilla in fact they are living bette in oujda than they do in casablaca. wish all the best to all the hard working people both in the rural areas and in the city.
Anonymous Posted 2009-05-15
All of this is from the people!
ouejda Posted 2009-05-15
The figure of 53% is incorrect. In Morocco, 70% are poor. We do not eat well, we do not dress well and, above all else, our housing is inadequate. The Moroccan state does its all to give a false image of Morocco, one in which everyone lives comfortably. Meanwhile, we suffer in poverty, famine and illiteracy. Compared to our Tunisian and Algerian neighbours, we are quite inferior.
احمد Posted 2009-05-15
I consider that the middle-class doesn't exist at all. There are two classes. The class which controls resources of food and uses freely the resources of the country. There is a lower class which is entangled in the scourges of high prices, drop in the standards of living, the accumulation of unfair demands which burden the powers of people. This has a negative impact on education and health. The government should take into consideration the concerns of people, get close to them in order to know their concerns and daily problems without need to find who steals public monies and plunders the resources of the country and people. The level of the income has not changed. It beggars belief that the since 1970's, the scholarships of students have remained the same without change even if everything has changed. The diet, living standard, the high cost of living and even real estate have changed. The price of a room with a meter on two meters is rented at one thousand dirhams in addition to the costs of copies of courses. This has in turn an impact on the level of scientific study of the student. It has also influenced his scientific performance. All this is caused by the decline in income and its inadequacy with all changes which are imposed by the current situation with all its material and moral burdens. A call to the government to consider and look with a critical eye to this category which is the engine of development and an actor expected to give. The government should provide local solutions to development and progress in our country to the level of countries which live in prosperity which secures dignity to people and next generations.
moha Posted 2009-05-15
Imagine this: you have no money in your pocket you can't find a job you can't travel you can't use your phone you can't create a job you can't get married you can't buy food you can't say no for me it's a prison with 32 million people with no walls.the cause of all this starvation ,is because the education system is going on the wrong way and need make a u turn or we will face a big earthquake . morocco is a rich country and needs only to be managed by real people that all.
BEN Posted 2009-05-15
What is "demagoguery"? "...The art of leading people by winning their favour, most notably through using simplistic discourse that ignores nuances and through using charisma to distort the truth." (Wikipedia). Here, we use statistics. In trying to measure the middle class of a developing country, where the economic, financial and, more especially, the managerial context of the country poses serious problems, what numbers can you draw forth? Our Minister, with all his charisma and - I would even say - honesty, reminds us every chance he gets that there does exist a middle class and that public expenditures for his programme's studies is money well spent. Then, he comes out with a number like "50% of Moroccans are in the middle class." He did not, however, say how many of them are in the red with the peanuts they are paid. "13% of Moroccans are rich" - but this does not state their income or the how many of the government’s mouths they are feeding. We are omitting the number of unemployed, under-employed and so on as well. Frankly, what objective statistics can we draw from this data? Of course, we can say what we want and we can conclude whatever averages we wish to interpret. May we wish our minister, who has not ceased in experimenting with the drug that is statistics, to have a very successful weaning from them. However, the reality of the middle class is that it lives and gets by every day: it is not the power that runs the machine; rather, it is the machine that runs it at will.
Sidi Belkziz Posted 2009-05-15
is GDP per capita of $4,555 a year called Middle class?
reda Posted 2009-05-15
Let us hope that the middle class will increase in number so as to hit 70% instead of the current 53%.
elmahdi oummih Posted 2009-05-17
I personally believe that Most Moroccans are much better off than they think. I do not see people starving in Morocco. I do not see high homicide rates in Morocco. I do not see the average person living paycheck to paycheck. I see a savings rate that is much higher than that of the average American. I see a family unit that is much stronger than those that exist in the United States. I see opportunity for those who work hard and persevere. I am not by any stretch of the imagination saying that Morocco is perfect. I completely understand the mentality of those who say that Morocco is a large open air prison with 32 million inhabitants; but this as well is a question of perspective. The solution to many of the ills in Morocco are attainable. Everyone knows what these ills are: Corruption, Nepotism, lack of accountability, inefficiency because of redundant functions in the work place, lack of upward mobility based on merit... these are all very serious issues that must be addressed. I also see a younger generation that is, for the most part, lacking in work ethic. Honesty, integrity, work ethic are all things that are fostered. However, when we have students who regularly cheat on exams, and their enablers who help them for fear of being ostracized, this eventually translates into them being adults and continuing this type of dishonesty on a professional level. Accountability and a just system of rewards and punishment in the work place, at school and in society at large is the key to creating a large middle class where immigration is no longer the main means of improving the families socio economic standing.LESS dependance on tourism and Remittances; instead of expecting govt. to dole out hands outs, We need ALL Moroccans to take active Responsibility for their own lives
kabs Posted 2009-05-17
To Ouejda- I am sure that you are not Moroccan. I am from Casablanca. I am a poor bank employee, but, by God, no Moroccan talks of his country like that. There are poor people just like everywhere else, and there are middle-class people and rich people. Now, in Spain, with an unemployment rate of 17%, there are also a lot of poor people. I visited Algeria once, and I can assure you that it is no better than Morocco; it is even worse, given all the petrodollars they have.
Oujdi Posted 2009-05-18
To Ouejda- I am actually from Oujda and I invite you to visit anywhere in Oujda and we will see if what you are saying is true or not. I am sure that you are hiding being this name in order to spit your venom and hatred because you are unable to accept reality. I visited Algeria and Tunisia several times. Frankly, there is nothing to envy. But, this does not concern me. From where I stand, instead of mocking people's poverty, I wish the best for everyone. Well, fine, I do not think I have had the same education as you, as it is questionable if you have ever had one.
ع.لهناوي Posted 2009-05-18
It is very difficult to define the meaning of the middle-class in Morocco in the current conditions as relevant actors haven’t all interfered in the debate. All the criteria adopted in defining every class no longer reflect these concepts as a result of the change in the ways of life. Therefore, thinking of a definition of this class in particular will certainly lead to.
elmahdi oummih Posted 2009-05-19
The reality is that there is no Middle class. The poor buy phones they cannot afford and cars and homes owned by the bank to pretend to others to give the pretense that they are doing ok... while the rich, get much richer by stealing, lying and defrauding others. The good news is that both the poor and the super rich get what they deserve in the end... disaster. The only way to become somewhat wealthy in the long term is to consistently live beneath your means. Save your money. Do not use the banks to borrow money as you will never have any Baraka in your life from money that is lent to you with Rheba. Do not lie, do not cheat and do not envy. Pray, trust in God, maintaining a good work ethic and doing unto others as you would have done to you is the way to get long term fullfilment. Short term gain at the cost of long term loss. When you cheat, you only cheat yourself. Follow any rich person long enough in life, and you will see that if they got their money in a way that is haram it always comes out in their health, their children or their family. Be passionate about life. Do good things and you will find reward in this world and the herafter.
funmaroc Posted 2009-05-20
Frankly, this is nonsense. I do now know why the Moroccans still have the habit of denigrating their country and still feel poor and miserable. It is most certainly a question of education. The Minister who found that Algeria is better than Morocco must have some specific criteria to pass this judgement; otherwise, he is just talking stupidly like everyone else. In any case, here in Casablanca, there is a real middle class. Many are the people get their wardrobe at Zara, who go shopping at Marjane and who send their children to study at private schools. We work hard and earn our living. The last thing I have to say to the whiners, who do not stop complaining, is that they need to check what is truly wrong with their lives and what is preventing them from belonging to the middle class.
BEN Posted 2009-06-02
Now we get it! The representative sample that the Minister used in his inquiry was simply Casablanca. Casablanca is not the entirety of Morocco, and what has been said by us can confirm this. Casablanca is just Casablanca, and it gives the wrong idea about the middle class, which is in general below average in comparison to Tunisia, for example. That is all.
titine Posted 2009-06-04
im from morocco, my parents work hard and make money, i study at la mission, we go on holiday regularly and enjoy a nice life, we are not rich, poor, or middle class we are comfortable. many moroccans think that if you go abroad you will become rich, thats stupid you end up living worse then a dog, selling drugs stealing and lying just so when you come back to morocco you can show off, how about making what ever money you can in morocco and be grateful and feel blessed so god can give you more.
المهاجرة Posted 2009-06-08
Salam alikum. Honestly, may God assist our families and people living in Morocco. It is expensive, expensive as if you are living in Europe. If only wages were good.
zakaria bouissoui Posted 2009-06-09
I don't understand all this fuss. Everyone knows that Morocco is the country of poverty, unemployment, social illnesses. However saying there is starvation, this is a lie. I defy the existence of any person in the marginalized class who doesn't eat bread. Praise be to God even if Morocco has no oil or gas. Algeria is unfortunately floating in a sea of gas and oil but has starvation. Yes, starvation in Algeria in the region of Asatas, Adagaf and Grahma. People in these regions are like the villages of India and Bangladesh.
abdsslam.d Posted 2009-06-25
The reader who said poor people bought houses and cars owned by banks to show off should know that loaning from the bank isn't usury and ask himself how can the borrower he calls poor pay monthly installments if he weren't rich?
Elmahdi Oummih Posted 2009-06-28
Morocco used to be a cash economy. 30 years ago, if you wanted to buy a house in Morocco, you had to provide all of the money in cash. This did not mean that people didn't borrow, they did, they just borrowed from family members and no interest was ever charged. Morocco is just very recently a country of credit. The good news is that many people, even now, still do not use banks. The bad news is the debt that many who do use banks have accumulated. I am talking about the average government employee. Almost every single govt. employee out there has some kind of debt from a bank hanging around their necks. These debts are limited to around a third to one half of their respective salaries, but many then resort to 5 finger discounts out of the treasury to compensate for their decrease in net salary.
hiba Posted 2009-06-30
Personally, I would like to have a definition of Morocco's "middle class".
elmahdi oummih Posted 2009-07-09
When you borrow from Banks, you pay interest. The only exception would be Muslim banks. To my knowledge Morocco does not have any Banks run by Muslims. If anyone knows of any Banks run according to Islam in Morocco, please let me know.
samir Posted 2009-09-07
I see that the government is trying to give a wrong image of Morocco with percentages on the basis of minutiae which don’t totally reflect reality. Oh people!!! Poverty has now swept the middle-class. Now the middle-class has joined the poor class. So this makes 90% of the poor class and 10% for the rest. May God give them more and leave us in peace!
mohamed Posted 2009-09-08
I want to get a job.
HAMOU Posted 2010-05-14
Yes, we, the people of northern Morocco, live as Moroccans and North Africans habitually do. But there are Arab-Muslim janjaweed raiders who love to spread lies about the history of Morocco. They have nearly succeeded on paper, but they can't erase the memories and souls of all the Moroccans who are aware of their Moroccan, North Africans and Amazigh identity.
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