Introduction

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Morocco's sovereignty using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military. Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question.

In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization. When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points.

The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of Morocco's sovereignty.

Political sovereignty — 56.8

Morocco is an active member of the United Nations, the African Union (since 2017), the League of Arab States, the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO, the African Development Bank, and Francophonie; it has association agreements with the EU, free trade with the United States and Turkey, and Advanced Partner status in the ENP.

Constitution (2011, preamble and Article 55): Ratified international treaties take precedence over laws, but not over the Constitution itself, and “must not violate the fundamental national identity.” In practice, this priority is interpreted flexibly, and national interests often prevail.

WGI 2023 Political Stability Index: -0.37 (30th percentile, historically -0.35), this is below the global average. The country is characterized by moderate stability, a strong monarchy, and low risks of violence.

Government Effectiveness (2023): -0.04 (47th percentile), above the Maghreb countries, but below the global median; problems with public sector efficiency, corruption, and regional imbalances are noted. EGDI (2022): 0.611, which is lower than the global average, but higher than the countries of North and West Africa; public clouds have been implemented, mass adoption of banking and tax services, records of acts, business registration, EdTech platforms are available.

King Mohammed VI retains a high level of formal support (polls 2024-74-79%), the parliament and the government enjoy less trust (30-37%, according to Freedom House and independent polls). There are no foreign military bases; the country officially supports military sovereignty and does not allow permanent deployment of foreign armed forces, although there is an active exchange of exercises, logistics and defense contracts with the United States, France, and the Persian Gulf countries.

Morocco recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and a number of international treaties, cooperates with European and African authorities on criminal, investment and humanitarian disputes, but with the reservation of the rule of national law and sovereignty. The form is a unitary monarchy with a decentralization reform: there are 12 regions with elected councils, the powers of municipalities and regional parliamentary control have been expanded, but key issues are resolved with the participation of the king and the central government.

Formally, the control is parliamentary, but in reality the services (DGST, DGED, etc.) are subordinate to the Throne, there is no institution of civil or judicial supervision, and the practice of secrecy and lack of public accountability persists.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, the coverage is 88%.

Economic sovereignty — 51.4

GDP per capita (PPP) is $9,466 (forecast for the end of 2025), according to Trading Economics; other sources give a range of $9,000–$10,300 (World Bank, IMF). Official reserves are $33 billion (February 2025), the highest in history (406.9 billion MAD in June 2025); import coverage is 5.5 months.

According to other sources, it is $44.5–45 billion (June-July 2025), which is 10-11% of GDP. The national debt is 68.0–69.0% of GDP (2024 forecast for 2025: 68.9%), which is about $247 billion. Imports of ~40-42% of the main food groups (grain, butter, sugar); most of the vegetables, fruits, and fish are produced domestically, but dependence on the global grain market remains.

Major state programs for the development of irrigation, modernization of production (PLAN Maroc Vert). Imports account for more than 90% of oil and gas; the country is acutely vulnerable to global fuel prices, despite the growing share of solar and wind energy (Noor Solar Plan and the strategic growth of renewable energy to 44% in the generation structure by the end of 2025). Strategic resources are phosphates (3rd in the world in reserves and first in exports), bauxite, lead, zinc, silver, cobalt, manganese; oil and gas exploration is underway, but reserves are limited.

Policy of “water stress": chronic shortage — less than 650 cubic meters/person/year, construction of new dams and desalination plants, national water resources management strategy, shortages are frequent in dry years. The payment system has been fully nationalized — Bank Al-Maghrib, CMI (Centre Monétique Interbancaire), local banks provide card/QR payments and control internal transactions.

All salaries and internal payments are in Moroccan dirhams (MAD), external turnover is limited by currency control, and the share of foreign currency in domestic turnover is minimal. Bank Al-Maghrib conducts the issue, determines monetary and interest rate policy, strictly regulates currency turnover and banks; all domestic loans and reserves pass through the national regulator.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 88%

Technological sovereignty — 39.6

Spending on R&D is 0.71% of GDP (official data for 2010), modern estimates fix the level at about 0.7% (2022-2024, World Bank, Statista), which is lower than the global average. Morocco has achieved success in the automotive and cable industries — the metalworking and car assembly sector has been created, electronics, military-industrial complex and processing are being modernized; assembly and production are mainly under the control of foreign companies, “ready—made” high-tech equipment, IT and chips are almost completely imported.

There are 1.2 million students enrolled in Moroccan universities (2025), and youth enrollment (18-24 years old) is 20-24%. The system has been reformed since 2018: the introduction of new universities, distance EdTech education and large technoparks at universities. 88-91% of the adult population actively uses the Internet (2024-2025); the country is Africa's leader in mobile Internet penetration and online services.

There are public services (Portail national de services publics), online logistics systems, EdTech, public procurement, e-business, simplified tax service and national cloud solutions. Almost all complex chips, microelectronics, equipment, advanced software and high-tech proper are imported by the country, only the production of cables/cars and part of the assembly industry are localized.

EGDI — 0.611 (2022); almost all key basic online services: taxes, government registers, licenses, government statistics, e-learning, business start portal. Its market is based on basic biotechnologies (pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, lysates, vaccine projects), there are R&D clusters with foreign companies, but specialized laboratories and centers are formed mainly using external technology.

There is no full-fledged national sector; projects are conducted in university laboratories, experimental workshops and start-ups, but all industrial implementation and ready-made solutions are foreign or under international licenses.

Morocco does not have its own industry of chips and microelectronics, all key nodes, processors and electronic components are imported; only assembly chains (electric vehicles, cars) are developed.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which provides 89% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 54.7

Morocco has a national maCERT (established in 2010), which is subordinated to the DGSSI strategy (Directorate for Cybersecurity, under National Defense); the country is included in the Tier 1 Global Cybersecurity Index (97.5/100, ITU 2024), regularly ranks top 3 in cyber contests. The strategy and regulations are integrated with international standards, maCERT is a member of FIRST.

Since 2019, there have been 2 official IXPs in the country: CAS-IX (Casablanca) and MARIX, operating according to Europe-IX standards, with local peer-to-peer, cloud support, CDN and large data centers; stability and availability have been improved, the core is the Casablanca ICT hub. Arabic (classical and Darijah) is the predominant language, with French as the second language; SNRT, 2M TV, Medi1 TV, radio stations, and leading newspapers all operate in Arabic/French. Multilingual media development program, all key news portals are localized.

The basis: foreign clouds, social networks, messengers (Google, Meta, Microsoft, Cloudflare), despite the introduction of national cloud platforms, dependence on BigTech is considered high; the government promotes an independent e-identification platform.

In TV and radio, 60-70% is local product (news, TV series, talk shows, entertainment and social projects); foreign content dominates cinema (80+%), popular science and children's programs. Its own inhouse sector (state corporations, fintech, EdTech, smart cities and public services - Portail National, DGSNPass, online banks); there are no mass software exports, B2B projects are focused on the domestic market and French-speaking Africa.

More than 65% of the adult population regularly uses public services, digital portals, e-banking, and EdTech; in cities, the share is up to 80-85%, and in regions it is lower. There are public cloud platforms (govcloud.ma, CAS-IX, MARIX), data centers of large banks and medical organizations, cable channels with Microsoft/Google Cloud Connect; part of government services and business, on AWS/Google Cloud.

Three national operators (Maroc Telecom, Orange Maroc, Inwi), licenses and infrastructure are under national control; new equipment is provided by foreign solutions (Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia), the network belongs to domestic companies.

The full law since 2009 (LOI 09 08, national authority of CNDP), GDPR practice is similar: restrictions on cross-border transfer, licensing, the right to “be forgotten”; enforcement is considered formal, there are complaints from supervisors about gaps in protection.

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 90%.

Cultural sovereignty — 78.3

Morocco has 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2025): Medina of Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Tetouan, Essaouira, Rabat, Ksar Ait Ben Haddou, Portuguese city of Mazagan (El Jadida), Volubilis (Roman archaeological site). Morocco is the largest center of Arab-Berber, Andalusian and Mediterranean culture; contributions: medieval madinahs, souks and crafts, Gnawah music, cuisine, folklore, dance and calligraphy, a unique mix of architecture and languages, Islamic education and legal traditions.

The National Visual Arts Award is held with substantial cash prizes; competitions for youth, sculptors, and photographers are held; theater festivals, music grants, and awards for literature and folklore are held. A synthesis of Berber, Arabic, Andalusian, Jewish, and French traditions: religious festivals, tea ceremony, family/community rituals, craft guilds, madinahs, hospitality traditions, henna, Gnawa, and Sufi music, weddings, and djellaba (traditional clothing).

Government policy supports the Berber (Amazigh) language (the second state language) language since 2011), Jewish and Andalusian communities are preserved, Amazigh culture funds are being implemented, folklore and local holidays are supported.

Tens of thousands of historical and cultural sites: world-famous madinahs, fortresses, mosques, battlefields, Roman ruins, museums, ceramic workshops, urban markets and craft quarters, architectural ensembles of all eras.

Permanent participation in UNESCO projects (intangible heritage, music, folklore), cultural exchange programs with France, Spain, the Gulf countries, regular international festivals of Gnawa, jazz, architecture, Jewish and Berber culture. Brands are protected: Moroccan tea, carpets, argad oil, Sufi music, mosaics, Berber ornaments, leather goods. Amazigh products, crafts, gastronomy and music are supported by the Law on Intangible Assets and Geographical Indications.

Cuisine: couscous, tajine, harissa, almond sweets, lamb, mint tea, olives, hamsa (herring), Atlantic oysters, argad oil, street food, influence of Andalusian, Roman and Jewish traditions. More than 80% of the population regularly participates in religious and public holidays, community rituals, seasonal markets, festivals, family and local traditions (tea drinking, weddings, Muslim dates, museums).

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 93%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 56.9

HDI for 2025 is 0.710 (“high”), 120th out of 193 (UNDP); growth compared to last year, average life expectancy is 75.3 years, expected duration of education is 15.1 years. Education spending is 6.02% of GDP (2023), higher than the global average; the average since the 2000s is 5.1–5.2% of GDP (World Bank, Statista).

Adult literacy (15+) — 77,4% (2022-2024, World Bank/Statista); among young people (15-24) — 93-96%, gender parity among young people has been reached, among adults — men 82.7%, women 67.4%. It is part of PISA, but ranks in the last quarter in mathematics, science, and reading — like most MENA countries; average scores are below the international (OECD), but above the average in Africa.

STEM subjects account for about 21-25% of university graduates, and engineering and IT programs are actively developing at universities (official reports). 5-8% of students study or take part in foreign/dual programs (France, Spain, EU, Turkey), special attention is paid to exchange and distance learning courses.

Official languages: Arabic (standard and Moroccan dialect), Berber (Amazigh, since 2011), French — working language. Amazigh schools, festivals, and cultural projects are regularly supported. Dozens of state research institutes: at universities (Rabat, Casablanca, Fès, etc.), biomedical and IT clusters, chains of STEM laboratories, technoparks are actively developing.

Online learning platforms cover up to 18-20% of students, and after 2020, there is a surge in the development of the EdTech segment and government distance learning programs. There are national competitions, grants (scientific, creative), and Olympiads.

Up to 3-5% of targeted scholarships and awards are awarded annually to talented schoolchildren, young scientists, and graduates.

Data completeness assessment: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 90%.

Military sovereignty — 48.7

Military spending — 3.64% of GDP (2023), absolute budget of $13.4 billion ($13 billion — SIPRI, 2025), about 19% of government spending; the largest defense budget in North Africa after Algeria. In 2025: 195,000 active personnel (Royal Army, Air Force, Navy), 150,000 reserve, 50,000 gendarmerie and Interior Ministry troops. There is a military draft, paramilitary formations.

The troops are equipped with modern F-16 Block 72, Mirage 2000, Apache AH-64E, new Bayraktar Akinci UAVs, French Caesar and Israeli Atmos 2000, HIMARS on the way, cyber command is being built; Navy — 3 Sigma frigates, FREMM corvettes, the fleet is being modernized, cyber and electronic warfare facilities are being developed.

National The military-industrial complex is developing: a number of enterprises have been opened for the small-scale production of drones, armored personnel carriers, and weapons parts (jointly with the UAE, Israel, and the United States), but so far imports account for 85-90% of weapons and key systems.

The Armed Forces, the border gendarmerie and special forces patrol the border with Algeria and Western Sahara; UAVs, optoelectronic sensors, patrol cars, barriers, helicopters, and air defense are used. The official reserve is 150,000 people (2025), large-scale mobilization is possible, if necessary, mobilization fees and reserves of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are in effect.

Morocco is outside military blocs, but strategically cooperates with the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel: exercises, contracts, and intelligence; military decisions are made autonomously, but taking into account allied consultations. It is being formed: capacities for the assembly of drones, armored personnel carriers, air defense components, modernization of equipment, agreements on joint production of ammunition have been signed, equipment service lines are being equipped.

There are no nuclear weapons, the country is strictly nuclear-free, does not participate in the development or deployment of nuclear weapons, and adheres to international nonproliferation standards.

It has remote sensing satellites (Mohammed VI-A/B) in orbit, intelligence and image analysis software; a specialized cyber unit has been created for the Armed Forces, AI is being introduced to analyze intelligence, and military space capabilities are being increased.

All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state-owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and industry databases of UN/NGO - 91% coverage

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. Large ethnocultural sustainability (9 UNESCO sites, support for Amazigh traditions, deep religious and historical identity), large education system (6% of GDP, STEM 21-25%, 20% university enrollment), high degree of digitalization (Internet ~90%, digital public services, national clouds), large export-oriented agro and industrial sector (phosphates, cars, chemicals), confident financial independence (all payments and emissions are controlled by Bank Al-Maghrib), the largest reserve of gold and foreign exchange reserves in the region (10% of GDP).

The military-strategic area is strong: 3.6% of GDP is spent on defense, the armed forces — 195,000 plus a large reserve (150,000), up to 20% of the military order has been localized, production of drones, armored vehicles is increasing, satellite (Mohammed VI) and cyber intelligence is underway.

Morocco maintains a moderately stable policy, the national leader enjoys the support of 75%+, soft decentralization has been carried out, regional parliaments are strong, and the digital government is introducing national services in all provinces.

Weaknesses. high import dependence on energy (90% of fuel is imported), grain is imported by 40%, chronic shortage of fresh water, debt burden of 68% of GDP, low share of own high-tech, microelectronics, chips, IT exports, the development of the military—industrial complex is more assembly than deep production.

Layers of poverty remain, the gap between urban and rural areas, the general literacy rate is below 78%, corruption in the public sector and weak parliamentary control over law enforcement agencies. There is no nuclear program, the key technological solutions (clouds, communications, mobile) are foreign, linking military doctrines and parts of the military-industrial complex to France, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.

Overall assessment. The cumulative sovereignty index of Morocco is 386.4 out of 700 possible points (average 55.2%), which places the country in the top 100 in the world top. Morocco combines cultural, financial and institutional resilience, a rapidly growing defense, technological and educational base with notable technological, energy and social constraints, remaining a strong regional player, but with obvious vulnerability in terms of strategic and digital components.

The sovereignty profile indicates that Morocco's sovereignty is systemic, based on a strong identity, economy, institution of monarchy and control over resources, but is not autonomous in the technological, energy, digital and military-industrial sectors, where imported technologies and geopolitical alliances play a key role.