Languages spoken in Morocco
Africa · Capital: Rabat · Population 37.4 million
In Morocco, two languages have official status: Arabic and Central Atlas Tamazight. French is used as a de facto official language. Moroccan Arabic is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 87% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 32.5 million people. Moroccan Arabic itself holds no official status in Morocco, despite being the most widely spoken. After Moroccan Arabic, the most widely spoken are Arabic at 63.7% and French at 36%. Moroccan Arabic is not recorded in any of Morocco's three neighbours. In total, nine languages are recorded in Morocco, and their shares add up to 247% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.5 of them.
What languages are spoken in Morocco?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moroccan Arabic | 87% | Spoken | 32.5 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 63.7% | Official | 23.8 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 36% | De facto official | 13.5 million |
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | 22% | Spoken | 8.2 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 14% | Spoken | 5.2 million |
| Central Atlas Tamazight | 9.8% | Official | 3.7 million |
| Tachelhit | 8.7% | Spoken | 3.3 million |
| Riffian | 4.9% | Spoken | 1.8 million |
| HassaniyyaAfro-Asiatic | 0.8% | Spoken | 306,580 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Morocco?
In Morocco, two languages have official status: Arabic and Central Atlas Tamazight. French is also used as a de facto official language. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 63.7% of the population, or roughly 23.8 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Moroccan Arabic is, at 87%. A de facto official language is one used throughout government and public life without being named as official in law.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Moroccan Arabic in Morocco?
An estimated 87% of Morocco's 37.4 million people speak Moroccan Arabic, which works out at roughly 32.5 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Morocco
- Capital
- Rabat
- Population
- 37.4 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 446,550 km²
- Currency
- MAD
- Languages recorded
- 9
- Land borders
- 3
- ISO codes
- MA / MAR / 504
Which countries border Morocco?
Morocco shares a land border with three countries: Algeria, Western Sahara, and Spain. None of them records Moroccan Arabic, the most widely spoken language in Morocco, so the land borders here are also language borders.
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Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.