Morocco Joins the Category of Countries with High Human Development, According to UNDP Criteria
Morocco has joined the category of countries with high human development, according to the 2025 Global Human Development Report released Tuesday in New York by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Kingdom’s Human Development Index (HDI) value has surpassed the 0.700 threshold, allowing it—for the first time—to enter the category of high human development countries under UNDP criteria. This milestone reflects sustained growth momentum, according to a statement from the National Observatory for Human Development (ONDH).
This improvement reflects significant progress in the core dimensions of human development: health, education, and standard of living. The same source notes that the growth rate remains strong, indicating a gradual structural transformation of living conditions in Morocco.
Underlying indicators confirm this trend, with life expectancy at birth and expected years of schooling both showing positive development.
Morocco’s HDI trends illustrate this steady progress, highlighting the consolidation of human development efforts led by the Kingdom under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The statement adds that this progress is the result of public policies aimed at strengthening human capital—an essential condition for inclusive and sustainable growth.
The UNDP report also notes a downward trend in the Gender Inequality Index (GII), signaling gradual improvement in gender equality.
Nevertheless, the Kingdom’s efforts must continue to focus on reducing maternal mortality rates, increasing the representation of women in decision-making bodies, and improving their access to education and the labor market, the report adds.
Furthermore, the report places Morocco among countries with a low incidence of multidimensional poverty. This result reflects a significant improvement in the living conditions of a large part of the population and underscores the progress made in human development in recent years.
Entitled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World”, the UNDP report emphasizes the importance of freedom of choice in human development and explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can support that freedom. It stresses that the future is not predetermined, and today’s choices can significantly shape progress.
The document also notes a slowdown in global human development progress, with the setbacks of 2020–2021 still lingering. If this slow pace becomes the norm, development goals could be delayed by several decades.
