Morocco raises health and education spending in 2026 draft budget

Morocco’s finance ministry on Monday submitted to parliament its 2026 draft budget totalling more than 760 billion dirhams ($83 billion), up 5.5% from a year ago.

The government expects economic growth to slightly slow to 4.6% next year from 4.8% in 2025.

Morocco will allocate 140 billion dirhams ($15 billion) to health and education in the 2026 budget, a 16% increase compared to last year.

The office of King Mohammed VI said the kingdom would create 27,000 public sector jobs in these two areas.

"The focus will be on improving the health infrastructure offering," the king's office said in a statement after a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Authorities also said next year’s budget plan is designed to reduce inequalities between regions, with a specific focus on "mountain areas and oases [and on] the sustainable development of the national coastline."

These measures come on the back of weeks of demonstrations across the country. A Gen Z-led protest movement erupted in September over struggling healthcare and education services.

Protesters criticised the government for spending money on sports infrastructure ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, rather than on neglected public sectors.