# France and Morocco compared

France and Morocco side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/fra-vs-mar
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- France: 10 August 843 — The Treaty of Verdun gives Charles the Bald West Francia
- Morocco: c. 788 CE — Idris I founds the Idrisid dynasty at Walila

## Economy

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $3.16 T | 2024 | $161 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $46,103 | 2024 | $4,153 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 1.2% | 2024 | 3.8% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.0% | 2024 | 1.0% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 68.1% | 2024 | 92.2% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 69 m | 2024 | 38 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 83.0 yrs | 2024 | 75.5 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 78.8% | 2024 | 62.8% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 | 2024 | 2.2 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 77.0 | 2024 | 44.1 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 61.8 | 2024 | 58.4 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 74.7 | 2024 | 54.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 72.9 | 2024 | 54.4 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 73.8 | 2024 | 50.6 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 72.5 | 2024 | 37.4 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 11.5% | 2024 | 6.1% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.28 | 2022 | 0.74 | 2021 |
| Under-5 mortality | 4.3 | 2024 | 15.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 95.0% | 2024 | 98.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 99.7% | 2024 | 80.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 5.3% | 2022 | 6.0% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 103.4% | 2024 | 116.6% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 103.8% | 2024 | 90.0% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 71.5% | 2024 | 48.2% | 2024 |
| Adult literacy | — | — | 64.3% | 2014 |

## Technology

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 2.2% | 2023 | 0.7% | 2010 |
| Researchers (per million) | 5,369 | 2023 | 1,083 | 2016 |
| Internet users | 88.7% | 2024 | 91.2% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 117 | 2023 | 153 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 23.1% | 2024 | 5.4% | 2023 |

## Geography

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 538,950 km² | 2023 | 446,300 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 32.5% | 2023 | 12.9% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 52.5% | 2023 | 66.7% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.0 | 2024 | 1.8 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 16.2% | 2021 | 10.9% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.4% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 36 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | France | Observed | Morocco | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.1% | 2024 | 3.5% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $65 B | 2024 | $5.5 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 304,000 | 2020 | 246,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/FRA.md and https://terralore.co/country/MAR.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 30 March 1912: **Treaty of Fez establishes the protectorates** — Sultan Abd al-Hafid signs the Treaty of Fez, making Morocco a French protectorate; a Spanish zone in the north and south and an international zone at Tangier are settled the same year. (from the Morocco chronicle; sources: Treaty of Fès (1912); A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Morocco)
- 1953: **Exile of Mohammed V** — France deposes and exiles Sultan Mohammed V, an act that inflames the independence movement and unites Moroccans behind the monarchy. (from the Morocco chronicle; sources: French Colony to Sovereign State: Moroccan Independence; Alaouite Dynasty (1660–present))
- 2 March 1956: **Restoration of independence** — France ends its protectorate by agreement with Morocco; Spain relinquishes most of its northern zone in April, restoring Moroccan independence under Sultan Mohammed V. (from the Morocco chronicle; sources: French Colony to Sovereign State: Moroccan Independence; A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Morocco)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/FRA/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/MAR/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "France and Morocco compared", terralore.co/compare/fra-vs-mar, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.
