Morocco Cuts Child Labor by 59% Since 2017

Over the past seven years, Morocco has pulled more than 140,000 children out of work and back toward childhood. The North African nation has cut child labor by 59% since 2017, bringing the number of working children down to 101,000 in 2024.

That means 98.7% of Moroccan children between ages 7 and 17 are no longer part of the workforce. The country strengthened legal protections and aligned its labor framework with international standards, ratifying key conventions that set 15 as the minimum working age and 18 for hazardous work.

The progress didn't happen by accident. Morocco's government invested in enforcement, education access, and family support systems that gave parents alternatives to relying on their children's labor.

Even in the past year alone, the number dropped by 8.2% from 2023 to 2024. That's thousands more children who got to stay in school instead of heading to work before they were ready.

The Bright Side

The biggest wins came in urban areas, where only 0.5% of children now work. Cities saw better access to schools, more stable family incomes, and stronger enforcement of child labor laws working together.

Boys made up most of the remaining working children at 84.6%, and nearly 90% of working kids were older teens between 15 and 17. That matters because it shows Morocco is making real headway protecting the youngest and most vulnerable children.

The challenge now is extending that same progress to rural communities, where 78,000 children still work, mostly in agriculture. About 2.5% of rural children remain economically active, five times the urban rate.

But here's the encouraging part: if Morocco could cut child labor in half nationally in seven years, the same strategies that worked in cities can work in the countryside too. Schools need to become more accessible in remote areas. Families need economic support that doesn't depend on their children working. And enforcement needs to reach beyond city limits.

Morocco proved that dramatic reductions in child labor aren't just possible in theory. They're happening right now, one child at a time.