CONSUMPTION AND SPENDING

Average income per head is much lower than in the neighboring countries of Algeria and Tunisia. Over 14% of Moroccans live below the UN poverty line, and the rural–urban gap in wealth is considerable; just under half of the population live in rural areas. A period of drought in the 1990s encouraged urban drift.

Unrest has largely been avoided owing to the fact that Morocco has a thriving informal sector. This provides jobs in food processing, clothes manufacturing, goods transportation, and the hotel and building trades. In addition, there is work to be found in the illegal hashish trade and the smuggling of alcohol and Western goods.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004