Morocco vs Western Sahara
Morocco is 68% larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Morocco about 1.7 times.
MoroccoWestern SaharaMorocco moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.68×
Morocco is 1.68× the area of Western Sahara.
 Morocco |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMorocco: 1.68× the area | 446,550 km²#57 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMorocco: 62.8× the population | 38,430,770#41 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityMorocco: 37.4× the density | 86 / km²#99 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 63%#97 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.91%#102 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 16.4 per 1,000#91 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 25.2%#90 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 8.5%#90 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −1.5 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.27 per 1,000#90 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 75.5 years#81 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 14.7 per 1,000 births#85 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 0.74 per 1,000#115 of 178 · 2021 | — |
| University enrolment | 48.2%#78 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.710#119 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $4,360#121 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $182.37B2025 | — |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $11,112#124 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 9.0%#41 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 27.9% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 23.8% of jobs#50 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 48.3% of jobs#126 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 42.0% of GDP#63 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 3.5% of GDP#18 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 91%#49 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 153 per 100#26 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 13% of land#139 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 1.84 t a year#106 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 18.7 µg/m³#92 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 2.1% of land#180 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 15.8% of land#70 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 50.8%#36 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 346 mm#151 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | −0.54#144 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −0.50#118 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 1.7 per 100,000#83 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Capital | Rabat | — |
| Currency | Moroccan dirham (MAD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +212 | +212 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Morocco sits at about 30° N and is stretched to 1.33× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Morocco bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Morocco is 68% larger than Western Sahara. Morocco covers 446,550 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Morocco?
- About 1.7 times: Morocco has 1.68× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Morocco and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Morocco is drawn about 1.33× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Morocco or Western Sahara?
- Morocco: 38,430,770 people against 612,000. Density: Morocco 86 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².