Morocco’s factories had a slower start to 2026, with production falling in several major industries, according to new figures from the High Commission for Planning (HCP). The country’s manufacturing output, excluding oil refining, fell by 1.4% in the first three months of the year.
The drop comes at a time when Morocco’s economy is still growing overall. Economic growth reached 4.1% in the first quarter, although unemployment remains high at 13.3%.
Several industries saw sharp declines.
Production of construction materials fell by 8.6%, while clothing manufacturing dropped by 8.1%. Metal production was down 8.9%, and electrical equipment manufacturing fell by 11.3%, the biggest decline among the main sectors.
Food production also fell by 3.5%.
Other sectors also struggled. Production of metal products, excluding machinery and equipment, dropped by 5.8%, while the chemical industry recorded a smaller decline of 1.4%.
Not all industries saw a slowdown.
Morocco’s car industry continued to grow, with production rising by 4.5%. The pharmaceutical sector recorded the same increase.
Production of transport equipment other than cars jumped by 28.2%, while computer, electronic and optical products rose by 7.1%. Beverage production also increased by 2.1%.
The mining sector also had a difficult quarter. Its production index fell by 1.9%, mainly because output from other mining products, including phosphates, dropped by 2%.
Production of metal ores rose slightly by 0.7%.
Electricity production also fell, declining by 3.7% during the quarter.
Despite the weaker industrial figures, inflation remained low at 0.7%.
There are signs that businesses expect conditions to improve. Recent HCP surveys show that most manufacturers expect production and sales to increase in the second quarter of the year.
Mining companies are more cautious, but overall business confidence remains positive.
