Morocco - Ethnic groups

Arab-Berbers constitute 99.1% of the total population. Berbers, who comprise a little more than 33% of the population, are concentrated largely in the northern regions of the Rif, the middle plains of the Atlas, and the Sous Valley. Arabs, who constitute about 66% of the population, are distributed principally along the Atlantic coastal plain and in the cities. The Berbers and Arabs are closely intermingled, and bilingualism is common. Formerly the Jewish community played a significant role in the economic life of the country, but its numbers decreased from about 227,000 in 1948 to an estimated 10,000 in 1989. By 1998, Jews made up only 0.2% of the population. Other groups made up the remaining 0.7%, including French, Spanish, Italian, and Algerian nationals living in Morocco.