Module 013 · Infrastructure + Economic Timeline
The Build
27 years of transformation. One country deciding to become something else.
From Mohammed VI's early reign to the 2030 World Cup. Highway kilometres, railway lines, airport capacity, hotel rooms, tourist arrivals — and the economic engine underneath: GDP tripling, FDI surging, 10,000 MW of renewable energy, a country urbanising in real time. Press play. Watch the bars accumulate. Then watch what happens when a country decides to host the World Cup.
Infrastructure · 2004
Highway
560 km
+0% since 2004
Railway
2,110 km
+0% since 2004
Airport Capacity
12M pax
+0% since 2004
Hotel Rooms
120K
+0% since 2004
Tourist Arrivals
5.5M
+0% since 2004
Historical data (2004–2025)
ADM, ONCF, ONDA, Ministry of Tourism, World Bank, IMF, UNCTAD, IRENA, MASEN
Projections (2026–2030)
Government targets, 2026 Finance Law, ONCF rail plan, Vision 2030, MASEN 10.5 GW renewable roadmap, IMF GDP forecasts.
I. The Infrastructure
The Roads
In 2004, Morocco had 560 kilometres of autoroute. By 2025: nearly 2,000. By 2030: 3,000 — more than doubling from where it stands today. The Continental Rabat-Casablanca highway alone will connect the two largest cities to the world's largest stadium. Construction started in 1975. The ambition accelerated in 2024.
The Rails
In 2018, Africa's first high-speed train launched between Tangier and Kénitra: 200 kilometres at 320 km/h. By 2029, the line extends to Marrakech — 630 km total. 168 new trains ordered. The single largest rail investment in Moroccan history. Tangier to Marrakech in 2 hours 40 minutes.
The Arrivals
5.5 million tourists in 2004. 17.4 million in 2024. 26 million targeted for 2030. The COVID cliff of 2020 — dropping to 2.8 million — made the recovery look vertical. The 2022 World Cup semifinal put Morocco in every living room on Earth. The infrastructure is built for what comes next.
II. The Economy
The GDP
$56.9 billion in 2004. $154.4 billion in 2024. A country that nearly tripled its economic output in two decades — without oil, without gas, without a single hydrocarbon windfall. Morocco did it with phosphates, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, and tourism. By 2030, IMF forecasts put GDP above $220 billion. The World Cup isn't the cause. It's the accelerant.
The Capital
Foreign direct investment peaked at $3.6 billion in 2014, driven by Renault's Tangier plant and the Tanger-Med free zone. France remains the largest investor (31% of FDI stock), followed by the UAE (18%) and Spain (9%). FDI stock reached $69 billion by 2023. The automotive sector alone — Renault, PSA, now Hyundai — turned Morocco into Africa's #1 car exporter, shipping 700,000 vehicles a year.
The Energy
Morocco imports 97% of its fossil fuel. In 2009, it announced a plan to make 42% of installed capacity renewable. By 2024: 4,550 MW of wind, solar, and hydro — 45.3% of total capacity. The Noor Ouarzazate complex is the world's largest concentrated solar plant. Tarfaya is Africa's largest wind farm, with a 45% capacity factor that rivals anything on Earth. By 2030: 10,500 MW. A country with no oil building a grid that runs on sun and wind.
The Urbanisation
55% urban in 2004. 64% in 2024. 67% projected by 2030. Twelve percentage points of population shift in a single generation — millions of people moving from douars to cities, from agriculture to services, from oral tradition to digital. Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech — each absorbing the pressure of a country remaking itself. The infrastructure isn't just for tourists. It's for 38 million Moroccans who need roads, rails, and power to get to work.
III. The Inflection Points
2007
Tanger-Med Port
Africa's largest port opens. Connects Morocco to 186 ports in 77 countries. Free trade zone attracts Renault, 900+ firms. FDI peaks at $2.8B.
2009
Energy Strategy
Morocco announces 42% renewable target. Noor solar plan. $9B solar investment. Fuel subsidies phased out by 2015. The grid begins to turn green.
2018
Al Boraq HSR
Africa's first high-speed train. 320 km/h. Tangier-Kénitra in 47 minutes. $2.1B Franco-Moroccan investment. The spine of a modern rail network.
2025–30
World Cup Ramp
$41B infrastructure budget. 6 stadiums, 630km HSR, 80M airport capacity, 330K hotel rooms. Every bar on this chart goes vertical.
IV. 2004 → 2030
5.4×
Highway
1.4×
Railway
6.7×
Airport Capacity
2.8×
Hotel Rooms
4.7×
Tourist Arrivals
3.9×
GDP
5.6×
FDI Inflows
6.1×
Renewable Capacity
1.2×
Urbanization
Every bar in this chart is concrete, steel, and asphalt. Every economic data point is a factory opened, a turbine installed, a family that moved to the city. Twenty-seven years of a country that decided to build before it was asked — and is now being asked to host the world.
Sources
Highway: Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) annual reports 2004–2025; Ministry of Equipment & Water. Railway: Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF); $9.6B rail plan (2025). Airport capacity: Office National des Aéroports (ONDA); Mohammed V Terminal 3 project. Hotel rooms: Ministry of Tourism; Vision 2020/2030 strategies. Tourist arrivals: UNWTO; Ministry of Tourism; Trading Economics. GDP: World Bank (current USD); IMF World Economic Outlook 2024. FDI: World Bank BoP data; UNCTAD World Investment Report 2024; Morocco Foreign Exchange Office. Renewable energy: IRENA; MASEN; Morocco Energy Partnership; ANRE (installed capacity MW). Urbanization: World Bank; UN DESA World Urbanization Prospects 2024. 2026–2030 projections based on government budget allocations (2026 Finance Law), ONCF rail plan, ADM 3,000km target, Vision 2030 tourism strategy, MASEN 10.5 GW renewable roadmap, and IMF GDP forecasts.
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