Morocco’s place in global resilience has taken a major hit, with the country’s Resilience Index score dropping seven points in the latest World Risk Poll from Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
The decline follows the powerful earthquake in 2023, the largest Morocco has faced in over a century, which affected millions across the nation.
The poll placed Morocco among the four countries with the most dramatic declines in resilience. Other countries that showed significantly lower resilience rankings were Bulgaria (-22 points), Poland (-18 points), and Croatia (-15 points). The ranking system is a comprehensive measure of a country’s preparedness and capacity to recover from disasters.
Morocco’s drop was mainly due to declines in individual and household resilience—key indicators that track both personal confidence in disaster response and household disaster planning.
Following the quake, only 23% of Moroccans believed they could take steps to protect themselves from a future disaster, down significantly from 52% in 2021. Household preparedness also dropped, with just 12% of families reporting they had a disaster plan, compared to 18% two years earlier.
Despite the sharp decline in resilience, Moroccans demonstrated a strong sense of community support in response to the tragedy. Charitable giving soared in the weeks following the earthquake, with donations rising from 2% to 18%.