The World Bank ranked Morocco first among North African countries in terms of its business environment, placing it second on the African continent, behind Rwanda. Notably, no other North African country made the top ten African countries for ease of doing business.
According to Business Insider, this ranking is based on the World Bank's "B-READY 2025" report, which assessed the performance of 101 economies worldwide based on three key pillars: the regulatory framework, the quality of public services, and operational efficiency. The report also tracked various stages of a business's lifecycle, from establishment to expansion and growth.
The report's data shows that Morocco excelled in the regulatory framework indicator, scoring 70.06 points. According to the World Bank, this reflects the strength of the laws and public policies adopted in the areas of business creation, investment promotion, and market competition, enabling Morocco to lead North African countries in this indicator.
The report indicated that Morocco is among the African countries that have made tangible progress in reforming their business climate in recent years, along with Rwanda and Mauritius. These countries have succeeded in developing more attractive legal and regulatory frameworks for both domestic and foreign investors, while also improving market access for businesses.
At the continental level, Morocco ranked second after Rwanda, which topped the African rankings thanks to its strong performance in operational efficiency. Mauritius also ranked among the top countries, particularly due to the quality of its public services and investment-supporting infrastructure.
The World Bank report explained that most of the top ten African countries are still ranked in the third tier globally. However, Morocco is among the economies best positioned to transform regulatory reforms into a real lever for improving the attractiveness of the national economy and enhancing its competitiveness.
Despite this progress, the report noted the persistence of some challenges related to the quality of public services and the level of operational efficiency in a number of African economies. Nevertheless, countries like Morocco and Rwanda have demonstrated a greater ability to translate public policies into tangible results on the ground.
This positive ranking comes in the context of Morocco recording, during 2025, an “exceptional” increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, as described by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. These inflows reached 39.3 billion dirhams by the end of August, marking a strong increase of 43.4 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, as announced by Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui before the House of Representatives last October.
This increase is among the strongest seen in FDI inflows to Morocco in recent years, especially given the global context of severe economic turmoil and fluctuations in international financial markets. This reflects the Moroccan economy's ability to maintain its investment appeal.
Several economic experts attribute this positive performance to several factors, including political stability, a clear economic vision, and the continuation of structural reforms adopted by the Kingdom in recent years, particularly in the areas of advanced industries, renewable energy, and the automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors.
This positive trend is further reinforced by the announcement from the US credit rating agency Standard & Poor's that it has reinstated Morocco's sovereign debt rating to "investment grade," a rating the Kingdom lost in 2021 due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency explained that its decision followed an assessment mission to Morocco last September and was based on improved economic indicators, ongoing reforms, and the Moroccan economy's remarkable resilience in the face of global shocks and challenges.
Regaining its "investment grade" rating is a strategic gain for Morocco, as it grants it easier access to international financial markets with more favorable financing terms, reduces borrowing costs, and strengthens the confidence of investors and international financial institutions in the Kingdom's ability to meet its financial obligations.
Experts believe that this rating, along with the improved business environment, will directly contribute to attracting new inflows of foreign investment, particularly from sovereign wealth funds and major institutions that require this level of rating before investing in any country.
