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This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Vital Statistics
Morocco
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Morocco
Vital Statistics
Structure of Vital Statistics Agency
Structure of Vital Statistics Agency
Agency
Does the legal framework designate the entity or entities responsible for compiling vital statistics in the country?
Yes. High Commission for Planning, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health and Social Planning.
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The legal framework for the vital statistics system should assign the functions of establishing, operating and maintaining a national vital statistics system to a governmental agency. Most countries assign responsibility for the vital statistics system to the national statistics office. Another option is to place the vital statistics administration within the civil registration agency. A third option is to designate specific government agencies to carry out different vital statistics functions related to their respective areas of work. Whatever option is chosen, close coordination between the vital statistics system, civil registration system, and health sector is essential.
The High Commission for Planning is Morocco's national statistics institute. Under Decree No. 2-17-670 on the definition and organization of the High Commission for Planning, the Commission has broad powers to produce, analyze, and store statistical information and make it available to public authorities. The HCP produces demographic and population statistics, including the crude birth rate and crude death rate. Decree 2.22.04 authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to produce vital statistics from civil status data or to share this data with other agencies and services, to produce civil status statistics. This authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to produce statistics from civil status data, or to share civil status data with other agencies and services, such as the High Commission for Planning, to produce statistics. The Ministry of Health and Social Planning generates statistics on causes of death.
Link Between Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
Are vital statistics derived from the civil registration system?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A well-functioning civil registration system is the ideal source from which to derive accurate, complete, timely, and continuous information on vital events. Vital statistics should therefore be derived from civil registration data.
Article 18 of Decree 2.22.04 authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to use data from the national register to provide data and to enter into agreements with the relevant services to exchange civil status data and statistics included in the national register. This authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to produce statistics from civil status data, or to share civil status data with other agencies and services, such as the High Commission for Planning (HCP), to produce statistics. Currently, the Ministry of Interior does not generate vital statistics in accordance with the recommended UN tabulations, nor does it share civil registration data with HCP to enable HCP to generate vital statistics.
Are there clear procedures and timeframes in the legal framework to facilitate sharing data from the civil registration agency to the national statistics agency(ies)?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The law should require and enable the regular and timely sharing of statistical data from civil registration authority to the vital statistics agency.
Article 18 of Decree 2.22.04 authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to use data from the national register to provide data and to enter into agreements with the relevant services to exchange civil status data and statistics included in the national register. This authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to share civil status data with other agencies and services, such as the High Commission for Planning. However, the law does not require sharing or prescribe data sharing procedures.
Does the law require that civil registration data be anonymized before it is shared with the national statistics agency(ies)?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The law should balance the privacy of individuals, with facilitation of data linkages between the civil registration and vital statistics agency when statistical data is shared between them. Generally vital event information should be submitted with identity information - such as name and unique personal identifier- removed.
Law No. 36.21 on Civil Status, Article 17, provides that "personal data kept in the national register must be processed and used in accordance with the legislation on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data." Therefore, if data is shared for the purposes of statistics, it should be anonymized. However, as noted above, data is not currently shared on a regular basis for the purpose of generating vital statistics.
