Algeria vs Morocco: Side-by-Side Comparison
Algeria is the bigger country on every headline measure: it covers 2,381,741 km² (Africa's largest country) against Morocco's 446,550 km², has about 46.8 million people to Morocco's 38.1 million (2024 UN estimates), and had a 2024 GDP of about $265 billion against Morocco's $155 billion. The two Maghreb neighbours share a border of about 1,940 km, but it has been closed since 1994 and diplomatic relations have been cut since 2021.
Key Differences at a Glance
- Size: Algeria is about 5.3 times larger by area; Morocco's 446,550 km² excludes the disputed Western Sahara, which Morocco claims and largely administers.
- Population: Algeria has about 1.2 times as many people (46.8 million vs 38.1 million).
- Economy: Algeria's GDP is about 1.7 times Morocco's and its GDP per capita is higher (about $5,650 vs $4,050), thanks to oil and gas. Morocco's economy is more diversified: phosphates, car manufacturing, agriculture and tourism.
- Government: Algeria is a presidential republic; Morocco is a constitutional monarchy.
- Coastline: Algeria faces only the Mediterranean; Morocco has both Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and lies 14 km from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar.
| Metric | Algeria | Morocco |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Algiers | Rabat |
| Largest city | Algiers | Casablanca |
| Region (UN) | North Africa | North Africa |
| Population (2024, UN) | about 46.8 million | about 38.1 million |
| Area | 2,381,741 km² | 446,550 km² (excluding Western Sahara) |
| Population density | about 20 per km² | about 85 per km² |
| GDP (nominal, 2024) | about $265 billion | about $155 billion |
| GDP per capita (2024) | about $5,650 | about $4,050 |
| Currency | Algerian dinar (DZD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official language(s) | Arabic, Tamazight (Berber) | Arabic, Tamazight (Berber) |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy |
| Life expectancy (2023) | about 76 years | about 75 years |
| Independence | 5 July 1962 (from France) | 2 March 1956 (from France) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 (UTC+0 during Ramadan) |
| Calling code | +213 | +212 |
| Drives on the | Right | Right |
| Landlocked | No | No |
Sources: population from UN World Population Prospects 2024; GDP from IMF/World Bank 2024 estimates (nominal US dollars, so values move with exchange rates); GDP per capita calculated from those two figures; life expectancy from UN/World Bank 2023 data.
Population
Algeria and Morocco are the two most populous countries of the Maghreb and are fairly closely matched. Algeria has about 46.8 million people and Morocco about 38.1 million according to 2024 UN estimates, so Algeria's population is only about 1.2 times larger. (Morocco's own 2024 census counted about 36.8 million residents.)
The difference lies in how people are spread. More than 90% of Algerians live in the thin strip along the Mediterranean coast and the Tell Atlas, because most of the country is Sahara; the national average of about 20 people per km² hides crowded northern cities. Morocco's people are distributed more evenly across its Atlantic plains, Atlas valleys and cities, giving an average of about 85 per km². Both are majority-urban, anchored by Algiers, Oran and Constantine in Algeria and by Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, Tangier and Marrakech in Morocco, and both have young populations whose growth is slowing as fertility falls.
Area and Geography
Algeria covers 2,381,741 km² and Morocco 446,550 km², making Algeria about 5.3 times larger. Algeria has been Africa's largest country since South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, and over four-fifths of it is desert. If Western Sahara (about 266,000 km²) is counted, as Moroccan maps do, Morocco's area rises to roughly 710,000 km², still far smaller than Algeria.
The two share the same building blocks in different proportions. The Atlas Mountains run through both, separating fertile coastal lowlands from the desert. Morocco's ranges are higher: the High Atlas reaches 4,167 m at Jbel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, and the Rif runs along the Mediterranean coast. Algeria's Tell and Saharan Atlas give way quickly to the dunes, plateaus and oases of the Sahara, where the Hoggar massif rises to 2,908 m at Mount Tahat. Both have a Mediterranean climate on the coast, with mild wet winters and hot dry summers, turning to extreme desert inland.
The Algeria–Morocco Border
Algeria and Morocco share a land border of about 1,940 km, running from the Mediterranean coast near Saïdia (Morocco) and Marsa Ben M'Hidi (Algeria) south through the high plateaus and into the Sahara near Tindouf. The line was never fully settled at independence, and in 1963 the two fought a short border conflict known as the Sand War. A border treaty was signed in 1972.
The land border has been closed since 1994, when Morocco imposed visas on Algerians after a hotel attack in Marrakech and Algeria responded by shutting the frontier. The former main crossing between Oujda and Maghnia/Tlemcen, on what would otherwise be a busy Maghreb corridor, has been shut ever since, and parts of the frontier are fenced and trenched. Families on both sides remain separated by a line that is easy to see but impossible to cross legally.
Economy
Algeria has the larger nominal economy, with a 2024 GDP of about $265 billion against Morocco's $155 billion (IMF/World Bank estimates). Per person, that works out to about $5,650 in Algeria and about $4,050 in Morocco, so Algeria is ahead on both totals and averages.
The structure of the two economies is strikingly different. Algeria is a major hydrocarbon producer: oil and especially natural gas provide the great majority of its export earnings and a large share of state revenue, and it is one of Europe's key gas suppliers via pipelines to Italy and Spain. That brings wealth but exposes it to energy-price swings. Morocco, with no significant oil or gas, has built a broader economy: it holds most of the world's known phosphate reserves (through the state company OCP), has become Africa's leading car exporter from the Renault and Stellantis plants around Tangier and Kenitra, and earns heavily from agriculture, aerospace parts, textiles, renewable energy and tourism, which brings in more than 15 million visitors a year. Both face the challenge of creating enough jobs for young people.
Language and Culture
Both countries recognise Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) as official languages, and people in both speak closely related dialects of Maghrebi Arabic, known as Darija, that are largely mutually intelligible. Amazigh heritage is strong in both, particularly in Kabylie and the Aurès in Algeria and the Rif, Atlas and Souss regions of Morocco. French remains widely used in business, higher education and administration in both, and is even more entrenched in Algeria after 132 years of direct French rule.
Culturally the two share an Arab–Amazigh–Islamic heritage: couscous (inscribed jointly on UNESCO's list in 2020 by Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia), mint tea, medinas and Andalusian music are common to both. Morocco's imperial cities, monarchy and tourism give it a strong international image; Algeria's identity is shaped above all by its war of independence and is less tourism-driven. Football is a shared passion, and matches between the two are among the most charged in North Africa.
Currency
Algeria uses the Algerian dinar (DZD) and Morocco the Moroccan dirham (MAD). The dirham is pegged to a euro–dollar basket within a band, while the dinar is tightly managed by the Bank of Algeria and trades at a much weaker rate on the parallel market than at the official rate. Neither currency can legally be taken out of its country in significant amounts, so exchange money on arrival.
History and Independence
Both were shaped by French rule, but in very different ways. Morocco, ruled by the Alaouite dynasty since the 17th century, was a French protectorate (with a Spanish zone in the north) from 1912 and regained independence in 1956 with its monarchy intact. Algeria was conquered from 1830 and administered as part of France itself; it won independence on 5 July 1962 after an eight-year war of liberation and became a republic. Algeria hosted and aided Moroccan nationalists, but the relationship soured almost immediately after independence over the border.
Algeria–Morocco Relations, Trade and Travel
Relations are among the most strained in Africa. The central dispute is Western Sahara: Morocco regards the former Spanish colony as its southern provinces, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which seeks independence and is based in refugee camps around Tindouf in south-west Algeria. In August 2021 Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco, then closed its airspace to Moroccan aircraft and, in October 2021, stopped sending gas to Spain through the Maghreb–Europe pipeline that crosses Morocco. The Arab Maghreb Union, founded in 1989 to integrate the region, has been largely dormant for years.
As a result, direct trade between the two is small compared with the size of their economies, and most goods move via Europe or other third countries. For travellers there is currently no legal land crossing and no direct flights, so a trip between Algiers and Casablanca normally means connecting through Tunis, Istanbul, Paris or another hub. Both countries drive on the right and use the same time zone (UTC+1), although Morocco shifts to UTC+0 during Ramadan.
Which Country Is Bigger?
Algeria is the bigger country on every main measure. It is about 5.3 times larger by area (2,381,741 km² versus 446,550 km²), has more people (about 46.8 million versus 38.1 million) and has the larger economy (about $265 billion versus $155 billion in 2024). Morocco's strengths lie in a more diversified economy, a long Atlantic coastline, closeness to Europe and a much bigger tourism industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is bigger, Algeria or Morocco?
Algeria. It covers 2,381,741 km² against Morocco's 446,550 km² (excluding Western Sahara), about 5.3 times larger, and is the largest country in Africa. It also has more people: about 46.8 million versus 38.1 million (2024 UN estimates).
Which country has the larger economy, Algeria or Morocco?
Algeria. Its 2024 nominal GDP was about $265 billion against about $155 billion for Morocco (IMF/World Bank), and its GDP per capita is higher too, about $5,650 versus $4,050, largely because of oil and gas exports.
Is the Algeria–Morocco border open?
No. The land border has been closed since 1994, and Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021 and closed its airspace to Moroccan aircraft. Travellers have to go through a third country.
Why are Algeria and Morocco rivals?
The main cause is Western Sahara: Morocco claims the territory, while Algeria supports the Polisario Front's call for independence. Rivalry dates back to a border war in 1963 and has been deepened by differing political systems and competition for regional influence.
Do Algeria and Morocco speak the same language?
Largely, yes. Both have Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) as official languages, and their everyday Darija dialects of Arabic are mutually intelligible. French is widely used in business and education in both.
Last updated: September 2026. Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024. GDP: IMF/World Bank 2024 estimates. Area: national statistics offices and the CIA World Factbook.