During a presentation before the Committee on Basic Infrastructure, Energy, Mines and the Environment in the House of Representatives, Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, stated that Morocco’s share of global phosphate reserves is around 70%. Morocco thus produces more than 30 million tons per year.
These figures clearly show that Morocco dominates the list of countries producing and holding phosphate on a global scale, with a considerable lead over its competitors, although it is not currently the country that exports the most of this raw material, due to various reasons.
The global phosphate market value reached $78.1 billion in 2023, and this market is expected to grow to $176 billion by 2040, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.7%. The global demand for phosphate and phosphate fertilizers is increasing due to the increasing population, which is leading to an increase in food demand.
Arab countries have the largest phosphate reserves in the world, with Morocco alone holding nearly 50 billion metric tons (about 70% of the world’s total phosphate), followed by Egypt with 2.8 billion metric tons, according to the World Population Review platform.
The platform also published a list of the 10 countries with the largest phosphate reserves, with Morocco in the lead with more than 50 billion tons, followed by Egypt with 2.8 billion tons, Tunisia third with 2.5 billion tons, Algeria fourth with 2.2 billion tons, China fifth with 1.9 billion tons, Brazil sixth with 1.6 billion tons, South Africa seventh with about 1.6 billion tons, Saudi Arabia eighth with about 1.4 billion tons, Australia ninth with 1.1 billion tons, and Jordan tenth with about one billion tons.
Regarding the largest producers and exporters of phosphate, although Morocco has the highest reserves in the world, it is not the first country in terms of production and export. China dominates the list with 90 million metric tons, followed by Morocco with 35 million metric tons. This situation is explained by the development of the mining industry in China and in the most producing countries, as well as by Morocco’s specific strategy to preserve its resources in the medium and long term, in order to perhaps become the only producer of this vital resource once the stocks of other producing countries are exhausted.
