Eid al-Adha Sacrificial Ritual Declines Among Moroccan Households, Survey Shows

According to data from the 2022 national survey on the standard of living of households, 12.6% of Moroccan households do not perform the ritual of sacrifice during Eid Al-Adha, the HCP indicated in its publication, noting an increase compared to 2014 when this rate was 4.7%.

Urban dwellers and single-person households contributed to this increase in households not sacrificing this tradition. In 2022, 14.3% of urban dwellers did not perform this ritual, compared to 5.9% in 2014. Similarly, 56.4% of single-person households did not engage in this practice in 2022, compared to 46.5% in 2014. The rate is 5.5% for households with at least six members, compared to 0.8% in 2014.

The practice of the ritual of sacrifice during Eid al-Adha depends on the standard of living of the household and the level of education of its head, the HCP notes, specifying that nearly 25.1% of households among the top 10% wealthiest do not perform this ritual, compared to 7.8% among the poorest 10%. Also, 20.1% of households whose heads have a higher level of education do not perform this ritual, compared to 11.7% for households headed by a non-educated person.

Regarding the animals used for the sacrifice, 95.6% of households have a preference for sheep, 4.3% for goats and 0.1% for cattle. Rural households opt more for goats (7.4% compared to 2.8% in urban areas). The same goes for the 10% least well-off households (8.5% compared to 2.7% for the 10% wealthiest households).