Almost half of Moroccan households are equipped with computers.

This is according to a household and individuals ICT survey conducted by the Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécommunications (ANRT): Morocco’s telecoms regulator.

The ANRT survey was conducted between February 27 to March 26 2014 with 1,823 households.

“The households’ equipment rate in computer and/or tablet registered an increase in 2013, reaching nearly half of the households (47%), which represents approximately 3.2 million of households,” says ANRT.

“This equipment rate is four times higher than 10 years ago (11% in 2004),” adds the regulator.

ANRT cites a ‘lack of need’ and ‘high prices’ as factors holding back the remaining population from purchasing computers.

Nevertheless, in 2012, the percentage of households equipped with computers and tablets was 43%, signalling a four percentage points increase in 2013.

The report also signals a strong split between urban and rural access to computers or tablets.

59% of Morocco’s urban areas have computer access compared to just 23% of the country’s rural dwellers.

Meanwhile, the study looks more closely at tablet access in the country as well.

“After their arrival on the market in 2011, tablets continue to take an increasing share of the overall computer market in Morocco,” says ANRT.

"Thus, in 2013, tablets represented 9% of the overall computer market, a 2-point increase compared to 2012 and a 7-point increase compared to 2011.

“This evolution was accompanied by the first decrease in the share of laptops in three years which represent 55% of the overall computer market in Morocco in 2013,” adds the study.

The study goes on to say that personal computers make up 36% of Morocco’s overall computer market.