The New Craft Economy · 2025 Export Data
Digital Zellige
MAD 1.23 billion. 120 tiles. Each one a piece of the new craft economy.
In 2025, Morocco's handicraft exports hit MAD 1.23 billion (~$123 million) — an 11% increase over the previous year and a new record. The United States now accounts for 49% of all purchases, up 25% year-over-year. Traditional clothing surged 75%. Pottery remains king at 36% of all exports. Türkiye erupted from nowhere to 7% market share. France, once the dominant buyer, fell to 11%. The mosaic below is built from this data: 120 tiles, each representing ~MAD 10 million of transactions. The colour is the destination country. The centre dot is the product category. Hover to filter.
1.23B MAD
2025 exports (~$123M)
49%
shipped to the US
+75%
clothing export growth
2.2M
artisans nationwide
The Data Mosaic
120 tiles = MAD 1.23 billion. Tile colour = destination country. Centre dot = product category. Hover a destination below to filter the mosaic.
By Product Category
Pottery & stone dominate. Traditional clothing is the breakout story — from 11% to 17% of exports in one year.
By Destination Country
The US now buys half of Morocco's craft exports. France has fallen from dominance. Türkiye appeared from nowhere — 53× growth in 7 months.
Export Trend 2019–2025
MAD millions. COVID collapsed exports by 44%. Recovery took two years. 2025 is a new record.
The Sector at Scale
Morocco's handicraft sector is a MAD 140 billion industry employing 2.2 million artisans — 8% of GDP.
2.2M
artisans nationwide
8%
of GDP
MAD 140B
total sector turnover
251
quality label holders
144,000
artisans in Fes-Meknès
44,000
craft units in Fes-Meknès
1.2M
online mentions
21%
pottery CAGR 2019–2023
Reading Notes
The American Pivot
In 2019, France was Morocco's largest craft buyer. By 2025, the US accounts for 49% of all exports — nearly half the mosaic. The shift reflects American consumer appetite for artisanal homeware, driven by platforms like Etsy, Instagram, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Moroccan rugs are a status object in Brooklyn and Portland. France dropped 24% in a single year.
The Clothing Breakout
Traditional clothing exports surged 75% in 2025, jumping from 11% to 17% of total exports. Caftans, djellabas, and embroidered textiles are crossing from ethnic novelty into mainstream fashion. The category now rivals carpets for second place. This is not heritage tourism — it is a global fashion supply chain rewriting itself around Moroccan craft.
From Alhambra to Blockchain
Zellige tilework dates to the 10th century. Each tile is hand-cut, hand-glazed, hand-placed. The geometry is algorithmic — Islamic tessellation is mathematics made physical. Now Morocco is exploring digital traceability for artisanal goods: QR codes on rugs linking to the cooperative that wove them, the village, the artisan's name. The mosaic is going digital. The pattern is the same. The medium has changed.
A zellige mosaic is never finished by one person. The cutter shapes the tile. The glazer paints it. The setter places it. The patron pays for it. Each transaction in the export data is a tile in the same tradition — a piece of fired earth, cut in Fes, glazed in Safi, shipped to Brooklyn, set into a kitchen wall six thousand kilometres from the kiln. The pattern holds. The distances have changed.
Sources
2025 full-year exports (MAD 1.23 billion, +11%): State Secretariat for Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, via Morocco World News (Jan 16, 2026), Hespress, Barlaman Today. Product breakdown (pottery 36%, carpets 18%, clothing 17%): same source. Destination shares (US 49%, France 11%, Türkiye 7%): same source. Traditional clothing growth (+75%): same source. Türkiye emergence (53× growth in 7 months): Barlaman Today (Aug 2025). Sector overview (MAD 140B turnover, 2.2M artisans, 8% GDP): Yabiladi (Feb 2025), quoting Minister Belkhayat. Fes-Meknès region (144,000 artisans, 44,000 units): same source. Pottery CAGR 2019–2023 (21%, reaching MAD 348M): Maison de l'Artisan Market Intelligence Report (Dec 2024), via 7News Morocco. Marrakech exports 2024 (MAD 458M, +41%): Barlaman Today (Jan 2025). Online mentions (1.2M): Maison de l'Artisan. Historical export estimates (2019–2023): editorial interpolation from reported growth rates.
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