The 1990 U.S. census counted only 21,529 foreign-born Moroccans residing in the United States; 15,004 respondents of census listed the Moroccan as their first ancestry, while 4,074 listed it as their second ancestry.
In the late 1990's, Morocco experienced problems typical of developing nations: high government spending and inflation, a huge external debt, limited access to health care, poor housing and living conditions, and high unemployment.