Survey estimates dementia in 11.6% of older adults in Morocco
Dementia prevalence was estimated at 11.6% after population adjustment, compared with 5.1% in the telephone survey’s 1,662 participants aged 60 and older.
Limit: Only screen-positive participants received neurologist assessment, so dementia cases could be missed
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In a cross-sectional study, researchers surveyed 1,662 adults aged 60 and older across Morocco’s 12 administrative regions by telephone between March and June 2025. They screened participants for cognitive difficulties in Moroccan Darija. Neurologists then assessed the 388 people who screened positive, considering thinking abilities and daily functioning.
They diagnosed dementia in 85 participants and mild cognitive impairment, a decline in thinking skills less severe than dementia, in 303. Dementia affected 5.1% of the sample, while mild cognitive impairment affected 18.2%. After researchers adjusted the estimates to reflect the population’s age, sex and regional distribution in Morocco’s 2024 census, the estimates were 11.6% for dementia and 23.6% for mild cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
Cognitive impairment among older adults poses a public health concern where population data remain limited. These estimates may inform future research and healthcare planning in Morocco.
Caveats
Only participants who screened positive received the second-stage telephone assessment, and the cross-sectional survey did not track changes over time. This Research Square preprint has not been peer-reviewed.
From the paper
- Participants
Among the 1,662 participants, 388 screened positive and underwent second-stage assessment.
Quoted word for word from the full text on researchsquare.com.
The paper
Prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in Morocco: A population-based study
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University
Research Square, Oct 22, 2026, Open access, Preprint, not peer-reviewed
