Selv om BNP i Maghreb­ og Machrak­lande­ne voksede udtrykt i faste priser med gennemsnitligt 3% om året i løbet af 1980'erne — væsentligt mere end i EF ­var det dog kun en smule mere end befolkningstilvæk­sten.
Although in the Maghreb and Machrek countries, GDP grew in real terms by an average of around 3% a year over the 1980s — significantly higher than in the Community — this was only margi­nally higher than the rate of population growth.