Jordan

Broadcast media

radio and TV dominated by the government-owned Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) that operates a main network, a sports network, a film network, and a satellite channel; first independent TV broadcaster aired in 2007; international satellite TV and Israeli and Syrian TV broadcasts are available; roughly 30 radio stations with JRTV operating the main government-owned station; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.jo

Internet users

total: 4.335 million | percent of population: 53.4% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 82

Telephone system

general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas is reducing use of fixed-line services | domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; currently multiple mobile-cellular providers with subscribership up to 170 per 100 persons | international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) FEA and FLAG Falcon submarine cable networks; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 368,938 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 13.798 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 170 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Agriculture - products

citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, strawberries, stone fruits; sheep, poultry, dairy

Budget

revenues: $8.324 billion | expenditures: $10.88 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-6.8% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189

Central bank discount rate

0.3% (31 December 2010) | 4.75% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 131

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.24% (31 December 2015 est.) | 8.84% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Current account balance

-$3.299 billion (2015 est.) | -$2.362 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Debt - external

$25.16 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $24.26 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 82

Distribution of family income - Gini index

39.7 (2007) | 36.4 (1997) | country comparison to the world: 64

Economy - overview

Jordan's economy is among the smallest in the Middle East, with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources, underlying the government's heavy reliance on foreign assistance. Other economic challenges for the government include chronic high rates of poverty, unemployment and underemployment, budget and current account deficits, and government debt. | King ABDALLAH, during the first decade of the 2000s, implemented significant economic reforms, such as expanding foreign trade and privatizing state-owned companies that attracted foreign investment and contributed to average annual economic growth of 8% for 2004 through 2008. The global economic slowdown and regional turmoil contributed to slower growth from 2010 to 2014 - with growth averaging 2.8% per year - and hurt export-oriented sectors, construction, and tourism. Through 2014, Jordan's finances were strained by a series of natural gas pipeline attacks in Egypt, disrupting natural gas exports to Jordan, and led Jordan to rely on more expensive diesel imports, primarily from Saudi Arabia, to generate electricity. | To diversify its energy mix, Jordan has secured several contracts for liquefied natural gas and is currently exploring nuclear power generation, exploitation of abundant oil shale reserves and renewable technologies, as well as the import of Israeli offshore gas. In August 2015, Jordan completed a $2.1 billion, three-year IMF Stand-By Arrangement, which the government had entered to help correct budgetary and balance of payments imbalances. Jordan plans to expand on its fiscal reform measures enacted over the previous few years with a follow-on IMF agreement in 2016 to boost government revenues, reduce the budget deficit, and manage its burgeoning debt, brought on in part by an influx of over 650,000 Syrian refugees since 2011, which put additional pressure on expenditures.

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - | 0.71 (2015 est.) | 0.71 (2014 est.) | 0.71 (2013 est.) | 0.709 (2012 est.) | 0.709 (2011 est.)

Exports

$7.829 billion (2015 est.) | $8.385 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 99

Exports - commodities

textiles, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners

US 21%, Saudi Arabia 16.5%, Iraq 10.3%, India 8.7%, UAE 4.8%, Kuwait 4.4% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$37.62 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$82.73 billion (2015 est.) | $80.71 billion (2014 est.) | $78.28 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 89

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 82% | government consumption: 19.8% | investment in fixed capital: 22.5% | investment in inventories: 2.3% | exports of goods and services: 35.6% | imports of goods and services: -62.2% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 4.2% | industry: 29.6% | services: 66.2% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$12,100 (2015 est.) | $12,100 (2014 est.) | $12,000 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 134

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2015 est.) | 3.1% (2014 est.) | 2.8% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Gross national saving

15.8% of GDP (2015 est.) | 18.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | 16.8% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.4% | highest 10%: 28.7% (2010 est.)

Imports

$18.04 billion (2015 est.) | $20.35 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 77

Imports - commodities

crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals

Imports - partners

Saudi Arabia 15.4%, China 12.8%, US 6.2%, Germany 4.7%, UAE 4.2% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Industries

tourism, information technology, clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.9% (2015 est.) | 2.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Labor force

2.055 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 2% | industry: 20% | services: 78% (2013 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$27 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $27.18 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $30.86 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Population below poverty line

14.2% (2002 est.)

Public debt

85.5% of GDP (2015 est.) | 80.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury, and treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions | country comparison to the world: 26

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$16.57 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $16.04 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Stock of broad money

$43.64 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $41.18 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$609.3 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $608.3 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$29.96 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $28.71 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

Stock of domestic credit

$39.57 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $38.04 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Stock of narrow money

$13.92 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $13 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Taxes and other revenues

22.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Unemployment rate

13.1% (2015 est.) | 11.9% (2014 est.) | note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% | country comparison to the world: 144

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

19 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Crude oil - imports

62,220 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Crude oil - production

22 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Crude oil - proved reserves

1 million bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 98

Electricity - consumption

16 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Electricity - exports

64 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Electricity - from fossil fuels

99.6% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0.3% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0.1% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Electricity - imports

400 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Electricity - installed generating capacity

4.2 million kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Electricity - production

17 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Electricity access

population without electricity: 40,926 | electrification - total population: 99.5% | electrification - urban areas: 99% | electrification - rural areas: 99.4% (2012)

Natural gas - consumption

499 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Natural gas - imports

300 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Natural gas - production

199 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Natural gas - proved reserves

6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 88

Refined petroleum products - consumption

146,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Refined petroleum products - imports

70,890 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Refined petroleum products - production

67,760 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Area

total: 89,342 sq km | land: 88,802 sq km | water: 540 sq km | country comparison to the world: 112

Area - comparative

about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Coastline

26 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 812 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m | highest point: Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

31 00 N, 36 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank

Irrigated land

964 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 1,744 km | border countries (5): Iraq 179 km, Israel 307 km, Saudi Arabia 731 km, Syria 379 km, West Bank 148 km

Land use

agricultural land: 11.4% | arable land 2%; permanent crops 1%; permanent pasture 8.4% | forest: 1.1% | other: 87.5% (2011 est.)

Location

Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 3 nm

Natural hazards

droughts; periodic earthquakes

Natural resources

phosphates, potash, shale oil

Population - distribution

population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman; a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Terrain

mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates eastern and western banks of the Jordan River

Administrative divisions

12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); 'Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Al'Asimah, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Ma'daba

Capital

name: Amman | geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends last Friday in October

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Jordan | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 15 years | Citizenship

Constitution

previous 1928 (preindependence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952; amended several times, last in 2016 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | conventional short form: Jordan | local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah | local short form: Al Urdun | former: Transjordan | etymology: named for the Jordan River, which makes up part of Jordan's northwest border

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Alice G. WELLS (since 31 August 2014) | embassy: Abdoun, Al-Umawyeen St., Amman | mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, DPO AE 09892-0200 | telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000 | FAX: [962] (6) 592-0163

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Dina Khalil Tawiq KAWAR (since 27 June 2016) | chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 | FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110

Executive branch

chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HUSSEIN (born 28 June 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II | head of government: Prime Minister Hani MULKI (since 1 June 2016) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch | elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Independence

25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, CICA, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (consists of 15 judges including the chief justice; 7-judge panels for important cases and 5 judge panels for most appeals cases); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members including the court chairman) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the king; other judges nominated by the Judicial Council, an 11-member judicial policy-making body consisting of high-level judicial officials and judges, and approved by the king; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court members appointed by the king for 6-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Major Felonies Court; Courts of First Instance; Magistrate Courts; religious courts; state security courts

Legal system

mixed system developed from codes instituted by the Ottoman Empire (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law

Legislative branch

description: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, or the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (60 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (130 seats; 115 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote and 15 seats for women; 12 of the 115 seats reserved for Christian, Chechen, and Circassian candidates; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 20 September 2016 (next to be held in 2020) | election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

National anthem

name: "As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" (Long Live the King of Jordan) | lyrics/music: Abdul-Mone'm al-RIFAI'/Abdul-Qader al-TANEER | note: adopted 1946; the shortened version of the anthem is used most commonly, while the full version is reserved for special occasions

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

National symbol(s)

eagle; national colors: black, white, green, red

Political parties and leaders

Ahl al-Himma | Al-Bayyan | Al-Hayah Jordanian Party [Zahier AMR] | Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party [Akram al-HIMSI] | Ba'ath Arab Progressive Party [Fuad DABBOUR] | Citizenship | Construction | Cooperation | Dawn | Democratic People's Party [Ablah ABU ULBAH] | Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id DIAB] | Dignity | Du'a Party [Muhammed ABU BAKR] | Free Voice | Islamic Action Front or IAF [Hamzah MANSOUR] | Islamic Centrist Party [Muhammad al-HAJ] | Jordanian Communist Party [Munir HAMARNAH] | Jordanian National Party [Muna ABU BAKR] | Jordanian United Front [Amjad al-MAJALI] | Labor and Trade | Muslim Center Party [Haitham ALAMAERAH] | Nation | National Accord Youth Block | National Action | National Constitution Party [Ahmad al-SHUNAQ] | National Current Party [Abd al-Hadi al-MAJALI] | National Movement for Direct Democracy [Muhammad al-QAQ] | National Union | National Unity | Nobel Jerusalem | Risalah Party [Hazem QASHOU] | Salvation | Stronger Jordan | The Direct Democratic Nationalists Movement Party [Nash'at KHALIFAH] | The Homeland (Hizb Al-Watan) | The People | Unified Front | United Front | Voice of the Nation; qtgan

Political pressure groups and leaders

15 April Movement [Mohammad SUNEID, chairman] | 24 March Movement [Mu'az al-KHAWALIDAH, Abdel Rahman HASANEIN, spokespersons] | 1952 Constitution Movement | Anti-Normalization Committee [Hamzah MANSOUR, chairman] | Economic and Social Association of Retired Servicemen and Veterans or ESARSV [Abdulsalam al-HASSANAT, chairman] | Group of 36 | Higher Coordination Committee of Opposition Parties [Said DIAB] | Higher National Committee for Military Retirees or HNCMR [Ali al-HABASHNEH, chairman] | Hirak | Jordan Bar Association [Saleh al-ARMUTI, chairman] | Jordanian Campaign for Change or Jayin | Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood [Dr. Hamam SAID, controller general] | Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president] | National Front for Reform or NFR [Ahmad OBEIDAT, chairman] | Popular Gathering for Reform | Professional Associations Council [Abd al-Hadi al-FALAHAT, chairman] | Sons of Jordan

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country's long-time ruler, King HUSSEIN (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the 2011 "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements. Jordan held a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.

Military branches

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force (RJLF), Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis) (2013)

Military expenditures

4.65% of GDP (2012) | 4.64% of GDP (2011) | 4.65% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 7

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary male military service; initial service term 2 years, with option to reenlist for 18 years; conscription at age 18 suspended in 1999; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF (2013)

Age structure

0-14 years: 35.04% (male 1,470,865/female 1,397,057) | 15-24 years: 20.12% (male 842,202/female 804,557) | 25-54 years: 36.44% (male 1,491,855/female 1,491,302) | 55-64 years: 4.46% (male 177,720/female 187,181) | 65 years and over: 3.94% (male 151,071/female 171,574) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

25.5 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 114

Contraceptive prevalence rate

61.2% (2012)

Death rate

3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 64.8% | youth dependency ratio: 58.5% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.2% | potential support ratio: 16% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 97.8% of population | rural: 92.3% of population | total: 96.9% of population | urban: 2.2% of population | rural: 7.7% of population | total: 3.1% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

7.5% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 25

Hospital bed density

1.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 15.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 104

Languages

Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.6 years | male: 73.2 years | female: 76.1 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 95.4% | male: 97.7% | female: 92.9% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

AMMAN (capital) 1.155 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

58 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Median age

total: 22.3 years | male: 21.9 years | female: 22.7 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Mother's mean age at first birth

24.7 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Jordanian(s) | adjective: Jordanian

Net migration rate

-13.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 218

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

28.1% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 28

Physicians density

2.56 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

8,185,384 | note: increased estimate reflects revised assumptions about the net migration rate due to the increased flow of Syrian refugees (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Population distribution

population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman; a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Population growth rate

0.83% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Religions

Muslim 97.2% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.2% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish <0.1, folk religionist <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1, other <0.1 (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 98.6% of population | rural: 98.9% of population | total: 98.6% of population | urban: 1.4% of population | rural: 1.1% of population | total: 1.4% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years | male: 12 years | female: 13 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female | total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.18 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 29.3% | male: 25.2% | female: 48.8% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Urbanization

urban population: 83.7% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.79% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 2,117,361 (Palestinian refugees) (2015); 655,833 (Syria); 59,196 (Iraq) (2016)

Airports

18 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 140

Airports - with paved runways

total: 16 | over 3,047 m: 8 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

JY (2016)

Heliports

1 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 12 | by type: cargo 4, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 | foreign-owned: 2 (UAE 2) | registered in other countries: 16 (Bahamas 2, Egypt 2, Indonesia 1, Panama 11) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 106

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 7 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 40 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,065,145 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 169.105 million mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

gas 473 km; oil 49 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Al 'Aqabah

Railways

total: 507 km | narrow gauge: 507 km 1.050-m gauge (2008) | country comparison to the world: 114

Roadways

total: 7,203 km | paved: 7,203 km (2011) | country comparison to the world: 144