RISKY BUSINESS IN JORDAN
Frontier Markets Report | Jordan
Jordan is working hard to build its attractiveness to foreign investors, but regional instability presents a serious downside.
Jordan GDP and Economic Data
Country Report 2017 - Includes Jordan real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Jordan economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Jordan best banks and safest banks are also available.
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International Reserves
USD 14.6 billion (2018)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product - GDP
USD 42.4 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 93.4 billion (2018, estimate)
Real GDP growth
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| 8.2% | 7.2% | 5.5% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* | 2018* | ||
| 3.1% | 2.4% | 2% | 2.1% | 2% |
*Estimate
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2019* |
| 0.06% | 0.06% | 0.06% | 0.08% | 0.07% |
*Estimate
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 5.6%
- industry: 27.6%
- services: 61.8%
(2018)
Inflation
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| -0.9% | -0.8% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 2% |
*Estimate
Unemployment rate
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019 |
| 13.1% | 15.3% | 18.1% | 18.3 | N/A |
*Estimate
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 92.4% | 93.8% | 94.3% | 94.4% | 94.6% |
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| -8.5% | -3.7% | -3.7% | -4.8% | -3.4% |
*Estimate
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: B+
Moody's: B1
Standard & Poor's / Moody's
Source
Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 24.6 billion | USD 24.0 billion | USD 22.7 billion |
Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-7.0 % (2018 estimate)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
35.6% (2018)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
0.04% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.12% (2018)
Export commodities
Textiles, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals
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Import commodities
Crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals
Exports - major partners
US 24.9%, Saudi Arabia 12.8%, India 8.2%, Iraq 8.2%, Kuwait 5.4%, UAE 4.6% (2017)
Imports - major partners
China 13.6%, Saudi Arabia 13.6%, US 9.9%, UAE 4.9%, Germany 4.4% (2017)
FDI inflows
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 1,553 million | USD 2,030 million | USD 950 million |
FDI outflows
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 3.2 million | USD 6.6 million | USD -7.6 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| N/A | USD 17 million | N/A | N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014
N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015
N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking:
75 out of 190 countries
Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 120 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 138 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 69 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 78 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 4 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 105 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 62 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 75 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 110 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 112 out of 190 countries
Source
Global competitiveness ranking
70 out of 141 countries
(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 53 / Score: 66.5 (Moderately free)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Source
Source
Languages
Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)
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 <0.
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015* | 2020* |
| 3.56 million | 5.1 million | 7.18 million | 9.16 million | 10.21 million |
*Estimate
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
| 50.9% | 60% | 78.3% | 91% |
Literacy
Total population: 95.4%
Male: 97.7%
Female: 92.9%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
2.1% (last available estimate, 2010)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
33.7 (last available estimate, 2010)
Source
Freedom House rating
Partly Free
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed: 3.2% Mobile: 87.6% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)