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 2017 - with growth averaging 2.6% per year - and hurt export-oriented sectors, construction, and tourism. Since the onset of the civil war in Syria and resulting refugee crisis, one of Jordan’s most pressing socioeconomic challenges has been managing the influx of 650,000 UN-registered refugees, more than 80% of whom live in Jordan’s urban areas. Jordan’s own official census estimated the refugee number at 1.3 million as of early 2016.Jordan is nearly completely dependent on imported energy—mostly natural gas—and energy consistently makes up 25-30 percent of Jordan’s imports. 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 2016, Jordan and the IMF agreed to a $723 million Extended Fund Facility that aims to build on the three-year, $2.1 billion IMF program that ended in August 2015 with the goal of helping Jordan correct budgetary and balance of payments imbalances.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$89.05 billion (2017 est.)
$87.04 billion (2016 est.)
$85.33 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 89
$40.49 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
2.3% (2017 est.)
2% (2016 est.)
2.4% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$12,500 (2017 est.)
$12,500 (2016 est.)
$12,500 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 123
11.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
9.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
10.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 79.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 19.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 22.4%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 1.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 32.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -55.4% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 4.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 28.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 66.8% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, strawberries, stone fruits; sheep, poultry, dairy
tourism, information technology, clothing, fertilizer, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing
2.2% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
2.295 million (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 20%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 78% (2013 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
16.5% (2017 est.)
15.3% (2016 est.)
note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%
country comparison to the world: 176
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
14.2% (2002 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 3.4%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 28.7% (2010 est.)
39.7 (2007)
36.4 (1997)
country comparison to the world: 64
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $9.157 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $11.81 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
22.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-6.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
86% of GDP (2017 est.)
87.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: data cover central government debt, and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include 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: 31
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
3.3% (2017 est.)
-0.8% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
3.75% (31 December 2015)
0.3% (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world: 99
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
8.5% (31 December 2017 est.)
7.83% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$14.98 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$14.63 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$47.29 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$46.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$44.59 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$41.87 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$24.25 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$25.45 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$25.55 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
-$3.412 billion (2017 est.)
-$3.613 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$7.734 billion (2017 est.)
$7.509 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
textiles, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals
US 25.2%, Saudi Arabia 14.2%, India 8.4%, Iraq 6.8%, UAE 5.6%, Kuwait 5.1% (2016)
$17.61 billion (2017 est.)
$17.03 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals
China 14%, Saudi Arabia 11.8%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.8%, Italy 4.7%, UAE 4.4% (2016)
$15.98 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$15.54 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$27.72 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$26.38 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$33.96 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$32.15 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$646.5 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$612.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar -
0.71 (2017 est.)
0.71 (2016 est.)
0.71 (2015 est.)
0.71 (2014 est.)
0.71 (2013 est.)