Introduction
Background
After 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. In 1921, Britain demarcated from Palestine a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Geography
Area
total : 89,342 sq km
land: 88,802 sq km
water: 540 sq km
Climate
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Natural resources
phosphates, potash, shale oil
People and Society
Population
total: 11,174,024
Ethnic groups
Jordanian 69.3%, Syrian 13.3%, Palestinian 6.7%, Egyptian 6.7%, Iraqi 1.4%, other 2.6% (2015 est.)
Languages
Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)
Religions
Muslim 97.1% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.1% (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 <0.1%, other <0.1%, unaffiliated <0.1% (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
0.78% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Amman
Executive branch
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Bisher AL-KHASAWNEH (since 7 October 2020)
Legislative branch
summary: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (65 seats) and the Chamber of Deputies (130 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Dina Khalil Tawfiq KAWAR (since 27 June 2016)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Yael LEMPERT (since 3 September 2023)
Economy
Economic overview
low growth, upper middle-income Middle Eastern economy; high debt and unemployment, especially for youth and women; key US foreign assistance recipient; natural resource-poor and import-reliant
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$106.806 billion (2023 est.)
$104.084 billion (2022 est.)
$101.617 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$9,400 (2023 est.)
$9,200 (2022 est.)
$9,100 (2021 est.)
Exports
$20.335 billion (2022 est.)
$13.87 billion (2021 est.)
$10.444 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
US 20%, India 14%, Saudi Arabia 7%, China 6%, Iraq 6% (2022)
Exports - commodities
fertilizers, garments, phosphates, jewelry, phosphoric acid (2022)
Imports
$29.955 billion (2022 est.)
$23.321 billion (2021 est.)
$18.424 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
China 17%, UAE 12%, Saudi Arabia 12%, India 6%, US 4% (2022)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cars, gold, crude petroleum, jewelry (2022)
Page last updated: Monday, September 09, 2024
