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 hosts

69,473 (2012) country comparison to the world: 89

Internet users

1.642 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 78

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 reaching 115 per 100 persons in 2011 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 (2011)

Telephones - main lines in use

435,000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 100

Telephones - mobile cellular

8.984 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 87

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $6.868 billion expenditures: $10.71 billion (2013 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-11.3% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 207

Central bank discount rate

0.3% (31 December 2010 est.) $NA (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.9% (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 8.95% (31 December 2012 est.)

Current account balance

-$4.766 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 -$5.37 billion (2012 est.)

Debt - external

$22.04 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $19.67 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

39.7 (2007) country comparison to the world: 60 36.4 (1997)

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, inflation, and a large budget deficit. Since assuming the throne in 1999, King ABDALLAH has implemented significant economic reforms, such as opening the trade regime, privatizing state-owned companies, and eliminating some fuel subsidies, which in the last decade spurred economic growth by attracting foreign investment and creating some jobs. The global economic slowdown and regional turmoil, however, have depressed Jordan's GDP growth, impacting export-oriented sectors, construction, and tourism. In 2011 and 2012, the government approved two economic relief packages and a budgetary supplement, meant to improve the living conditions for the middle and poor classes. Jordan's finances have also been strained by a series of natural gas pipeline attacks in Egypt, causing Jordan to substitute more expensive diesel imports, primarily from Saudi Arabia, to generate electricity. Jordan is currently exploring nuclear power generation in addition to the exploitation of abundant oil shale reserves and renewable technologies to forestall energy shortfalls. In 2012, to correct budgetary and balance of payments imbalances, Jordan entered into a $2.1 billion, multiple year International Monetary Fund Stand-By Arrangement. Jordan's financial sector has been relatively isolated from the international financial crisis because of its limited exposure to overseas capital markets. In 2013, Jordan depended heavily on foreign assistance to finance the budget deficit, as the influx of about 600,000 Syrian refugees put additional pressure on expenditures.

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - 0.709 (2013 est.) 0.709 (2012 est.) 0.71 (2010 est.) 0.709 (2009) 0.709 (2008)

Exports

$7.914 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 $7.898 billion (2012 est.)

Exports - commodities

clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners

US 16.6%, Iraq 15.1%, Saudi Arabia 11%, India 10.5%, Indonesia 4.2% (2012)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$34.08 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$40.02 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 105 $38.76 billion (2012 est.) $37.71 billion (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 73.1% government consumption: 21% investment in fixed capital: 26.2% investment in inventories: 17% exports of goods and services: 44.1% imports of goods and services: -81.4% (2013 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 3.2% industry: 29.9% services: 67% (2013 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$6,100 (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 151 $6,100 (2012 est.) $6,000 (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3.3% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 106 2.8% (2012 est.) 2.6% (2011 est.)

Gross national saving

29.1% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 24.7% of GDP (2012 est.) 28.5% of GDP (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$18.61 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 $18.46 billion (2012 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals

Imports - partners

Saudi Arabia 23.6%, China 9.4%, US 6.7%, Italy 4.7%, Turkey 4.6% (2012)

Industrial production growth rate

2.8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 109

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.9% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 170 4.8% (2012 est.)

Labor force

1.898 million (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 123

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 20% services: 77.4% (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$27 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 54 $27.18 billion (31 December 2011) $30.86 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

14.2% (2002)

Public debt

79.1% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 75.5% of GDP (2012 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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.83 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $8.829 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of broad money

$37.19 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 73 $35.18 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$549 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 $509 million (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$26.69 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $24.78 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$38.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 $35.39 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$10.68 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 $10.17 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

20.2% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

Unemployment rate

14% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 12.5% (2012 est.) note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

18.55 million Mt (2011 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 134

Crude oil - imports

68,320 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 52

Crude oil - production

164.8 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Crude oil - proved reserves

1 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 97

Electricity - consumption

13.54 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 81

Electricity - exports

86 million kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Electricity - from fossil fuels

99.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 50

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 115

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 92

Electricity - imports

1.738 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 56

Electricity - installed generating capacity

3.138 million kW (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Electricity - production

14.64 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 85

Natural gas - consumption

1.4 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 84

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

Natural gas - imports

830 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Natural gas - production

230 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Natural gas - proved reserves

6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

Refined petroleum products - consumption

107,000 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 188

Refined petroleum products - imports

35,600 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 85

Refined petroleum products - production

72,190 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

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

Coastline

26 km

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.94 cu km/yr (31%/4%/65%) per capita: 166 cu m/yr (2005)

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

788.6 sq km (2004)

Land boundaries

total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Land use

arable land: 1.97% permanent crops: 0.95% other: 97.08% (2011)

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

Terrain

mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Total renewable water resources

0.94 cu km (2011)

Administrative divisions

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

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

Constitution

previous 1928 (preindependence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952; amended several times, last in 2011 (2012)

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Stuart E. JONES (since 21 July 2011) 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 Alia Hatough BOURAN (since 14 September 2010) 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 Abdullah NSOUR (since 11 October 2012) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch; note - a new cabinet was sworn in 21 August 2013 and includes 13 new ministers, enlarging the government as part of promised reforms (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: 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

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), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, 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, UNISFA, 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 7 judges including the chief justice; 7-judge panels for important cases and 5 judge panels for most appeals cases) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the king; other judges nominated by the Higher Judicial Council and approved by the king; judge tenure NA subordinate courts: courts of appeal; magistrate courts; courts of first instance; religious courts; State Security Court

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil law and Islamic religious law; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (60 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (150 seats; 123 members elected using the single, non-transferable vote system in multi-member districts, and 27 seats elected using a closed national list system based on proportional representation; all legislators serve four-year terms); note - the new electoral law enacted in July 2012 allocated an additional 10 seats (6 seats added to the number reserved for women, bringing the total to 15; 2 additional seats for Amman; and 1 seat each for the cities of Zarqa and Irbid; unchanged are 9 seats reserved for Christian candidates, 9 for Bedouin candidates, and 3 for Jordanians of Chechen or Circassian descent elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 23 January 2013 (next election 2017); note - the King dissolved the previous Chamber of Deputies in November 2012, midway through the parliamentary term election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 27 elected on closed national list to include: Islamic Centrist Party 3, Nation 2, National Union 2, Stronger Jordan 2, Ahl al-Himma 1, Al-Bayyan 1, Citizenship 1, Construction 1, Cooperation 1, Dawn 1, Dignity 1, Free Voice 1, Labor and Trade 1, National Accord Youth Block 1, National Action 1, National Current 1 (member resigned in February 2013), National Unity 1, Nobel Jerusalem 1, Salvation 1, The People 1, Unified Front 1, Voice of Nation 1; other 123; note - the IAF boycotted the election

National anthem

name: "As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" (Long Live the King of Jordan)

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

National symbol(s)

eagle

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 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 People Unified Front United Front Voice of the Nation

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 "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements. In January 2014, Jordan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,674,260 females age 16-49: 1,611,315 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,439,192 females age 16-49: 1,384,500 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 73,574 female: 69,420 (2010 est.)

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) country comparison to the world: 6 4.64% of GDP (2011) 4.65% of GDP (2010)

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: 35.8% (male 1,457,174/female 1,385,604) 15-24 years: 20.4% (male 826,482/female 788,950) 25-54 years: 35.7% (male 1,421,634/female 1,412,888) 55-64 years: 4.2% (male 160,224/female 169,965) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 145,515/female 162,055) (2014 est.)

Birth rate

25.23 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 53

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.9% (2009) country comparison to the world: 123

Contraceptive prevalence rate

59.3% (2009)

Death rate

3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 212

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 59.4 % youth dependency ratio: 53.7 % elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 % potential support ratio: 17.4 (2014 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 97.3% of population rural: 90.5% of population total: 96.1% of population unimproved: urban: 2.7% of population rural: 9.5% of population total: 3.9% of population (2012 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 500 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

600 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Health expenditures

8.4% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 55

Hospital bed density

1.8 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 104 male: 16.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.1 years country comparison to the world: 117 male: 72.79 years female: 75.5 years (2014 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.9% male: 97.7% female: 93.9% (2011 est.)

Major urban areas - population

AMMAN (capital) 1.179 million (2011)

Maternal mortality rate

63 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 97

Median age

total: 21.8 years male: 21.5 years female: 22.1 years (2014 est.)

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

17.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

30% (2008) country comparison to the world: 28

Physicians density

2.56 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

7,930,491 (July 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 98

Population growth rate

3.86% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

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 <.1, folk religion <.1, unaffiliated <.1, other <.1 (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 98.1% of population rural: 98% of population total: 98.1% of population unimproved: urban: 1.9% of population rural: 2% of population total: 1.9% of population (2012 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2011)

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: 1.01 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.16 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 52

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 29.3% country comparison to the world: 28 male: 25.2% female: 48.8% (2012)

Urbanization

urban population: 82.7% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 2.17% 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): 55,509 (Iraq) (2013); 2,070,973 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)); 597,328 (Syria) (2014)

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)

Heliports

1 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 12 country comparison to the world: 107 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)

Pipelines

gas 473 km; oil 49 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Al 'Aqabah

Railways

total: 507 km country comparison to the world: 111 narrow gauge: 507 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

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