Jordan
Jordan is an Arab country located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. It consists of ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts. The country is home to the famous archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital founded around 300 BC. Set in a narrow valley and featuring tombs, temples and monuments carved into the surrounding pink sandstone cliffs, Petra is well deserving of its nickname “the pink city”.
General presentation
Official name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Type of regime: Parliamentary Monarchy
Surface area: 92,300km2.
Capital: Amman
Main cities: Amman, Irbid, Zarka
Official language(s): Arabic
National holiday: 25 May (Commemoration of the declaration of
independence in 1946, at the end of the British mandate)
Population: 10,100,000 (2019)
Density: 106.5 inhabitants/km2
Population growth: 3.2% Literacy rate: 93.2
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Economic situation
In recent years, the Jordanian economy has been hit hard by the combined impact of the international financial crisis, the Arab Spring, the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and the Covid-19 crisis on its foreign trade and tourism flows. Its growth rate was 2% in 2019. The unemployment rate reached 19% in the same year.
The Jordanian economy is based on services, including the financial and tourism sectors as well as expatriate transfers, especially from the Gulf. Industry (textiles, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers) accounts for nearly 20% of GDP. Jordan is diversifying its sources of supply and developing its renewable energy production. The scarcity of its water resources is also a difficulty that it must face, especially in agriculture.
Jordan’s fiscal situation is marked by a high level of debt, which reached 95.2 of GDP in 2019. It is still too early to measure the real impact of the health crisis on the Kingdom’s finances.
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Bilateral Relations
Bilateral investment treaties
Work in process
Double taxation agreements
Work in process
Free trade agreements
Work in process
Leading sector for Swiss companies
Work in process
Indicators
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 E | 2019 E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (in billions of USD) | 38.71 | 40.49 | 41.87 | 43.99 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | 5549 | 5578 | 4.228 | 4.368 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2.3% | ||
| Unemployment rate | 15.8% | 18.5% | ||
| Inflation rate | -0.8% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 2.3% |
| Public debt (% of GDP) | 95.1 | 95.6 | 95.966 | 95.052 |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -3.69 | -4.26 | -4.03 | -3.80 |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -9.3 | -10.6 | -9.6 | -8.6 |
(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)
Main customers
2017: United States (21.5%), Saudi Arabia (11.3%), Iraq (7.3%), India (6.9%), United Arab Emirates (4.7%).
Main suppliers
2017: China (13.5%), Saudi Arabia (13.5%), USA (9.8%), United Arab Emirates (4.9%), Germany (4.4%).
Swiss exports to
Work in process
Exports of …. to Switzerland
Work in process
Swiss direct investment in
Work in process
The business climate
Work in process