City Profile The capital of Jordan dominates the nation's economy along with a number of other major commercial centers including Irbid, Zarqa, and the southern port of Aqaba.  A number of these centers will also benefit from the revival of Iraqi trade.

Country Rankings for Jordan Ease of Doing Business World Bank '05 74 of 155 Med* Corruption Perception Transparency International '05 37 of 159 High Growth Competitiveness World Economic Forum '05 45 of 117 Med National Literacy 91.4% High GDP Growth (2004 est.) 5.1% Med

The government sector, commerce and trade, and much of the manufacturing activity of the country are located in the capital and its immediate environs, including the town of Zarqa, about 20 km to the north-east.

Some concern about the consequences of this concentration has led successive governments to encourage investors to look beyond the capital.  The major industrial zone at Sahab outside Amman has been generally successful. 

After the Amman Stock Exchanges boom in 2003 it continued its rise in 2004 with a 62% return.  At the recent Cityscape 2005 event held in Dubai, Gulf Finance House B.S.C. (GFH), one of the leading Islamic investment banks, and the driving force behind a number of landmark developments throughout the region, unveiled the master plan for the US $1 billion Royal Village, a gated landscaped environment with up to 400 villas, 600 apartments and appropriate support facilities which will cover an area of over 450,000 acres.  In addition, GFH unveiled a design for the twin Jordan Gate towers reflecting the development's core mission of energizing investments into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  The development in the heart of Amman will provide offices, hotel and retail facilities.  Amman already boasts good medical facilities and some world-class doctors. 

King Abdullah recently hailed the activities of foreign investors, mainly those from the Arab world.  A recent visit from the head of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry commended the investment climate in Jordan and the legislative amendments introduced to attract foreign projects.  USAID recently signed an agreement that provides a 50 per cent guarantee on principal for $5 million worth of loans to be extended by one of the country's largest commercial banks, the Bank of Jordan, to encourage new lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have traditionally been ignored owing to banks' reluctance to lend to more risky SMEs.  Lastly, the inaugural Fair Trade Jordan ?? event was held in late September with over 80 producers from throughout the Kingdom gathering at the Wild Jordan Nature Centre in Jabal Amman for a one-day marketplace of goods, ideas and shopping.  The Fair was established to help Jordan tap the global market for goods and services which support sustainable development and guarantee a living income for producers.

Problems endure however including Jordan’s very serious problem of water shortage and mismanagement of water resources despite the presence of international expertise of the French company, Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.  Another major challenge for the government is Jordan's high unemployment rate which, according to the Department of Statistics placed the unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2005 at 15.7 per cent. 75% of unemployed people are said to be between the age of 15 and 29.

Source:

Population: 2004 or latest: http://www.citypopulation.de; GDP Data: 2004 CIA Fact Book estimate; Literacy: UN estimate

* Country Ranking Codes: A relative color coding of where the country falls compared to the 20 other Muslim countries represented in this list. Hgh/Green=Top 3rd; Med/Yellow=Mid 3rd; Low/Orange=Bottom rd

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