Amman - The population of Jordan has reached approximately 11,630,323 people, ranking 11th among Arab countries and 86th globally, in terms of population size, according to the Department of Statistics (DoS).
اضافة اعلان
In a statement marking World Population Day (WPD), the department said Jordan has experienced "significant" demographic changes over the past century.
The population surged from about 586,000 people in 1952 to 11.516 million at the end of 2023, which is forecast to rise to 11.956 million by the end of 2025, with an annual growth rate of 1.9%, indicating the population could double in approximately 37 years, the DoS pointed out.
The department noted population growth rates have varied "significantly" due to changes in fertility, mortality, and net migration rates.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the growth rate declined from 4.4% to 2.6%, which increased to 5.3% between 2004 and 2015, influenced by the influx of Syrian refugees since 2011.
Health services improvements have reduced mortality rates and increased life expectancy to 73.3 years for both sexes, according to the 2017-2018 Population and Family Health Survey.
The 2015 population census revealed that 34.3% of the population is under 15 years old, 62% are aged 15-64, and 3.7% are 65 and older. The demographic dependency ratio was 61.4 in 2023. The average family size went down from 5.4 individuals in 2004 to 4.8 in 2015.
Infant mortality rates dropped from about 122 per thousand live births in the early 1950s to 14 per thousand in 2023. Overall birth rates also declined from 5.6 children per woman in 1990 to 2.6 in 2023. This decrease is partly due to the rising age at first marriage for women, now at 27.5 years, reflecting changes in reproductive patterns.
The statement emphasized the impact of education on reproductive levels, with higher educational attainment among women contributing to lower fertility rates. The revised economic participation rate for women was 14.0 percent in 2023.
Jordan has made "significant" strides in education, reducing illiteracy rates from 16.7 percent in 1991 to 5 percent in 2023. Additionally, 42.9% of Jordanians have attained a secondary education or higher.
Demographic trends indicate a "continuous" decline in the proportion of young people (under 15), an increase in the working-age population (15-64), and a gradual rise in the elderly population (65 and over).
This shift will reduce the demographic dependency ratio, which is expected to reach 52 per 100 individuals of working age by 2030, marking Jordan's entry into the demographic opportunity threshold. This period of demographic transition is anticipated to peak in 2040, with the dependency ratio dropping to 47.7.
World Population Day, observed on July 11 annually since 1989, highlights global population trends. Current estimates suggest that the world population grows by about 83 million people each year, potentially reaching 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100, according to the United Nations Population Division.
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