Population and Demographics

Jordanians are mostly Arabs (98%), except for a few small communities of Circassians, Chechens, Armenians and Kurds who have adapted to Arab culture. Jordan's ruling class is made up of people of Bedouin Arab descent, but a majority of its population (45-55%) are Palestinians. The official language is Arabic, but English is used widely in commerce and government. About 70% of Jordan's population is urban; less than 6% of the rural population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Most people live where the rainfall supports agriculture. Much of Jordan's population is Palestinian in origin, having fled historic Palestine in the wake of the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars.

The number of Lebanese permanently settling in Jordan since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict has not been established, and is estimated to be very little.

The majority (92%) of the country are Sunni Muslim, whilst 2% are Shi'a Muslim or Druze. Christians form approximately 6% of the population, with most belonging to the Greek Orthodox church (called 'Room Urthudux' in Arabic). The rest are Roman Catholics (called 'Lateen'), Eastern Catholics (called 'Room Katoleek' to distinguish them from 'Western Catholics'), and various Protestant communities including Baptists. Christians in Jordan are of many nationalities, as evinced, for example, by the Catholic mass being celebrated in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Tagalog and Sinhala, as well as in Iraqi dialects of Arabic.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 6,053,193
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 33% (male 1,018,934/female 977,645)
  • 15-64 years: 63% (male 2,037,550/female 1,777,361)
  • 65 years and over: 4% (male 117,279/female 124,424)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 23.5 years
  • Male: 24.1 years
  • Female: 22.8 years
• Population Growth Rate: 2.412%
• Birth Rate: 20.69 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 2.68 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 6.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.042 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.146 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.943 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.102 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 16.16 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 19.33 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 78.55 years
  • Male: 76.04 years
  • Female: 81.22 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 2.55 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 600
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Arab 98%
  • Circassian 1%
  • Armenian 1%
• Religions:
  • Sunni Muslim 92%
  • Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations)
  • Other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations)
• Languages:
  • Arabic (official)
  • English widely understood among upper and middle classes
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 89.9%
  • Male: 95.1%
  • Female: 84.7%