Demographics, key figures
Jordan's population was estimated at 10,331,557 in September 2021. It is a young population with a median age of 22.5 years. The largest age group is between 0 and 14 years old and accounts for almost 35% of the population. The country has a relatively low mortality rate of 3.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. By comparison, in France, it is 9.1 per 1,000. Life expectancy has risen sharply since the 1960s. From 48 years, it is now 74.8 years. At the same time, the growth rate is declining. It was 7.4% in 1976 and is now only 2.7% in 2017, which is nevertheless sufficient to renew the population. Nearly 85 per cent of the population lives in cities, and Amman, the capital, is home to nearly 50 per cent of Jordanians and immigrants. The peculiarity of the Jordanian population is that it has been built up through successive large waves of immigration. In 1952, when King Hussein ascended the throne, the Jordanian population was 586,000. Less than 30 years later, it had quadrupled. Today, the population of former Transjordan is a minority in the country and it is estimated that the population of Palestinian origin represents 50% to 60% of the total population.
An Arab nation
More than 98% of Jordanians are Arabs, descendants of tribes of various origins. At the time of the country's independence in 1948, the population was composed of nomadic Bedouin tribes and a few families from the former Transjordan. Throughout its history, Jordan has experienced all kinds of migrations and minorities have been added century after century. The royal family itself is from a Saudi Arabian tribe. Jordan's non-Arab minorities have long been settled in the region, such as the Druze, Armenians, Circassians, Assyrians and Chechens. The country, with its artificial borders set by the British, is a cosmopolitan melting pot where the Arab identity dominates, but where the notion of "Jordanian" does not make sense. Since its creation, the country has been committed to welcoming Arabs fleeing conflicts in neighbouring countries, especially Palestinians.
The Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948 provoked the first massive exodus of Palestinian refugees to Jordan. It is estimated that 700,000 Palestinians took the road to Gaza, the West Bank or Jordan. The Six Day War in 1967 created a new massive influx of refugees, who were settled in camps and granted Jordanian nationality. In 2014, the UN agency responsible for monitoring Palestinian refugees estimated that 2,150,000 Palestinians had taken refuge in Jordan. According to the UN definition, "Palestinian refugees are persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. As such, later refugees are not included in the official figures. Most Palestinians who have obtained Jordanian citizenship are fully integrated into Jordanian society. They are employed and form a significant part of the middle class, even the bourgeoisie. Nevertheless, the Palestinian population is very poorly represented in the centers of power, such as the army, the police and the security services, which are reserved for Bedouins. Despite the integration of the majority of Palestinian refugees into Jordanian society, there are still about 300,000 people in camps administered by the UN. There are 10 such camps, which were opened in 1948 and 1967. The original tents have been replaced by permanent buildings, but the management of education, health care and social assistance is handled by UNWRA, the UN office dedicated to managing Palestinian refugees worldwide.
Iraqis and Syrians
Successive conflicts in Iraq and the civil war in Syria have resulted in a massive influx of refugees to Jordan. The vast majority of Iraqi immigrants arrived with the 2003 conflict. There are no precise statistics on their exact number, but it has been estimated that there were between 300,000 and 700,000 refugees at the height of the crisis. They were never granted refugee status because Jordan did not sign the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Instead, the country welcomed them with open arms. Most Iraqi immigrants returned home once the situation in their country stabilized. It is estimated that there are about 60,000 Iraqi immigrants left in Jordan. Many of them are Christians, and they fear discrimination if they return to Iraq. While Iraqi immigrants do not benefit from a special integration program, the Jordanian government did grant free education to Iraqi children in 2008.
An estimated 1.3 million Syrians have crossed the border as a result of the civil war that has ravaged the country since 2011. This massive influx has had an impact on the Jordanian economy, leading in particular to an increase in rent prices and overcrowding in schools and hospitals. A report by the NGO Care estimates that 82% of Syrian refugees live below the poverty line
The non-Arab population
The Circassians came from the Caucasus in the 19th century. They are Muslims who fled conflicts with the Orthodox Russians and found refuge in the Ottoman Empire. There are about 25,000 Circassians in Jordan, most of whom live in Amman
The Chechens, also of Caucasian origin, form a small community of 4,000 people. As with the other peoples that make up the Jordanian mosaic, these two communities are very attached to their customs and traditions, but also very loyal to their host country. The royal guard is composed mostly of soldiers of Circassian and Chechen origin
Finally, a new immigration from the Philippines and Indonesia is emerging. This is an economic migration, and these people mainly work in the hotel industry or as domestic servants in private homes.
