overnment
agreed to implement an IMF austerity program designed to tackle the
country's serious economic problems. The program sought to gradually
reduce the government's budget deficit over the next several years and
implement badly needed structural reforms in the economy. In return for
agreeing to the IMF program, Jordan was granted IMF standby loans of over
$100 million. Recognizing that it would be unable to cover its debt
obligations, the government also began debt rescheduling negotiations
with creditors in mid-1989. The onset of the Gulf crisis in August 1990
forced the government to shelve the IMF program and suspend most debt
payments and rescheduling negotiations. Economic prospects for 1991
are especially gloomy, given the unsettled conditions in the Middle
East.

_#_GNP: $4.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate - 15%
(1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 30% (January 1991 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $1.05 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

_#_Exports: $0.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers;

partners--Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China,
Yugoslavia, Indonesia

_#_Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);

commodities--crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles,
foodstuffs;

partners--EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China,
Taiwan

_#_External debt: $8 billion (December 1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 15% (1990 est.); accounts
for 20% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced,
1,180 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing

_#_Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are
wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock--sheep,
goats, poultry; large net importer of food

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million

_#_Currency: Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars);
1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

_#_Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January
1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.370