118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: (6) 5920101
FAX: (6) 5927712

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white,
and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star
represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran

@Jordan:Economy

Economy - overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian
Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already
serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF
program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling
negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade
contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious
balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining
government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to
the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf.
After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 2% during
1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken
limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state
owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World
Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are
fundamental ongoing economic problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $16 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 1.15 million
note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997
est.)

Labor force - by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants,
and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%,
agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999
est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rat