Jordan Economy Slows Slightly in Q1

Jordan's economy expanded by 2.9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, slightly down from a nearly three-year high of 3.0% in the previous quarter. The moderation reflected slower growth in mining and quarrying (4.7% vs. 6.9% in Q4 2025), agriculture (6.8% vs. 7.0%), electricity supply (4.3% vs. 4.5%), and construction (2.0% vs. 2.7%). Meanwhile, growth edged up in manufacturing (5.3% vs 5.2%) and wholesale and retail trade (3.2% vs 3.1%). In terms of growth drivers, manufacturing remained the largest contributor, adding 0.86 percentage points to overall GDP growth, followed by agriculture (0.40 percentage points) and wholesale and retail trade (0.27 percentage points). By economic size, manufacturing remained the largest sector, accounting for 16.6% of GDP, ahead of real estate activities (13.1%) and public administration and defense (8.4%).

Jordan’s economy expanded 3.0% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, after growing 2.8% in the previous quarter, preliminary data showed. The latest reading marked the strongest GDP expansion since Q1 2023, highlighting economic stability despite pressures linked to the war in Gaza and the Israeli-Iranian conflict during 2025. GDP growth was mainly driven by increases in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (7.0%), mining and quarrying (6.9%), manufacturing (5.2%), and electricity supply (4.5%). In terms of contributions to overall growth, manufacturing recorded the largest contribution at 0.87 percentage points, followed by agriculture (0.46 percentage points) and mining and quarrying (0.24 percentage points).

Jordan’s economy advanced 2.8% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, the same pace as in the previous quarter, preliminary data showed. Still, the latest reading marked the strongest GDP expansion since Q3 2023, highlighting economic stability despite pressures linked to the war in Gaza and the Israeli-Iranian conflict. GDP growth was mainly driven by increases in mining and quarrying (7.4%), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (6.3%), manufacturing (5.1%), electricity supply (4.6%), and transport and storage (4.0%). In terms of contributions to overall growth, manufacturing recorded the largest contribution at 0.89 percentage points. The Department of Statistics noted that it has updated its measurement methodologies and now publishes growth figures based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), which categorises economic activity into 20 sectors, compared with 14 sectors under the previous ISIC.