8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Asia / Western Asia

Born in Jordan

About 1 in 560 people born in 2023 started life in Jordan. A boy can expect to live 76 years and a girl 80, up from 41 and 41 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and nearly everyone has basic drinking water.

1 in 560
odds of being born here
235,800 births · Ranked 82nd of 230
76 / 80
years of life, boys / girls
Was 41 / 41 in 1950
$5,459
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 114th of 203 · extrapolated
93%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 37 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 276 in every 1,000 births to 14.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

0255075100195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth75.7 years for boys, 80.2 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 513.7 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year35,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people2.9World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles95%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV0.1%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year3 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 7.4 children on average in 1950. Now it is 2.6.

Children per woman
02.557.510195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman2.64UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth29.8 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 42 and the poorest fifth 8.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2010
8%Poorest fifth
12%Second
16%Middle
21%Fourth
42%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $5,459 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth42% / 8% (2010)World Bank PIP
Unemployment16.6% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises2.1% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person1.5% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming3% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed11% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment92% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Amman, with 1.3 million people.

93%
live in cities
100%
have electricity at home
99%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Amman1.3 million
Zarqa792,665
Irbid569,068
Russeifa268,237
Khuraybat as Sūq186,158
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Arabic100%
English45%
Arabic is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Amman1.8 million
Zarqa1.1 million
Irbid762,598
Balqa295,560
Ajloun143,191
Mafraq142,118
Aqaba95,048
Madaba82,335
Ma’an72,931
Karak59,634

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 12 regions
  • Amman1.8 million
  • Zarqa1.1 million
  • Irbid762,598
  • Balqa295,560
  • Ajloun143,191
  • Mafraq142,118
  • Aqaba95,048
  • Madaba82,335
  • Ma’an72,931
  • Karak59,634
  • Jerash27,046
  • Tafielah25,429

People on the move

About 5.7% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Saudi Arabia209,093
United Arab Emirates158,125
Palestine59,477
Residents born abroad45.7% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 5.7% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostSaudi Arabia (209,093), United Arab Emirates (158,125), Palestine (59,477)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $4.4 billion a year (2024)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

58% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 6%.

58%
of older people receive a pension (2022)
6%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 202414,122Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence96 between 2005 and 2016UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Jordan, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Jordan

Elsewhere in Asia

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences