Khaberni - The Jordan Strategy Forum issued a paper as part of the "Briefly" series titled: "Decline in Age Dependency in Jordan: A Demographic Opportunity that Must be Utilized," focusing on some demographic data that reveals several facts about the age dependency ratio and its evolution over time in Jordan.
The forum mentioned in its paper that the "age dependency ratio" is defined as the number of dependents who are under 15 years old (young) and/or over 64 years old (elderly) per 100 working-age individuals (15-64 years).
The forum indicated that Jordan has witnessed a significant gradual decline in the age dependency ratio for the young, as the ratio decreased from 70 percent in 2000, to 53.8 percent in 2018, and then to 47.3 percent in 2024.
It added that Jordan is seeing a gradual increase in the age dependency ratio for the elderly from 4.7 percent in 2000, to 5.8 percent in 2018, reaching 7.0 percent in 2024.
The paper clarified that the majority of the population in Jordan is youthful, and there is a clear trend towards declining fertility and mortality rates over the past years, with a relative expansion in the number of people of working age, indicating that Jordan faces a demographic opportunity through which it can drive strong and sustainable economic growth if it is invested in.
In this context, the forum emphasized the importance of effectively exploiting the population shifts currently underway in Jordan, considering it a significant demographic opportunity. As the number of dependents decreases, there is a possibility of directing more resources towards investment, savings, and enhancing productivity.
The forum pointed out that the reduction in the number of dependent children presents an important opportunity for education systems to shift from focusing on "expanding access" to focusing on improving the quality of education and aligning educational outcomes with labor market requirements.
The forum concluded its paper by emphasizing the need to implement the directions included in the National Population Strategy 2021–2030, which placed investing in the demographic opportunity among its priorities, and linked the population dynamics (growth, fertility, aging, and migration) with sustainable development.
