People in Jordan

The people of Jordan are among the most friendly I've seen in the Middle East. Forget all the hustlers from countries like Morocco or Egypt; in Jordan you can walk around on your own.

Population: 4 434 978 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43% (male 985 211; female 935 982)

15-64 years: 54% (male 1 224 595; female 1 160 915)

65 years and over: 3% (male 64 406; female 63 869) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.54% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 35.18 births/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 3.91 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.92 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 33.29 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.84 years

male: 70.96 years

female: 74.84 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.79 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Jordanian(s)

adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98% Circassian 1% Armenian 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 96% Christian 4% (1997 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official) English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 86.6%

male: 93.4%

female: 79.4% (1995 est.)