Jordan Frontier

Economy & industry overview

Jordan is an upper-middle-income economy in the Middle East with nominal GDP of approximately $53–56 billion USD. The services sector dominates, accounting for roughly 60–67% of GDP and encompassing banking, tourism, telecommunications, and government services. Key export industries include phosphate and potash mining, pharmaceuticals, and textiles, while the country lacks significant hydrocarbon resources and relies heavily on imported energy. The Jordanian dinar has been pegged to the US dollar since the 1990s, providing monetary stability. Structural challenges include high public debt exceeding 90% of GDP, chronically high unemployment—particularly among youth and women—and sensitivity to regional geopolitical instability.

Key sectors

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Macro

GDP nominal, USD	$53.40B
GDP growth real, annual	2.5%
Inflation annual	1.6%
Population people	11.7M
GDP per capita USD	$4,618
Market cap total listed, USD	$24.95B
Market cap / GDP	46.7%
Unemployment	18.0%
Listed companies	159
Exchange	Amman Stock Exchange (ASE)

Data year: 2024. Sources: IMF World Economic Outlook, World Bank Jordan Economic Monitor 2024, Amman Stock Exchange Annual Report 2024, CEIC Data – Amman Stock Exchange, FocusEconomics – Jordan, EBRD Transition Report 2024-25, Macrotrends – Jordan Unemployment, Jordan Investment Commission, citizenx.com – Jordan Golden Visa, uglobal.com – Jordan Residency & Citizenship, emergingmarkets.ai – Jordan, CEOWORLD Magazine – Jordan Largest Companies 2024, Wikipedia – Economy of Jordan, Grokipedia – List of Companies of Jordan.

Local exchange & access

Exchange	Amman Stock Exchange
Code	ASE
Website	www.ase.com.jo
Currency	JOD

Local broker access

Non-Jordanian investors may purchase and hold ASE-listed shares without prior approval in most sectors, subject to sectoral foreign-ownership caps. Settlement is T+2. There are no major international online retail brokers offering direct ASE trading; non-resident investors typically open accounts with one of approximately 68 licensed Jordanian brokerage member firms. Some regional GCC-based brokers offer indirect or facilitated access. There are no US-listed Jordan single-country ETFs with meaningful AUM as of mid-2026. Jordan does not have a broadly traded ADR market; exposure for US-based investors is primarily via regional frontier/MENA ETFs.

Global brokers with foreign-market access

• Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
• Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
• Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
• Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.

Listed for convenience only — not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.

Relocation & residency

Foreign-investor access

Jordan taxes residents only on Jordanian-sourced income; foreign-sourced income is not subject to Jordanian income tax. There is no capital gains tax on publicly listed shares. Personal income tax rates are progressive from 5% to 30% on domestic income. Amman has a significant English-speaking professional community, relatively affordable cost of living compared to Gulf neighbours, and good-quality private healthcare. Work permits are required for most foreign nationals. Jordanian citizenship provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to approximately 52 destinations and qualifies holders for the US E-2 Treaty Investor Visa under the bilateral investment treaty between Jordan and the United States.