Expat remittances stand at $3.7b in 2017

AMMAN — The total remittances of Jordanians working abroad stood at $3.7 billion (some JD2.6 million) in 2017, preliminary data of the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) showed on Sunday.

The total amount of remittances in 2017 was similar to that registered in 2016, the CBJ said in a statement, carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Jordanian expatriates’ remittances are one of the country’s major foreign currency inflows, alongside commodity and service exports, grants, loans and foreign aid.

Official figures estimate the number of Jordanian expatriates at around 750,000, the majority of whom lives in the Gulf states.

Over 300,000 Jordanian workers, mostly professionals and skilled labourers, are based in Saudi Arabia, followed by the UAE, with nearly 200,000 people.