Jordan's population to reach 12.5 million by 2028 — HPC

AMMAN — Jordan's population is expected to reach 12.5 million by the end of 2028, according to Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council (HPC) Issa Masarwah.

Masarwah participated in the meetings of the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, held in New York from April 29 to May 3, according to Al Mamlaka TV.

The session evaluated the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Submitting a working paper at the session, Masarwah said that Jordan's population doubled in less than 20 years, rising from 6 million in the last two decades to over 11.6 million, with the number likely to reach 12.5 million by the end of 2028.

Masarwah attributed the "rapid" population growth to conflicts in the region and the resulting waves of refugees as non-Jordanians account for more than 31 per cent of the total population.

He said that Jordan bears the consequences of the Syrian refugee crisis amid a significant decline in international support on one hand and the challenges facing the Jordanian economy on the other.

Masarwah emphasised that despite these major challenges, and with the Syrian crisis entering its 13th year, Jordan continues to provide services to refugees and remains committed to supporting UNRWA.

He called for continued international support for Jordan to deal with the challenges arising from conflicts in the region and climate change to enable it to continue its role as a factor of security and stability in the region and ensure that no one is left behind in the development process.

Regarding child marriages, he pointed out that inputs from the National Plan to combat this practice for the years 2022-2024 have contributed to reducing the percentage of underage marriages from 14.6 per cent in 2018 to 11.9 per cent in 2022, out of the total number of marriages for the first time.