National / Regional Profiles
Included Nations/Regions: Jordan [x], The World [x]
Religion and State (RAS) Indexes1
Religion Indexes (Jordan)
|
State Funding of Religion Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 6/253 |
Societal Discrimination of Minority Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 56/253 |
State Regulation of Majority or All Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 22/253 |
State Discrimination of Minority Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 22/253 |
Jordan: Major World Religions (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)2
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: Baha'is, New religionists.
Jordan: Largest Religious Groups (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)2
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: Atheists, Catholics, doubly-affiliated, Independents, Islamic schismatics, Orthodox, Protestants, unaffiliated Christians.
Religious Adherents (World Religion Database 2020)2
| Religion | Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Baha'is | 0.26% | 0.11% |
| Buddhists | --- | 6.83% |
| --Mahayanists | --- | 4.89% |
| --Theravadins | --- | 1.72% |
| --Lamaists | --- | 0.23% |
| Chinese folk-religionists | --- | 5.98% |
| Christians | 1.38% | 32.16% |
| --unaffiliated Christians | 0.02% | 1.46% |
| --Orthodox | 0.87% | 3.75% |
| --Catholics | 0.28% | 15.90% |
| --Protestants | 0.11% | 7.51% |
| --Independents | 0.10% | 5.00% |
| Daoists | --- | 0.11% |
| Confucianists | --- | 0.11% |
| Ethnic religionists | --- | 3.65% |
| Hindus | --- | 13.58% |
| --Vaishnavites | --- | 5.15% |
| --Shaivites | --- | 4.86% |
| --Saktists | --- | 3.57% |
| Jains | --- | 0.08% |
| Jews | --- | 0.19% |
| Muslims | 95.35% | 24.20% |
| --Sunnis | 92.90% | 21.56% |
| --Shias | 2.05% | 2.44% |
| --Islamic schismatics | 0.40% | 0.21% |
| New religionists | 0.05% | 0.85% |
| Shintoists | --- | 0.04% |
| Sikhs | --- | 0.34% |
| Spiritists | --- | 0.19% |
| Zoroastrians | --- | 0.00% |
| Non-Religious | 2.97% | 11.57% |
| --Agnostics | 2.47% | 9.65% |
| --Atheists | 0.49% | 1.92% |
Religious demographics (Jordan)3
The country has an area of 55,436 square miles and a population of 6.5 million. More than 92 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim. Official government figures estimate that Christians make up 5 percent of the population; however, Christian leaders privately estimate the figure to be closer to 3 percent. According to representatives of the respective communities and newspaper reports, there are a small number of Shi'a Muslims, approximately 1,000 Baha'is, and approximately 14,000 Druze. There are an estimated 150,000 Christians, including about 12,000 evangelicals. There are no statistics available regarding the number of persons who are not adherents of any religious faith.
Officially recognized Christian denominations include the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite Catholic, Assyrian, Coptic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches. Unrecognized Christian denominations include Seventh-day Adventist, United Pentecostal, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Other Christian churches include the Baptist Church, Free Evangelical Church, Nazarene Church, the Assemblies of God, and Christian and Missionary Alliance. There are a number of Chaldean and Syriac Christians and Shi'a among the Iraqi refugee population.
There are an estimated 250,000 to 450,000 Iraqis in the country, many of whom are undocumented or on visitor permits. Of those registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 48 percent are Sunni Muslim, 28 percent Shi'a Muslim, and 15 percent Christian.
With few exceptions, there are no major geographic concentrations of religious minorities. The cities of Husn, in the north, and Fuheis, near Amman, are predominantly Christian. Madaba and Karak, both south of Amman, also have significant Christian populations. The northern part of the city of Azraq has a sizeable Druze community, as does Umm al-Jamal in the governorate of Mafraq. There also are Druze populations in Amman and Zarka and a smaller number in Irbid and Aqaba. There are a number of nonindigenous Shi'a living in the Jordan Valley and the south. The Druze are registered as "Muslims" and, as they have their own court in al-Azraq, can administer their own personal status matters.
Summary Information |
Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Western Asia | -- |
| Total Population4 | 7,461,324 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Area in square miles | 34,495 | 196,939,900 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years5 | 74.2 | 71.9 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars5 | 8,990.0 | 16,101.0 |
| Description of Polity Score6 | (anocratic) | -- |
| Judicial Independence Composite Score, as average of scores for higher and lower courts7 | -0.8 | 0.8 |
| Official Religion(s)8 | Sunni Islam | -- |
Jordan - Google Map
Religion and the State
Religion and State Collection (2014) |
Jordan [x] |
|---|---|
| Is proselytizing Legal?1 | No |
| Is religious registration someties denied?1 | Registration is required but sometimes denied |
| What are the consequences of registration?1 | Groups are officially required to register but groups which do not are not in any way restricted, except in that they may be denied status as a legal entity. |
| Official Support: The formal relationship between religion and state.1 | State Controlled Religion, Positive Attitude |
| The extent to which religious education is mandatory in public schools.1 | Mandatory for some who have no ability to opt out; the course must be in religion but optional for others or there exists for some the option of taking a non-religious course on topics like ethics, philosophy, or religions of the world. |
| The extent to which funding is exclusive to one or a few religions.1 | Government funding of religion goes to only one religion, no other religions receive funds. |
| The extent to which there are religious requirements and oaths for holding office.1 | Some government officials (other than head of state church and the like) must meet some form of religious requirements to hold office. |
Constitutional Features [ View Excerpts]
Features of Constitution |
Jordan [x] |
|---|---|
| Is there a constitution?9 | Yes |
| Does the constitution state an official religion?10 | yes [ Article 2 ] |
| Does the constitution provide for freedom of religion?10 | unclear [ Article 14 ] |
| Does the constitution protect religious equality/non-discrimination?10 | yes [ Article 6(1) ] |
Constitution |
Jordan [x] |
|---|---|
| Constitution Year10 | 1952 |
| Last Amended10 | 2016 |
| Source10 | Constitute Project |
| Translation10 | Source is an English translation, edited by ARDA staff |
| Current as of10 | September 19, 2018 |
Public Opinion (Jordan)(Calculated by the ARDA from the World Values Survey)11 |
2001 | 2005 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religious Affiliation/Identification | |||
| Percent belonging to a religious denomination. | 100 | --- | 100 |
| Percent identifying as a religious person. | 85.6 | 92.2 | 80.7 |
| Religious Behaviors | |||
| Percent attending religious services at least once a month. | 46.8 | 92.8 | 57.2 |
| Percent praying to God more than once per week. | --- | --- | 96.1 |
| Percent that meditate or pray. | --- | 98.5 | --- |
| Percent attending religious services at least once a month when 12 years old. | --- | 2.8 | 4.8 |
| Religious Beliefs | |||
| Percent believing in God. | 99.8 | --- | 100 |
| Percent believing in heaven. | 99.6 | --- | --- |
| Percent believing in hell. | 99.4 | --- | 98.6 |
| Percent believing in life after death. | 97.6 | --- | --- |
| Percent believing that there are clear guidelines on good and evil. | 81.6 | 69.1 | --- |
| Percent believing that politicians who do not believe in God are unfit for public office. | 75 | 72.1 | --- |
| Percent believing that religious leaders should not influence people's vote. | 60.5 | 64.3 | --- |
| Percent believing that things would be better if there are more people with strong religious beliefs. | --- | 84 | 79.8 |
| Percent that think that religious faith is an important quality in children | --- | 41.1 | 41.6 |
| Percent that agree: We depend too much on science and not enough on faith | 64.5 | 65.7 | --- |
| Percent believing church gives answers to people's spiritual needs. | --- | 67.7 | 60.3 |
| Percent that do not trust people of other religions | 61.3 | 66.2 | --- |
| Percent believing church gives answers on family life problems. | 64.2 | 69.5 | --- |
| Percent believing churches give answers to moral problems. | --- | 65.8 | 53.6 |
| Percent that often think about meaning and purpose of life | 64.7 | 67.1 | --- |
| Percent believing churches give answers to social problems. | --- | 64 | --- |
| Percent believing that religious leaders should influence the government. | 99.6 | --- | --- |
| Percent believing that people have a soul. | --- | --- | 45.3 |
| Percent believing in the concept of sin. | --- | --- | 62.6 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for deaths. | --- | --- | 97 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for births. | --- | --- | 94.1 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for marriages. | --- | --- | 34.9 |
| Percent believing in a personal God. | --- | --- | 61.8 |
| Percent believing in telepathy. | --- | --- | 42.5 |
| Religious Experiences | |||
| Percent finding comfort and strength from religion. | 99.7 | --- | --- |
| Attitudes | |||
| Percent considering religion important. | 99.4 | 99.7 | 99.7 |
| Percent considering that God is not at all important in their life. | 0 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Percent confident in religious organizations. | 90.8 | 94.1 | 75.2 |
| Percent agreeing that nurses can refuse to assist with an abortion on moral grounds. | 87.9 | --- | --- |
| Politics | |||
| Percent thinking that churches have an influence on national politics. | 81.7 | --- | --- |
| Percent agreeing that the government protects personal freedom. | 74.1 | --- | --- |
| Percent agreeing that the government protects religious freedom. | 78.1 | --- | --- |
| Percent agreeing that the only the laws of the Shari'a should be implemented. | --- | --- | 45.5 |
Socio-Economic Measures
Education |
Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Literacy Rate, in percentage of adult population13 | 95.4 | 86.2 |
| Net Primary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age5 | 89.2 | 89.6 |
| Net Secondary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age5 | 81.4 | 65.1 |
Economic Measures |
Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Domestic Product, in billions of current U.S. Dollars5 | 38.7 | 75,845.1 |
| Imports, in million current-year U.S. dollars14 | 21,596.8 | 20,150,355.0 |
| Exports, in million current-year U.S. dollars14 | 13,544.5 | 20,790,015.7 |
| Economic Freedom Index, scaled from 0 min to 100 max15 | 66.7 | 62.9 |
| Human Development Index16 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 2013 Gender Inequality Index (GII)17 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars5 | 8,990.0 | 16,101.0 |
Military Measures |
Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Composite Index of National Capability, in fraction of 118 | 0.0013935 | 0.005162584 |
| 2012 Military expenditure (% of GDP)5 | 4.0 | -- |
Demographic and Health Measures |
Jordan [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|
| Total Population4 | 7,461,324 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years5 | 74.2 | 71.9 |
| 2012 Net Migration Rate (migrants per 1,000 population)5 | 400.0 | -- |
| Urban Percentage of Total Population14 | 83.9 | 54.3 |
| Urban Population Growth, by percentage14 | 3.5 | 2.0 |
| Fertility Rate, in total births per woman14 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Infant Mortality Rate, in deaths per 1000 live births14 | 15.1 | 30.5 |
| HIV Prevalence, in percentage of population ages 15-49 with HIV14 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
Other Measures on Religion, State, and Society
Constitution Clauses Related to Religion
Constitution Excerpts (clauses that reference religion) (Jordan)10
Article 2.
Islam is the religion of the State ...
Article 6.
(1) Jordanians shall be equal before the law with no discrimination between them in rights and duties even if they differ in ... religion.
...
(4) The family is the basis of society the core of which shall be religion, morals ...; the law shall preserve its legitimate entity and strengthen its ties and values.
...
Article 14.
The State shall safeguard the free exercise of the rites of religions and creeds in accordance with the customs observed in the Kingdom, if such is not inconsistent with public order or morality.
Article 19.
Congregations shall have the right to establish and maintain their own schools for the education of their own members ...
Article 28.
The Throne of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is hereditary ... pursuant to the following provisions:
...
(e) It is a condition for the person who shall ascend the Throne to be a Moslem ... and of Moslem parents.
...
Article 64.
... [A] member of the Senate must ... be one of the following classes: ... presidents and judges of the ... Sharia Court[] of Appeal [among others] ...
Article 98.
(1) Judges of the ... Sharia Courts shall be appointed and dismissed by a Royal Decree in accordance with the provisions of the laws.
...
Article 99.
The courts are of three types:
...
(2) Religious Courts
...
Article 102.
Civil Courts in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan shall have the right to exercise jurisdiction over all persons in all civil and criminal matters ... with exception of the matters in respect of which jurisdiction is vested in Religious Courts ...
Article 103.
...
(2) Matters of personal status are the matters specified by law and in accordance therewith fall within the sole jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts when the parties are Moslems.
Article 104.
Religious Courts shall be divided into:
(1) The Sharia Courts
(2) The Tribunals of other Religious Communities
Article 105.
The Sharia Courts alone shall have the jurisdiction---in accordance with their own laws---in the following matters:
(1) Matters of personal status of Moslems.
(2) Cases of blood money (Diya) if the two parties are both Moslems or one of the parties is not a Moslem and the two parties consent to that the right of jurisdiction be for the Sharia Courts.
(3) Matters pertaining to Islamic Waqfs.
Article 106.
Sharia Courts shall in their jurisdiction apply the provisions of the Sharia.
Article 107.
The manner of organisation of the affairs of the Islamic Waqfs and the administration of their financial and other matters, shall be specified by a special law.
Article 108.
The Tribunals of Religious Communities are the tribunals of the non-Moslem religious communities that have been or will be recognised by the Government as established in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Article 109.
(1) The Tribunals of Religious Communities shall be composed in conformity with the provisions of laws issued pertaining thereto. In such laws the jurisdictions of said Tribunals shall be defined as regards matters of personal status and Waqfs constituted for the benefit of the community concerned. However, matters of personal status of such community shall be the matters of personal status of Moslems within the jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts.
(2) The Tribunals of Religious Communities shall apply the procedures and provisions related to the matters of personal status which are not considered matters of personal status of Moslems within the jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts; provided that the legislations of such Tribunals shall organize the conditions of the appointment of their judges and the procedures of trials before them.
Variable Details
Sources
1 The Religion and State (RAS) Project is a university-based project located at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel and is directed by Jonathan Fox. Round 3 of the RAS includes all countries with populations of 250,000 or more as well as a sampling of smaller states and offers annual measures from 1990 to 2014. The methods used for conducting the RAS3 collection and the complete codebook can be reviewed online. Or, the codebook and data file can be downloaded free of charge here. For details on how the RAS indexes reported on the ARDA’s National Profiles were coded, constructed, and placed into categories, click here.2 Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim, eds. World Religion Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2022).
3 The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report is submitted to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. These State Department reports are open source.
4 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Demographics reports the estimates of religious demographics, both country by country and region by region. The RCS was created to fulfill the unmet need for a dataset on the religious dimensions of countries of the world, with the state-year as the unit of observation. It estimates populations and percentages of adherents of 100 religious denominations including second level subdivision within Christianity and Islam. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database.
5 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
6 The Center for Systemic Peace (CSP) is engaged in innovative research on the problem of political violence within the structural context of the dynamic global system. The Center supports scientific research and quantitative analysis in many issue areas related to the fundamental problems of violence in both human relations and societal-systemic development processes. The Center continually monitors political behavior in each of the world's major states and reports on emerging issues and persisting conditions related to the problems of political violence and "state failure." A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission. *Note: Polity Scores range from -10 to 10 and include the following categories: -10 to -9: strongly autocratic, -8 to -7 autocratic, -6 to -4 weakly autocratic, -3 to +3 anocratic, +4 to +6 weakly democratic, +7 to +8 democratic, +9 to +10 strongly democratic.
7 Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. V-Dem provides a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond simple presence of elections. The V-Dem project distinguishes between seven high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, egalitarian, majoritarian, and consensual, and collects data to measure these principles. A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission.
8 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Government Religious Preference (GRP) measures government-level favoritism toward, and disfavor against, 30 religious denominations. A series of ordered categorical variables index the state's institutional favoritism in 28 different ways. The variables are combined to form five composite indices for five broad components of state-religion: official status, religious education, financial support, regulatory burdens, and freedom of practice. The five components' composites in turn are further combined into a single composite score, the GRP score. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson, the principal investigator of the World Christian Database, the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database, and co-author of the World Christian Encyclopedia series.
9 Data under the "Features of Constitution" heading are drawn from coding of the U.S. State Department's 2008 International Religious Freedom Reports conducted by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the International Religious Freedom reports. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
10 Text from country constitutions was copied from primary documents obtained online using a variety of sources, including the Constitute Project, World Constitutions Illustrated, and government sources. When the text was in a language other than English, it was translated to English by ARDA staff or with web-based translation utilities such as Google Translate. Emphases were added to the text by ARDA staff to differentiate religious content from non-religious content. Text is current to the date listed in the "Current as of" field shown above. Please contact us at
11 The World Values Survey is a worldwide investigation of socio-cultural and political change. It is conducted by a network of social scientists at leading universities around the world. Interviews have been carried out with nationally representative samples of the publics of more than 80 societies. A total of four waves have been carried out since 1981. The ARDA has averaged the weighted responses across the waves for each country surveyed. The average responses for all countries have been placed in a single file and can be previewed and downloaded here. See the World Values Survey website for further information and to download the original survey data: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
12 Freedom House is an independent non-governmental organization that offers measures of the extent to which governments are accountable to their own people; the rule of law prevails; and freedoms of expression, association, belief and respect for the rights of minorities and women are guaranteed. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
13 The CIA's World Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the now defunct National Intelligence Survey (NIS) studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The year 2010 marks the 67th year of the World Factbook and its predecessor programs. The maps and flags are also from the World Factbook, which is an open source.
14 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
15 The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom is a systematic, empirical measurement of economic freedom in countries throughout the world. A set of objective economic criteria are used to study and grade various countries for the annual publication of the Index of Economic Freedom. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
16 The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
17 The 2013 Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality in achievements between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market. It varies between zero (when women and men fare equally) and one (when men or women fare poorly compared to the other in all dimensions). The health dimension is measured by two indicators: maternal mortality ratio and the adolescent fertility rate. The empowerment dimension is also measured by two indicators: the share of parliamentary seats held by each sex and by secondary and higher education attainment levels. The labor dimension is measured by women’s participation in the work force. Source: The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
18 Military data is drawn from the National Material Capabilities (v4.0) dataset, which is a component of and hosted by the Correlates of War Project. The Correlates of War Project seeks to facilitate the collection, dissemination, and use of accurate and reliable quantitative data in international relations. Correlates of War data may be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
19 The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom reports. The 2003, 2005, and 2008 reports were coded by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The GRI, GFI and SRI values reported on the National Profiles are averages from the 2003, 2005, and 2008 International Religious Freedom reports, while the Religious Persecution measure is an average from the 2005 and 2008 reports. All other measures derived from the International Religious Freedom reports were coded from the reports 2008. A data file with all of the 2008 coding, as well as data files with other cross national collections are available for preview and download from the data archive on this site. Used with permission.
20 The Cingranelli-Richards (CIRI) Human Rights Dataset contains standards-based quantitative information on government respect for 15 internationally recognized human rights for 202 countries, annually from 1981-2011. It is designed for use by scholars and students who seek to test theories about the causes and consequences of human rights violations, as well as policy makers and analysts who seek to estimate the human rights effects of a wide variety of institutional changes and public policies including democratization, economic aid, military aid, structural adjustment, and humanitarian intervention. The full CIRI Human Rights Dataset can be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
