Overview

Australia and Jordan have a warm and increasingly diverse relationship underpinned by longstanding defence and security cooperation and close people-to-people links, as well as growing trade and commercial engagement.

Australia’s links with Jordan extend back over a century: Australia deployed military forces to the Middle East during World War One. And in early 1918, Australian Light Horse infantry crossed the Jordan River from Jerusalem to support the military campaign of the ‘Great Arab Revolt’ against Ottoman rule.

Australia established diplomatic relations with Jordan in 1975. The Jordanian Embassy in Canberra was opened in 1976 and the Australian Embassy in Amman was established in 1979.

Political overview

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was established as the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921 under Emir (later King) Abdullah bin Al-Hussein. Jordan became a Kingdom on 25 May 1946 with King Abdullah II as Monarch.

Jordan has a population of approximately 10 million people, of whom two-thirds are Jordanian nationals. Jordan hosts a large number of refugees, notably Palestinians, Syrians and Iraqis.

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. The Hashemite Monarch, King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, is Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The King exercises executive authority through the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is appointed by the King and advises on the appointment of other ministers.

Jordan’s 1952 Constitution provides for a bicameral National Assembly, with a 130-member House of Representatives, also known as the House of Deputies, elected by direct universal suffrage, and a 65-member Senate, appointed by the King. In the House of Deputies, several seats are reserved for women, and people of various religions and ethnicities.

In 2021 Jordan announced a comprehensive political and electoral reform agenda that the government is working to implement over the next decade. The reforms aim to encourage broader political participation, including for women and youth.

Economic overview

Jordan is a lower middle-income country. Jordan’s service industries account for almost 70 per cent of the economy. Industry and the agricultural sector account for another 30 per cent. Jordan's main exports include clothing, pharmaceutical products, phosphate, potash and fertilisers. Primary export destinations are the United States, Saudi Arabia and India. Jordan seeks to become a regional centre of excellence in education, IT and health services. Its economy also relies on foreign assistance, loans and remittances. The economy is showing signs of post-pandemic recovery.

Jordan has concluded free trade agreements with a number of economies, including the United States, the European Union, Canada, Singapore, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE.

The protracted crisis in Syria has had a significant impact on Jordan's economy, also hampering transit trade. The Kingdom’s hosting of large numbers of Syrian refugees has placed additional pressures on infrastructure and services. The COVID-19 pandemic also significantly affected Jordan’s economy – in particular, its tourism sector which previously accounted for 19.4 per cent of GDP. Tourism is now showing signs of recovery in the post-pandemic period.

Unemployment sits around 22 per cent, with youth unemployment estimated at nearly 50 per cent. Jordan has one of the world’s lowest female employment participation rates, at approximately 14 per cent. In 2022, Jordan announced an Economic Modernisation Vision aimed at stimulating economic growth, creating jobs and attracting investment to revive the economy.

Bilateral relations

Australia and Jordan’s relations are underpinned by diplomatic ties, longstanding defence and security cooperation and close people-to-people links, as well as growing trade and commercial engagement.

Both Australia and Jordan are members of the Global Coalition Against Daesh and participate in the Jordan-led Aqaba Process.

There is also a history of technical cooperation on water, climate, and the environment.

Humanitarian assistance

Australia has committed over $122 million of humanitarian funding to Jordan since 2017 in response to the regional impacts of the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Jordan currently hosts over 621,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations, both in the community and in camps. Australia’s funding provides food assistance, support for women’s empowerment, including for vulnerable members of the host population, and access to primary school education in close partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Education.

The Australian Embassy in Amman’s Direct Aid Program also supports key areas including gender equality, disability inclusion and youth empowerment.

Trade and investment

Bilateral commercial relations are growing from a modest base in fields such as green energy, agricultural technology, mining and mining services, and food.

Australia's principal exports to Jordan are meat products, other agricultural commodities, and education services. In 2023, two‑way goods and services trade was $506 million ($330.1 million in exports to Jordan and $175.9 million in imports from Jordan). Australia’s major exports to Jordan include barley ($105.5 million) and meat excluding beef ($89.3 million). In 2005 Australia concluded an MOU with Jordan on live animal shipment in order to underpin the trade and ensure respect of international animal welfare standards. Live exports to Jordan are also covered by the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).

Austrade's office in Riyadh is responsible for Jordan. Austrade has information on doing business in Jordan and market profiles of priority sectors, such as education, food, health and medical. Australian companies interested in exploring business opportunities in Jordan are encouraged to contact Austrade or the Embassy in Amman.

High level visits

The political and economic relationship has been supported by regular high-level contact, including Ministerial-level visits and parliamentary delegations over recent years, though visits were few during the COVID pandemic period.

In November 2016, HRH King Abdullah II and HRH Queen Rania visited Canberra and Sydney. This was the first State Visit by their Majesties to Australia. King Abdullah had previously visited Australia briefly in June 2001 on his way to Timor Leste to meet with Jordanian forces serving as part of the Australian-led UN Peacekeeping Force.

There have been a number of high-level visits by Australians to Jordan, including then Governor-General, His Excellency General the Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove in October 2017; then Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, in April 2017; the Hon Michael Keenan MP in April 2017; then Attorney General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, in December 2015; then Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, in November 2015; then Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, in April 2014; and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, in January 2024.