Jordan is the first country in the Arab region to publish a comprehensive Statistical Bulletin for the Social Protection Sector

The Department of Statistics in Jordan, with support from the ILO and the EU, has launched the first statistical bulletin for the social protection sector in Joran and in the Arab region. 

The initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Department of Statistics, saw the active participation of all key players in the social protection sector in Jordan,. 

H.E Dr. Haidar Fraihat, the Director General of the Department of Statistics in Jordan, congratulated the national team on this achievement, highlighting the importance of statistics and data as an essential resource to inform national plans and policies.

“We are launching today the results of the statistical bulletin that includes the government interventions that are provided to individuals to protect them from social and economic risks and challenges caused by the different contingencies as defined by the ILO convention 102 (1952) which was ratified by Government of Jordan. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 also recognizes social protection as a human right, and this was confirmed through the SDG 1.3, which aims to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable” he said.

“This bulletin will provide easy access to relevant data, enhance the use of data to guide national strategies and policies, and make social protection data available to a wide range of key stakeholders, at the national and international levels.” he said “The statistical bulletin will facilitate decision-making on social protection, based on concrete, comprehensive and up-to-date data, with the aim of improving the coverage and efficiency of the system and assessing the impact of social protection programs on citizens” he continued.

Representatives from eight line ministries and government institutions, as well as ILO and UNICEF were present at the launch.

 “The statistical bulletin will assist decision makers in developing the necessary policies in the social protection sector, as we witness the revision and update of the National Social Protection Strategy.” Noted H.E Dr. Barq Dmour, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Development.

This bulletin is the first issue of a series that the Department of Statistics intends to publish annually. It collects and unifies all data issued by relevant national institutions operating and concerned with the Jordanian social protection system. This issue of the statistical bulletin covers national social assistance and social insurance programs, which form the core of the national social protection system in Jordan. 

According to the results presented in the bulletin, Jordan has made great achievements in the SP sector, with over one in three residents in the Kingdom (34.1%) covered by national social protection mechanisms during 2021, reaching as high as 45.2% of Jordanians, including direct and indirect recipients of national cash and in-kind support programmes, as well as individuals insured through contributory Social Protection mechanisms.

Of all Jordanians, 25% were covered by contributory schemes, 16% of Jordanians received tax- financed cash-based benefits and 4% received in-kind benefits during 2021. Accounting for cash-based benefits only, national coverage is estimated at 30.2%, reaching as high as 41.3% of Jordanians. 

Total expenditure on social protection during 2021 reached JOD 3.69 billion (11.5% of GDP), equivalent to JOD 334 per capita, and contributory benefits account for 90% of total expenditures, reaching JOD 3.31 billion (10.3% of GDP), split equally between the Social Security Corporation (51%) and the Ministry of Finance (49%). Expenditures on tax-financed schemes reached 1.2% of GDP in 2021, up from 0.9% in 2020. Cash assistance schemes administered by the NAF, accounting for 93% of tax-financed expenditures, increased by 41% relative to expenditures in 2020.

 “It is impressive indeed to see the advancements of the government efforts to extend social protection in the country and enhance Jordan’s status in the region and worldwide, and looking into the social protection coverage and expenditure indicators for Jordan exceeding regional averages, and coverage of key vulnerable groups in Jordan such as older persons, persons with disabilities, and children which is double their regional averages, is truly inspiring to continue investing in extending social protection further”. noted Ms. Ilona de Zamaróczy, the EU Program Manager for Social Protection at the Delegation of the European Union to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Statistical Bulletin pursues the twofold aim of supporting the implementation of the Jordanian National Social Protection Strategy (2019-2025) and of building national capacities to improve sustainability of social protection via better mechanisms for evidence-based policy design.

“We congratulate Jordan for leading the enhancement of social protection statistics in the region, providing a tool and resource to make social protection data available and accessible to all. With this publication, policy makers can have a holistic view of different aspects of the social protection system and monitor the progress of Jordan in achieving SDG 1.3. Building on the good practices of Jordan, the ILO will strive to engage other countries in the region to improve the methodology for collecting and analysing social protection data in view of the new edition of the  World Social Protection Repor[PL1] t.” Said Luca Pellerano, Senior Social Protection Specialist for the ILO in Beirut noted.

“We envisage the development of this work in coordination with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and with the support of the International Labor Organization to prepare a statistical bulletin that is updated annually to monitor the progress of social protection in Jordan, and with the participation of a team of representatives from the different institutions implementing social protection measures in Jordan who have worked intensively together to develop this first publication of social protection statistics in Jordan”. concluded H.E Dr. Haidar Fraihat

The ILO will continue to support the Department of Statistics in the process of issuing a second publication for the statistical bulletin for the years 2022-2023 through the EU-funded program “Towards a comprehensive national system for social protection and accelerating job opportunities for vulnerable Syrians and Jordanians/MADAD” implemented jointly by the International Labour Organization and UNICEF.

 [PL1]Include link to 

https://www.ilo.org/beirut/publications/WCMS_830406/lang--en/index.htm