Trade deficit rises — DoS

AMMAN — The Kingdom's trade deficit during the first five months of this year rose by 31.7 per cent as it reached JD4.15 billion compared to JD3.15 billion at the end of the same period last year, the Department of Statistics (DoS) said on Monday.

According to a DoS report on foreign trade, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the volume of total exports in the January-May period of 2022 increased by 41.2 per cent with JD3.362 billion, compared with the same period of 2021, when it stood at JD2.381billion.

The value of national exports also increased in the first five months of the year by 43.4 per cent, or JD3.073 billion, compared with 2021’s corresponding period, when it reached JD2.143 billion, according to the DoS data.

The report also revealed that the value of re-exports stood at JD289 million in the first five months of 2022, at a 21.2 per cent increase, compared with the same period of 2021, when it totaled JD237 million. The country’s imports rose by 35.8 per cent to JD7.513 billion, compared with JD5.532 billion, the DoS figures showed.

The DoS said total exports’ coverage for imports in the first five months of the year stood at 43.1 per cent, compared with 44.8 per cent in the same period of 2021. In May, the Kingdom’s national exports reached JD589.8 million up from JD511.7 million, recording a15.3 per cent increase.