13 per cent of Jordanian households spend more than JD20,000 a year

AMMAN — A survey on households’ expenditure in Jordan showed that 9 per cent of the families’ annual expenditure is less than JD5, 000, while that of 13 per cent of the surveyed families exceeds JD20, 000.

Conducted by the Department of Statistics (DoS) in the period extending from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018, the study showed that households in Amman spent, on average, more than those in the remaining 11 governorates, according to the report the agency released on Tuesday.

DoS said that the sample of the survey, which was supported by the World Bank, covered 20,000 households across the Kingdom, in rural and urban areas. It also involved Syrian refugees and other nationalities hosted by Jordan.

The data made available by the survey, the report said, would be used to assess the situation of poverty in Jordan, adding that these conclusions would be included in a new report in the near future. 

DoS highlighted a new methodology in carrying out the study, based on three pillars: an amended questionnaire that seeks details of food expenses, whether the family receives social protection and inquires about durable goods.

In addition, the sample was distributed over the year, split into four sections, each involving 5,000 households.

Third, the data collected from the field was entered daily and reviewed by a specialised taskforce for quality.

The annual average expenditure of the households on food and non-food commodities and services stood at JD12,519, the DoS survey revealed, of which 32.6 per cent was spent on food and 67.4 per cent on non-food commodities.  

Results showed that the highest proportion of families’ expenditure covers water, electricity and gas with an average of JD2,921, followed by transportation with JD2,149 and education with JD579. 

Residents of Amman spent an average of JD14,417 in the studied period, followed by Zarqa, with expenses amounting to JD11,957. The least spending was recorded in Tafileh, at JD8,689. 

In the food category, the most money went to buy meat and chicken, at an average of JD587, followed by tobacco products at JD558. The households spent the least on alcoholic drinks, the survey showed. 

In the non-food category, the findings showed that house rent, water, gas and electricity consumed JD2,921 of the annual expenses of residents, followed by transportation at JD2,149, and education at JD579, while spending on houseware was at the tail of the list. 

Regarding the relative distribution of households, in terms of expenses, the poorest constituted 6 per cent, spending 2.4 per cent of the total-house-hold spending at the national level, while the top segment, which spent 30 per cent of total expenses, constituted 16 per cent of the number of households in Jordan.