Jordan’s investor survey highlights resilience amid global challenges

• 36.6% of investors are optimistic about Jordan's economic performance over next 12 months
• 60% investors expect growth in agriculture sector, 48.8%, 45.5% in services, industrial sectors respectively

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) has released the results of its 12th Investor Confidence Survey, which highlighted current investor sentiment and economic outlook across the Kingdom. 

The survey, conducted in September and covering the period from September 2023 to September 2024, aimed to assess investor confidence in Jordan’s overall investment climate, as well as the impact of the Economic Modernisation Vision initiatives and the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap, nearly two years into their implementation. 

In addition, the survey explores the impact of recent regional and global events on business operations.

Drawing on insights from 574 interviews with executives from SMEs across a range of sectors, including industrial, commercial, agricultural, and services , the survey revealed that 48.1 per cent of investors expect their economic activity to improve over the next year. 

Confidence is particularly high in the agricultural sector, where 60 per cent expect growth, followed by 48.8 per cent in the services sector and 45.8 per cent in the industrial sector. 

In terms of the overall economic outlook, 36.6 per cent of investors are optimistic about Jordan's economic performance over the next 12 months.

Amid ongoing global and regional uncertainties, 67.8 per cent of respondents reported that rising production input costs have affected their operations. However, 69.2 per cent said they had not experienced supply chain disruptions.

The survey also found that in the first nine months of 2024, the majority, some 53.7 per cent, of businesses maintained stable operations, while 17.8 per cent expanded, marking an increase from 14.5 per cent in the previous survey.

Gathering investor feedback on the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap, which is entering its second year, the survey showed that 57.8 per cent of investors believe the initiative is moving in the right direction.

The JSF's recommendations called for increased efforts to stimulate economic growth within the framework of the Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap.

 The forum encouraged more Jordanian companies to list on the Amman Stock Exchange and speed up implementation of related initiatives.

In addition, the forum highlighted the importance of continued progress on the seven components of the roadmap, which have positively influenced more than half of the investors surveyed. 

The forum concluded with an emphasis on the practical implementation of investment policies and ongoing monitoring to assess the impact of the initiatives on companies and the broader national economy.