5.4% of Jordan’s total population are elderly, DoS reveals

As of the end of 2023, the proportion of elderly individuals in the Kingdom who are 60 years of age or older was 5.4% of the total population; the rate for men was 5.2 percent, while the rate for females was 5.7 percent. In a statement released on Tuesday in honor of the International Day of Older Persons, which falls on October 1st, the Department of Statistics (DoS) stated that the capital governorate has the highest percentage of elderly residents 47.6 percent compared to Irbid governorate, which comes in second with 17.6 percent, and Tafila governorate, which has the lowest percentage 0.8 percent. The national life expectancy at birth in the Kingdom was 75.3 years (77.0 years for females versus 73.8 years for males). This is indicative of the advancements in the health sector that governments are focusing on, which have helped to lower the death rate and raise life expectancy at birth. One of the most significant social changes that society will likely experience is aging. This will have an impact on a ll spheres of society, including the labor and financial markets, the demand for goods and services like housing, transportation, and social protection, as well as family dynamics and the relationships between generations. The government's emphasis on protecting aging in Jordanian society is rooted in the country's constitution. This emphasis has been expressed in two recent major documents: Jordan 2025 (National Vision and Strategy) and the Comprehensive National Human Rights Plan for 2016-2025. The government's issuance of the necessary directives to open clinics to provide direct medical supervision and health care for the elderly in residential care homes is one of its most significant accomplishments. The Jordanian National Strategy for Older Persons defines the elderly as those who are 60 years of age or older. Elderly people are becoming more and more valuable contributors to development, and policies and programs at all levels should take use of their ability to work for their own and their communit ies' advancement. According to the main report of the Employment and Unemployment Survey 2023, 19.9% of elderly Jordanians have no formal education, while 14.5 percent have completed a bachelor's degree or more. The survey also revealed that the majority of elderly Jordanians 98.0% are married or have been married. Regarding the use of computers by the elderly, the survey found that 6.4 percent of the elderly in the age group (60-64 years) use computers, which equated to 4.6 percent of those 65 years and older. Additionally, males in the age group (60-64 years) recorded a higher percentage of computer use than females, with 10.9 percent for males and 2.8 percent for females. Source: Jordan News Agency