Amman, March 8 (Petra) - Data from the Department of Statistics showed a decline in the illiteracy rate among Jordanian females aged 15 years and above from 16.5 percent in 2000 to 7.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025. In contrast, the proportion of educated females rose to 92.7 percent during the same period, reflecting a noticeable improvement in education levels among women in the Kingdom.

According to a statement issued by the department on Sunday on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the number of females in the Kingdom reached 5.617 million out of the total population at the end of 2025, representing 47.1 percent of the population compared with 52.9 percent for males. This means that for every 100 females in Jordan, there are 113 males, according to the Department of Statistics.

The statement indicated that the highest proportion of females in the age group of 15 to 49 years reached 52.7 percent of the total female population, followed by females under 15 years at 35.4 percent, and those aged 50 years and above at 12 percent. It added that the average life expectancy for females increased by 3.2 years compared to males.

Results of the Labour Force Surveys conducted by the department showed that the average age at first marriage for females rose from 25.6 years in 2014 to 27.5 years in 2024, while for males it increased from 29.8 years to 32.5 years during the same period.

The results of the Ministry of Education’s annual statistical report for the academic year 2024–2025 showed that the net enrollment rate for female students in kindergarten reached 42.1 percent compared to 37.6 percent for male students. In the basic education stage, the enrollment rate of female students surpassed that of males by one percentage point, reaching 94.9 percent for females compared with 93.7 percent for males. At the secondary education stage, the gap widened in favor of female students to about six percentage points, with their enrollment rate reaching 81.6 percent compared with 74.8 percent for male students.

Data from the Ministry of Higher Education for 2024 showed an increase in the percentage of females enrolled in bachelor’s and postgraduate studies compared with males. Female enrollment in bachelor’s programs reached 55.2 percent compared with 44.8 percent for males, a difference of 10.4 percentage points in favor of females.

Female enrollment in higher diploma programs reached 68.0 percent compared with 32.0 percent for males, while female enrollment in master’s programs reached 58.7 percent compared with 41.3 percent for males, and about 57 percent of doctoral students were females.

Indicators of women’s economic empowerment showed noticeable improvement during the period from 2015 to 2024, as female land ownership rose from 15.8 percent in 2015 to 19.9 percent in 2024, an increase of about 26 percent. Joint land ownership rose from 32.9 percent in 2015 to 38.9 percent in 2024, an increase of about 18 percent. Meanwhile, female ownership of apartments rose from 23 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2024, an increase of 31 percent, while joint apartment ownership rose from 16 percent in 2015 to 21.8 percent in 2024, an increase of 36.3 percent.

Results from the Independent Election Commission showed that the percentage of female members of parliament increased from 6.4 percent to 19.6 percent between 2008 and 2024. Nine women out of 27 won seats through competition on party lists, while 18 women won seats allocated for women (quota), half of whom belong to political parties. The participation rate of women in political parties increased from 27.8 percent to 44.5 percent, an increase of 60 percent.

At the level of decision-making positions, the proportion of female judges increased from 6.2 percent to 30.4 percent during the same period. Women accounted for 15.6 percent of ministerial positions in 2024, while women made up 26.1 percent of the diplomatic corps and 14.5 percent of ambassadors.

//Petra// AF

08/03/2026 23:08:37