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Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan. It is the country's political, economic, and cultural hub. As of 2025, the city has a population of around 4.5 million and is a regional center for finance, trade, and tourism.
Amman, the capital and largest city of Jordan, serves as the nation's economic, political, and cultural center. As of 2021, it has a population of approximately four million residents, making it the largest city in the Levant region and the fifth-largest in the Arab world.
The city's history spans several millennia, with evidence of settlement dating back to the Neolithic period. Notably, the archaeological site of 'Ain Ghazal, located on Amman's outskirts, was once a thriving village around 7000 BC and is renowned for some of the world's oldest human statues.
Throughout its history, Amman has undergone various transformations. During the Iron Age, it was known as Rabbath Ammon, serving as the capital of the Ammonite Kingdom. In the 3rd century BC, under Ptolemaic rule, it was renamed Philadelphia and became part of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities with strong Greco-Roman influence. The city received its current name, Amman, during the Islamic era in the 7th century AD.
Modern Amman is characterized by its unique blend of ancient heritage and contemporary development. The city was originally built on seven hills but has expanded to encompass over 19 hills, comprising 22 administrative areas managed by the Greater Amman Municipality. East Amman is home to historic sites and cultural activities, while West Amman features modern infrastructure and serves as the city's economic center.
The city's economy is diverse, with key industries including finance, manufacturing, and tourism. Amman is a major regional center for medical tourism, attracting numerous international patients annually. The banking sector is robust, with institutions like the Arab Bank headquartered in the city.
Culturally, Amman is known for its vibrant arts scene, culinary diversity, and active nightlife. The city hosts various cultural festivals and events, reflecting its position as a liberal and progressive capital in the Arab world. Historical landmarks such as the Roman Theatre and the Amman Citadel coexist alongside modern malls, restaurants, and entertainment venues, offering residents and visitors a rich and varied experience.
Amman, the capital city of Jordan, serves as the nation's political and administrative center. It is part of the Amman Governorate, one of Jordan's twelve governorates, which is divided into nine districts. These districts are further subdivided into sub-districts and municipalities, facilitating local governance and administrative functions.
The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) administers the city itself, encompassing 22 administrative regions to effectively manage services and development projects. GAM operates under a mayor-council system, with a 41-member city council elected for four-year terms. While council members are elected by residents, the mayor is appointed by the central government, reflecting a blend of local representation and national oversight.
In 2015, Jordan implemented a decentralisation law to enhance local governance. This law established governorate councils, including the Amman Governorate Council, aiming to delegate certain administrative and financial responsibilities from the central government to local authorities. These councils focus on development projects and budget approvals within their regions, promoting citizen participation in decision-making processes.
Despite these decentralisation efforts, significant authority remains centralised. Governors, appointed by the king, hold substantial power over local affairs, including security and implementation of national policies. Municipalities like GAM are tasked with urban planning, infrastructure maintenance, and public services, operating within the frameworks set by national legislation and oversight.
Amman is Jordan’s chief commercial, financial, and international trade centre. The royal palaces are to the east; the Parliament is in the western section. Chief industries include food and tobacco processing, cement production, and the manufacture of textiles, paper products, plastics, and aluminum utensils.
The banking sector is one of the principal foundations of Jordan's economy. Despite the unrest and economic difficulties in the Arab world resulting from the Arab Spring uprisings, Jordan's banking sector maintained its growth in 2014. The sector currently consists of 25 banks, 15 of which are listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. Amman is the base city for the international Arab Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, serving clients in more than 600 branches in 30 countries on five continents. Arab Bank represents 28% of the Amman Stock Exchange and is the highest-ranked institution by market capitalization on the exchange.Amman is the 4th most visited Arab city and the ninth highest recipient of international visitor spending. Roughly 1.8 million tourists visited Amman in 2011 and spent over $1.3 billion in the city. The expansion of Queen Alia International Airport is an example of the Greater Amman Municipality's heavy investment in the city's infrastructure. The recent construction of a public transportation system and a national railway, and the expansion of roads, are intended to ease the traffic generated by the millions of annual visitors to the city. Amman, and Jordan in general, is the Middle East's hub for medical tourism. Jordan receives the most medical tourists in the region and the fifth highest in the world. Amman receives 250,000 foreign patients a year and over $1 billion annually.Amman is introducing itself as a business hub. The city's skyline is being continuously transformed through the emergence of new projects. A significant portion of business flowed into Amman following the 2003 Iraq War. Jordan's main airport, Queen Alia International Airport, is located south of Amman and is the hub for the country's national carrier Royal Jordanian, a major airline in the region. The airline is headquartered in Zahran district. Rubicon Group Holding and Maktoob, two major regional information technology companies, are based in Amman, along with major international corporations such as Hikma Pharmaceuticals, one of the Middle East's largest pharmaceutical companies, and Aramex, the Middle East's largest logistics and transportation company.In a report by Dunia Frontier Consultants, Amman, along with Doha, Qatar and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, are the favored hubs for multinational corporations operating in the Middle East and North Africa region. In FDI magazine, Amman was chosen as the Middle Eastern city with the most potential to be a leader in foreign direct investment in the region. Furthermore, several of the world's largest investment banks have offices in Amman including Standard Chartered, Société Générale, and Citibank.
A cornerstone of the United States bilateral partnership with Jordan, which is based on mutual objectives of prosperity, stability and security, the FTA has resulted in an over 800% increase in bilateral trade. Today, as a result of the FTA, the United States is one of Jordan’s top five trading partners. Bilateral trade increased almost 10% in 2016 compared to 2015, driven by a 10% increase in U.S. exports to Jordan year on year. U.S. exports of services to Jordan were an estimated $710 million in 2015 .
The FTA has not only meant greater trade in goods between the two countries, but also trade in services, investment, and job creation. Since the signing of the FTA, Jordan demonstrated commitment to its obligations by upgrading and introducing the legislative environment for bilateral trade and investment. Jordan adopted a number of legal and regulatory reforms aimed at safeguarding intellectual property rights, enhancing labor and environmental standards, and tackling dispute settlement procedures. The FTA does not include an investment chapter, as the United States has a separate Bilateral Investment Treaty with Jordan. The U.S. – Jordan FTA along with the Bilateral Investment Treaty spurred mutual investment interests. Jordan today hosts some U.S. private sector giants such as; AES, Albemarle, Cargill, Microsoft, Cisco, Del Monte, among others. Moreover, Jordan’s energy diversification efforts created investment opportunities, and U.S companies were the first to pursue; First Solar, and Hecate are examples of success in this field and the potential remains huge in the field of renewable energy, energy saving and storage. Besides ICT and energy, sectors like healthcare, security and transportation have great potential for growth. There are different guidelines depending on what type of business you are trying to set up and details can be found through your local authority.
The corporate tax rates in Jordan are applied based on the industry/business activities from which the taxpayer generates income:
35% for banks.
24% for telecommunication, insurance and reinsurance, financial intermediation companies , companies that generate and distribute electricity, and companies that undertake mining raw material activities.
There are lots of highly-qualified graduates in Jordan and the job market is fairly competitive. However, you need to describe your future goals as there may be a reluctance to commit to a start-up company which hasn’t been established for a long time.The way recruitment has been done at FuAIS has mostly been through social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Other popular job listing boards in Jordan are akhtaboot.com, bayt.com, and opensooq.com. An internship scheme can also be a good way for aspiring employees to learn about the company.
With the exception of a functioning railway system, Amman has a railway station as part of the Hejaz Railway. Amman has a developed public and private transportation system. There are two international airports in Amman. The main airport serving Amman is Queen Alia International Airport, situated about 30 km south of Amman. Much smaller is Amman Civil Airport, a one-terminal airport that serves primarily domestic and nearby international routes and the army. Queen Alia International Airport is the major international airport in Jordan and the hub for Royal Jordanian, the flag carrier. Its expansion was recently done and modified, including the decommissioning of the old terminals and the commissioning of new terminals costing $700M, to handle over 16 million passengers annually.[ It is now considered a state-of-the-art airport and was named 'the best airport in the Middle East' for 2014 and 2015 and 'the best improvement in the Middle East' for 2014 by Airport Service Quality Survey, the world's leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark program.Amman has an extensive road network, although the mountainous terrain of the area has prevented the connection of some main roads, which are instead connected by bridges and tunnels. The Abdoun Bridge spans Wadi Abdoun and connects the 4th Circle to Abdoun Circle. It is considered one of Amman's many landmarks and is the first curved suspended bridge to be built in the country.There are eight circles, or roundabouts, that span and connect west Amman. Successive waves of immigrants to the city has led to the rapid construction of new neighborhoods, but Amman's capacity for new or widened roads remains limited despite the influx. This has resulted in increasing traffic jams, particularly during summer when there are large numbers of tourists and Jordanian expatriates visiting. The municipality began construction on a bus rapid transit system as a solution in 2015. In 2015, a ring road encompassing the city was constructed, which aims to connect the northern and southern parts of the city in order for traffic to be diverted outside Amman and to improve the environmental conditions in the city.The city has frequent bus connections to other cities in Jordan, as well as to major cities in neighboring countries; the latter are also served by service taxis. Service taxis, which most often operate on fixed routes, are readily available and inexpensive. The two main bus and taxi stations are Abdali and the Raghadan Central Bus Station near the Roman theatre in the city centre. Popular Jordanian bus company services include JETT and Al-Mahatta. Taxis are the most common way to get around in Amman due their high availability and inexpensiveness.Currently under construction are dedicated lanes for bus services which will operate as part of the new urban rapid transit network . The system includes high-quality stations and stops; express buses that can carry more than 120 passengers and will run on a three-minute frequency during peak hours along Amman's busiest corridors; terminals and park-n-ride facilities; and an integrated fare collection system allowing passengers to pay the fare at stations before embarking on the bus.[ The BRT is planned to run along three major corridors.
According to a recent infographic, Amman is growing to become the regional technology capital for startups. The data shows that in 2011 and 2012, Jordan is placed first in the region in number of tech deals funded, second in the region in amount of funds invested, and as the 10th best place to start a company in the whole world.
With an eightfold increase in tech support between 2001 and 2013, Jordan’s tech sector has been booming. This infographic, created by Innovative Jordan in collaboration with Int@j, Oasis500, Silicon Badia and Kharabeesh shows Jordan as witnessing a surge of 600+ tech companies and 300+ startups, leading to the creation of 84,000 jobs and comprising 12% of the country’s GDP. And 30% of the labor force in Jordan’s tech industry are women. As the best performing non-oil economy in the MENA region as measured by real GDP growth between 1999 and 2013, Amman is also the leading location for Arabic content creation on the internet.
Jordan has managed to build a relatively mature ecosystem with supporting institutions across the entire lifecycle of a company, which has been a catalyst to its success. Global tech partners like CISCO, Microsoft, Intel, and Oracle were part of this cycle in addition to multiple key players like commercial banks, private equity, angel investors, and accelerators. This has infused the ecosystem with an international flavor: 20% of entrepreneurs at Oasis500, one of the largest accelerators in Jordan, are non Jordanian.
