Jordan Situation Report | July 2024

For more information, including sources cited, read our full situation report. Find Anera's full collection of situation reports here.

Jordan is home to a large number of refugees, affecting its capacity to provide infrastructural services. In total, Jordan now hosts 762,000 refugees that are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. This count does not include the sizable population of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, which, for historical reasons, are registered with a different UN agency. Jordan is facing a resource shortage of agricultural land, livelihood, energy, water and food.

Refugees in Jordan

Syrian refugees have been facing additional challenges compared to most Jordanians. They have limited access to employment, healthcare, education and housing. As a result, refugees have been turning to coping strategies such as reducing the amount they eat, borrowing more money, working high-risk jobs and taking children out of school so they can help make money. Out of all refugees in Jordan, 87% have debt.

Refugees living in camps are also facing high levels of climate vulnerability. Many refugees have very little knowledge of climate change, even as they are vulnerable to the brunt of the impact. Poor shelter conditions mean that they must grapple with severe leakages and flooding.

Food Security & Livelihoods

Poverty rates in Jordan's refugee camps have abruptly increased. Now, 67% of registered refugees are classified as poor, compared to 45% in 2021. As a result, household spending has decreased and food insecurity has increased.

Since 2021, the employment rate among refugees in camps has also decreased. Household responsibilities are preventing many women from finding employment. And, the refugees living in camps who do find jobs are much more vulnerable to workplace hazards and abuses.

Health & Education

Chronic illnesses and disabilities are common among refugee families in Jordan's camps. Inside camps, many refugees are able to access healthcare for these conditions, but for out-of-camp Syrian refugees, it is much more difficult. They must pay subsidized Jordanian rates for treatment at public health facilities, instead of having free access to UNHCR-supported clinics. Despite being subsidized, these rates are still too expensive for many families amidst the larger economic difficulties they face.

Children who attend public schools in Jordan face bullying and discrimination. Many children do not attend or complete school due to economic pressure to work, especially older kids.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

Jordan has extremely limited water resources, and climate change has cut down Jordan's rainfall even more, increasing droughts and making water more scarce. Jordan's agricultural infrastructure uses 47% of its freshwater, leaving limited amounts available for people. In addition, increasing population growth is putting even more pressure on existing resources.

Anera's Response

Anera will work with ILearn to teach vocational and digital entrepreneurship skills to young refugees and Jordanians. Anera will also continue its work with rooftop gardens to make food security accessible through sustainable farming. And, Anera has successfully delivered four shipments of non-communicable disease medication to Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Jordan. Anera also provided an anticancer medication shipment to the Jordanian Ministry of Health.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.