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Iraq vs. Jordan

Economy

IraqJordan
Economy - overview

Iraq's GDP growth slowed to 1.1% in 2017, a marked decline compared to the previous two years as domestic consumption and investment fell because of civil violence and a sluggish oil market. The Iraqi Government received its third tranche of funding from its 2016 Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF in August 2017, which is intended to stabilize its finances by encouraging improved fiscal management, needed economic reform, and expenditure reduction. Additionally, in late 2017 Iraq received more than $1.4 billion in financing from international lenders, part of which was generated by issuing a $1 billion bond for reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas liberated from ISIL. Investment and key sector diversification are crucial components to Iraq's long-term economic development and require a strengthened business climate with enhanced legal and regulatory oversight to bolster private-sector engagement. The overall standard of living depends on global oil prices, the central government passage of major policy reforms, a stable security environment post-ISIS, and the resolution of civil discord with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

Iraq's largely state-run economy is dominated by the oil sector, which provides roughly 85% of government revenue and 80% of foreign exchange earnings, and is a major determinant of the economy's fortunes. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil exports and revenues, but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure to enable these deals to reach their economic potential.

In 2017, Iraqi oil exports from northern fields were disrupted following a KRG referendum that resulted in the Iraqi Government reasserting federal control over disputed oil fields and energy infrastructure in Kirkuk. The Iraqi government and the KRG dispute the role of federal and regional authorities in the development and export of natural resources. In 2007, the KRG passed an oil law to develop IKR oil and gas reserves independent of the federal government. The KRG has signed about 50 contracts with foreign energy companies to develop its reserves, some of which lie in territories taken by Baghdad in October 2017. The KRG is able to unilaterally export oil from the fields it retains control of through its own pipeline to Turkey, which Baghdad claims is illegal. In the absence of a national hydrocarbons law, the two sides have entered into five provisional oil- and revenue-sharing deals since 2009, all of which collapsed.

Iraq is making slow progress enacting laws and developing the institutions needed to implement economic policy, and political reforms are still needed to assuage investors' concerns regarding the uncertain business climate. The Government of Iraq is eager to attract additional foreign direct investment, but it faces a number of obstacles, including a tenuous political system and concerns about security and societal stability. Rampant corruption, outdated infrastructure, insufficient essential services, skilled labor shortages, and antiquated commercial laws stifle investment and continue to constrain growth of private, nonoil sectors. Under the Iraqi constitution, some competencies relevant to the overall investment climate are either shared by the federal government and the regions or are devolved entirely to local governments. Investment in the IKR operates within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Investment Law (Law 4 of 2006) and the Kurdistan Board of Investment, which is designed to provide incentives to help economic development in areas under the authority of the KRG.

Inflation has remained under control since 2006. However, Iraqi leaders remain hard-pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of living for the Iraqi populace. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the country despite a bloated public sector. Overregulation has made it difficult for Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. Corruption and lack of economic reforms - such as restructuring banks and developing the private sector - have inhibited the growth of the private sector.

Jordan's economy is among the smallest in the Middle East, with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources, underlying the government's heavy reliance on foreign assistance. Other economic challenges for the government include chronic high rates of unemployment and underemployment, budget and current account deficits, and government debt.

King ABDALLAH, during the first decade of the 2000s, implemented significant economic reforms, such as expanding foreign trade and privatizing state-owned companies that attracted foreign investment and contributed to average annual economic growth of 8% for 2004 through 2008. The global economic slowdown and regional turmoil contributed to slower growth from 2010 to 2017 - with growth averaging about 2.5% per year - and hurt export-oriented sectors, construction/real estate, and tourism. Since the onset of the civil war in Syria and resulting refugee crisis, one of Jordan's most pressing socioeconomic challenges has been managing the influx of approximately 660,000 UN-registered refugees, more than 80% of whom live in Jordan's urban areas. Jordan's own official census estimated the refugee number at 1.3 million Syrians as of early 2016.

Jordan is nearly completely dependent on imported energy-mostly natural gas-and energy consistently makes up 25-30% of Jordan's imports. To diversify its energy mix, Jordan has secured several contracts for liquefied and pipeline natural gas, developed several major renewables projects, and is currently exploring nuclear power generation and exploitation of abundant oil shale reserves. In August 2016, Jordan and the IMF agreed to a $723 million Extended Fund Facility that aims to build on the three-year, $2.1 billion IMF program that ended in August 2015 with the goal of helping Jordan correct budgetary and balance of payments imbalances.

GDP (purchasing power parity)$427.736 billion (2019 est.)

$409.705 billion (2018 est.)

$412.027 billion (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2010 dollars
$101.738 billion (2019 est.)

$99.786 billion (2018 est.)

$97.893 billion (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP - real growth rate-2.1% (2017 est.)

13.1% (2016 est.)

2.5% (2015 est.)
2% (2019 est.)

1.94% (2018 est.)

2.12% (2017 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)$10,881 (2019 est.)

$10,660 (2018 est.)

$10,972 (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2010 dollars
$10,071 (2019 est.)

$10,023 (2018 est.)

$10,010 (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2010 dollars
GDP - composition by sectoragriculture: 3.3% (2017 est.)

industry: 51% (2017 est.)

services: 45.8% (2017 est.)
agriculture: 4.5% (2017 est.)

industry: 28.8% (2017 est.)

services: 66.6% (2017 est.)
Population below poverty line23% (2014 est.)15.7% (2018 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage sharelowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 25.7% (2007 est.)
lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 28.7% (2010 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)-0.1% (2019 est.)

0.3% (2018 est.)

0.2% (2017 est.)
0.3% (2019 est.)

4.4% (2018 est.)

3.3% (2017 est.)
Labor force8.9 million (2010 est.)731,000 (2020 est.)
Labor force - by occupationagriculture: 21.6%

industry: 18.7%

services: 59.8% (2008 est.)
agriculture: 2%

industry: 20%

services: 78% (2013 est.)
Unemployment rate16% (2012 est.)

15% (2010 est.)
19.1% (2019 est.)

18.61% (2018 est.)

note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%
Distribution of family income - Gini index29.5 (2012 est.)33.7 (2010 est.)

36.4 (1997)
Budgetrevenues: 68.71 billion (2017 est.)

expenditures: 76.82 billion (2017 est.)
revenues: 9.462 billion (2017 est.)

expenditures: 11.51 billion (2017 est.)
Industriespetroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processingtourism, information technology, clothing, fertilizer, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing
Industrial production growth rate0.7% (2017 est.)1.4% (2017 est.)
Agriculture - productswheat, barley, dates, tomatoes, rice, maize, grapes, potatoes, rice, watermelonstomatoes, poultry, olives, milk, potatoes, cucumbers, vegetables, watermelons, green chillies/peppers, peaches/nectarines
Exports$61.4 billion (2017 est.)

$41.72 billion (2016 est.)
$13.109 billion (2018 est.)

$12.718 billion (2017 est.)
Exports - commoditiescrude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, dates, petroleum coke (2019)fertilizers, calcium phosphates, packaged medicines, clothing and apparel, phosphoric acid (2019)
Exports - partnersChina 26%, India 24%, South Korea 9%, United States 8%, Italy 6%, Greece 6% (2019)United States 21%, Saudi Arabia 13%, India 8%, Iraq 7%, United Arab Emirates 5%, China 5% (2019)
Imports$39.47 billion (2017 est.)

$19.57 billion (2016 est.)
$19.669 billion (2018 est.)

$19.353 billion (2017 est.)
Imports - commoditiesrefined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, jewelry, cigarettes (2019)cars, refined petroleum, natural gas, crude petroleum, clothing and apparel (2019)
Imports - partnersUnited Arab Emirates 28%, Turkey 21%, China 19% (2019)China 17%, Saudi Arabia 15%, United States 6%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Egypt 5%, India 5% (2019)
Debt - external$73.02 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$64.16 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$32.088 billion (2019 est.)

$29.916 billion (2018 est.)
Exchange ratesIraqi dinars (IQD) per US dollar -

1,184 (2017 est.)

1,182 (2016 est.)

1,182 (2015 est.)

1,167.63 (2014 est.)

1,213.72 (2013 est.)
Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar -

0.709 (2020 est.)

0.709 (2019 est.)

0.70925 (2018 est.)

0.71 (2014 est.)

0.71 (2013 est.)
Fiscal yearcalendar yearcalendar year
Public debt59.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

66% of GDP (2016 est.)
95.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

95.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$48.88 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$45.36 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$15.56 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$15.54 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Current Account Balance$4.344 billion (2017 est.)

-$13.38 billion (2016 est.)
-$1.222 billion (2019 est.)

-$2.964 billion (2018 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)$231.994 billion (2019 est.)$44.568 billion (2019 est.)
Credit ratingsFitch rating: B- (2015)

Moody's rating: Caa1 (2017)

Standard & Poors rating: B- (2015)
Fitch rating: BB- (2019)

Moody's rating: B1 (2013)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2017)
Ease of Doing Business Index scoresOverall score: 44.7 (2020)

Starting a Business score: 77.3 (2020)

Trading score: 25.3 (2020)

Enforcement score: 48 (2020)
Overall score: 69 (2020)

Starting a Business score: 84.5 (2020)

Trading score: 79 (2020)

Enforcement score: 55.6 (2020)
Taxes and other revenues35.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)23.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)-4.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)-5.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24total: 25.6%

male: 22%

female: 63.3% (2017)
total: 37.3%

male: 34.8%

female: 49.4% (2019 est.)
GDP - composition, by end usehousehold consumption: 50.4% (2013 est.)

government consumption: 22.9% (2016 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 20.6% (2016 est.)

investment in inventories: 0% (2016 est.)

exports of goods and services: 32.5% (2016 est.)

imports of goods and services: -40.9% (2016 est.)
household consumption: 80.5% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 19.8% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 22.8% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: 0.7% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 34.2% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -58% (2017 est.)
Gross national saving13.3% of GDP (2019 est.)

20.6% of GDP (2018 est.)

18.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
15.8% of GDP (2019 est.)

12% of GDP (2018 est.)

8.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook