One in five households in Jordan headed by women: Statistics

More than 2.4 million families live in Jordan as of 2024, according to estimates by the Department of Statistics, which also shows a rising share of households headed by women—now standing at 20.8 percent.

In a statement issued Wednesday to mark the International Day of Families, the department said that the number of private and collective households in Jordan has grown from 941,467 in 2004 to nearly 2 million in 2015, and now to 2,433,671 as of 2024—an increase of 107 percent since 2004.

The growth in household numbers reflects an overall population increase. The number of individuals living in private households rose from 5 million in 2004 to 9 million in 2023. This change brought the average household size to 4.8 members.

According to the 2024 Labor Force Survey, 20.8 percent of Jordanian women are heads of their households, compared to 79.2 percent for men. The vast majority of these women—76.3 percent—are widows, followed by married women (9.9 percent), single women (7.5 percent), and divorced women (6 percent). In contrast, 95 percent of male heads of households are married.

The department also noted that female-headed households are more common in rural areas than urban ones. Yet despite their leadership role in the household, women in this group show lower economic participation than their male counterparts: just 4.8 percent of women heads of households were economically active in 2022, compared to 54.7 percent of men.

The report also pointed to economic strain, with the economic dependency ratio reaching 315.9 percent in 2023—meaning every working person supports more than three others in addition to themselves.

Other data from 2023 surveys revealed that:

• 98 percent of families own a mobile phone and a television.
• Only 29 percent own a computer.
• 91.2 percent have internet access at home.
• The average monthly spending on smartphones was 23.3 JOD, and 17.1 JOD on landlines.
• The average annual household income in 2017 was 11,241.9 JOD, primarily sourced from employment (4,490.5 JOD), followed by transfer income (3,813.3 JOD), and rent (1,861.5 JOD).

While more Jordanian families are gaining access to digital services and household technologies, the figures highlight a gendered disparity in household leadership and labor force participation—especially among women who shoulder the responsibilities of family life while remaining largely outside the formal economy.