GCC leads FDI into Jordan

Foreign direct investment into Jordan surged by 27 percent during 2025, with a large part of that coming from its traditional financial backers in the Gulf states.

From about JD1.2 billion ($1.7 billion) in 2024, FDI swelled to nearly JD1.5 billion ($2.1 billion) in 2025, the central bank of Jordan (CBJ) said in a report published on Facebook.

The six-nation GCC, which maintains strong political and economic links with Jordan, provided nearly 29 percent of the 2025 FDI flow.

Neighboring Saudi Arabia accounted for nearly 19 percent of these investments while Kuwait contributed 4 percent and the UAE by 3.7 percent.

“Around 62 percent of the FDI flow last year came from the Arab countries, mainly from the GC. European countries contributed by around 13.6 percent,” CBJ said, adding that the UK alone accounted for about 3 percent.

The mining sector received nearly 7 percent of the investments, while the share of FDI stood at 10 percent in the industrial sector, 7 percent in real estate and more than 34 percent in the financial and insurance activities.

Jordan is heavily reliant on GCC financial aid and most of its hard currency remittances come from its citizens in the Gulf alliance, mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Remittances grew by about 4 percent to $3.3 billion in the first 10 months of 2025 and nearly 21 percent came from UAE-based Jordanians, official data showed.

Besides remittances, Jordan also relies on tourism and light industrial exports to fund its budget, which has recorded high deficits over the past years.

A surge in the number of visitors in the first 10 months of 2025 boosted the country’s tourism income by nearly six percent to $6.5 billion.

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