Government of Jordan Lays Out Budget 2021, Described as the Most Difficult in Country’s History

Jordan’s 2021 State Budget, submitted as a draft bill to lawmakers, estimates a post-foreign aid budget deficit of JOD 2.06 billion (USD 2.89 billion), which is 6.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This compares against a budget deficit of a JOD 2.16 billion in 2020.

Mohamad Al-Ississ, Jordan’s Finance Minister, noted that the 2021 Budget was the most difficult to prepare as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic together with ‘exceptional regional circumstances’ had dragged down growth rates as well.

Details of the Budget reveal that domestic revenue (with the exception of foreign grants) was estimated at JOD 7.8 billion, whilst the total expenditure included in the Budget was JOD 9.93 billion. Total expenditure amounts to 31.2...