The Jordanian government owed 44.8 billion dinars in public debt as of February this year. That’s more than $63 billion.
It’s not $36 trillion dollars like the figure blinking on the US debt clock. But for a country like Jordan, where debt makes up more than 92 per cent of GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund, that number hits differently.
Jordan is now at a crossroads.
With US financial aid frozen in President Donald Trump’s second term, and pressure mounting from lenders like the IMF, Jordan is now forced to do more with less.
And that is in a region plagued by conflict, inflation, and youth unemployment. Jordan’s debt has been creeping up for years. And now, the country is an example of how aid and borrowing can become lifelines – but also long-term liabilities.
It lacks a thriving industrial base, relies heavily on imports, and does not have a strong supply of natural resources. For decades, aid, especially from the US, served as a financial safety net.
Today, we’re asking how did Jordan get here, and how it can get out of it.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
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Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Race card
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
The%20specs
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