Jordan ranked 50th globally in the 2026 Economic Freedom Index, among 165 countries and territories covered by the annual Economic Freedom of the World report, scoring 7.38 out of 10 based on 2024 data.
The report placed Jordan in the second quartile globally, which includes countries with above-average levels of economic freedom. The Kingdom’s strongest performance came in the “Sound Money” category, where it ranked third globally with a score of 9.59 points.
The report, issued annually by Canada’s Fraser Institute and translated by Al-Ghad, assesses economic freedom through a set of indicators measuring the extent to which individuals can engage in economic activities, retain property and trade freely within established legal, regulatory and monetary frameworks. The 2026 edition is primarily based on data from 2024.
Jordan’s strongest achievement was in the “Sound Money” category, where it ranked third globally with a score of 9.59. Only Switzerland and Finland ranked ahead of Jordan in this indicator.
The category measures the ability of monetary policies to provide a stable currency by controlling money supply growth, containing inflation fluctuations and allowing access to bank accounts denominated in foreign currencies.
Beyond monetary stability, the report showed positive Jordanian performance across several business and economic activity indicators. In the “Regulation” category, Jordan ranked 25th globally with a score of 7.38, reflecting relative flexibility in regulations governing credit markets, labor markets and business activities.
In “Freedom to Trade Internationally,” Jordan scored 8.13 and ranked 52nd globally, supported by tariff levels and trade flows.
In the “Size of Government” category, Jordan ranked 56th globally with a score of 7.19.
However, the report identified a structural gap that limited Jordan’s overall ranking, with the “Legal System and Property Rights” category placing the Kingdom 107th globally with a score of 4.61.
This indicator covers areas including property protection and contract enforcement. The report noted that these areas represent a common weakness weighing on the scores of the Middle East and North Africa region and several developing economies.
The 2026 Economic Freedom of the World report shows a sharp and wide regional disparity in the performance of Arab countries, describing the Middle East and North Africa as the region with the greatest variation in levels of economic freedom worldwide.
Arab countries are spread across all four quartiles of the index, from the most economically free to the least free, with four Arab countries appearing among the 10 least economically free countries in the world.
Among Arab countries by global quartiles, Bahrain ranked first in the Arab world and 40th globally in the overall economic freedom index, with a score of 7.49. It was the only Arab country in the first quartile, representing the highest level of economic freedom globally.
The United Arab Emirates followed in 46th place globally with a score of 7.42, while Jordan ranked third among Arab countries and 50th globally with a score of 7.38.
Saudi Arabia ranked fourth among Arab countries and 60th globally with a score of 7.17, followed by Qatar in 70th place with a score of 6.97. All these countries were classified in the second quartile, representing above-average economic freedom. The quartile also included Oman and Kuwait, while the remaining Arab countries were classified in the third quartile, representing below-average economic freedom.
The report comes as global average economic freedom began a gradual recovery in 2024 after a sharp decline caused by the restrictions and repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report also confirmed a strong link between higher levels of economic freedom and human well-being. Average per capita income in countries in the most economically free quartile is about 6.9 times higher than in countries in the least free quartile. These countries also record lower poverty levels and life expectancy that is around 14 years longer.
Source: Al-Ghad
