Jordan is witnessing growing efforts on several fronts to expand and modernize its national data base, led by the ongoing 2026 Population and Housing Census, alongside the increasing use of the Sanad application for government transactions and the expansion of government service centers across the Kingdom.
اضافة اعلان
The efforts reflect a move toward building a more comprehensive and up-to-date national data base. Its importance extends beyond improving government services and facilitating citizens’ access to them, to supporting economic and social planning, providing more accurate information for setting priorities, directing resources, and developing government policies and programs on a more realistic basis.
Against this backdrop, questions are being raised about the importance of expanding the national data base in improving the efficiency of the national economy and whether available data can be transformed from information and records into an effective tool for improving planning, public spending and economic decision-making.
Economists said expanding and updating the national data base, along with increasing the number of sectors covered by accurate and up-to-date information, represents an investment in the efficiency of the Jordanian economy by improving current and future economic, social, demographic and investment decisions.
Experts said the efficiency of planning increases when there is a clearer picture of the population, households, establishments and economic activity and their distribution across governorates. This helps identify actual needs, link plans to measurable indicators and review policies as circumstances change, rather than relying on outdated estimates or averages that fail to reflect differences between regions and sectors.
They considered the 2026 Population and Housing Census a key component of this system, as it provides a comprehensive picture of the population, households and housing units and their geographic and demographic distribution. They stressed that high-quality and integrated data could help reduce the cost of government decision-making and limit waste by identifying duplication of programs, overlapping services and underutilized projects.
Experts also noted that digital tools and artificial intelligence can continuously update this picture instead of relying solely on periodic surveys. This would transform data from a static snapshot of the economy and society into a continuous monitoring system that enables decision-makers to identify changes and imbalances and respond more quickly.
To make better use of collected data in economic planning and decision-making, experts called for standardizing definitions and indicators across institutions, linking administrative records with statistical surveys, establishing announced schedules for data updates and publication, strengthening analytical capabilities among government employees, and building an integrated national system that allows data to be exchanged under clear rules. They also called for greater investment in data analysis and artificial intelligence and for developing human capabilities in data use.
Expanding the National Data Base: An Investment in Economic Efficiency
Ahmad Awad, director of the Phoenix Center for Economic and Social Studies, said expanding and updating the national data base represents an investment in the efficiency of the Jordanian economy. Accurate and regularly updated information, he said, is an economic resource that helps the government, businesses and households make better decisions, while reducing uncertainty that increases investment costs and weakens market confidence.
Awad said planning becomes more efficient when there is a clear picture of the population, households, establishments and economic activity and their distribution across governorates. This makes it possible to identify actual needs, link plans to measurable indicators and adjust policies as circumstances change, instead of relying on outdated estimates or averages that may conceal differences between regions and sectors.
He noted that population data can help determine the locations of schools, health centers and transportation networks, while household data can reveal income and social protection gaps. Data on businesses can identify financing, energy and skills needs, allowing resources to be directed toward interventions that support production and employment and respond to citizens’ needs.
Awad also said high-quality data can help reduce the cost of government decisions and limit waste by identifying duplicated programs, overlapping services and underutilized projects. This can be achieved by linking spending to needs and outcomes, comparing costs with impact, and correcting the course of programs that fail to achieve their objectives.
He noted that regularly updated data can also help identify emerging changes at an early stage, allowing the government to intervene before problems expand and become more costly to address. Businesses can likewise adjust their plans in response to changes in demand.
Awad said regularly publishing data can significantly strengthen investor confidence by helping investors assess market size, demand and risks. Consumers can also benefit from clear information on prices, services and economic trends, supporting better decisions and reducing the impact of rumors.
To improve data quality and its use in economic decision-making and planning, Awad called for standardizing definitions and indicators among institutions, linking administrative records with statistical surveys, establishing announced schedules for updates and publication, and building analytical capabilities within ministries. He also called for requiring institutions to identify the evidence supporting their plans and budgets and making data available to researchers and the private sector on a timely basis.
Improving Economic, Social and Investment Decisions
Economic expert Hossam Ayesh said expanding the national data base and increasing the number of sectors covered by accurate and up-to-date information would improve current and future economic, social, demographic and investment decisions.
He said a broader data base would enhance the efficiency of the national economy, as well as social, investment, competitive and sectoral performance.
Ayesh explained that planning, policies, regulations and laws become more effective when based on accurate information and data rather than estimates or projections that may not adequately reflect reality. He described the national data base as part of the infrastructure of a modern economy, alongside traditional infrastructure such as roads, electricity, communications and services.
He said data on the population and its age and geographic structure, households and their needs, poverty and unemployment rates, businesses, employment and economic activity provide a basis for making more accurate decisions on projects and services and directing resources.
The importance of this is even greater in Jordan given limited resources, Ayesh said, explaining that the issue is not only how much the state spends, but where spending is directed, which groups and areas benefit from it, when it is allocated, and what economic, social and service returns it generates.
Ayesh said the 2026 Population and Housing Census is a key component of this system because it provides a comprehensive picture of the population, households and housing units and their geographic and demographic distribution. Integrating these data with information on businesses, employment, education, transportation, health, taxation and social protection would allow Jordan to move from planning based on estimates, rates and averages to planning based on actual needs on the ground.
He added that digital tools and artificial intelligence can continuously update this picture rather than waiting for periodic surveys, turning data from a static picture of the economy and society into a continuous monitoring and early-warning system that helps decision-makers identify imbalances and respond quickly.
One of the most important economic benefits of better data, Ayesh said, is reducing the cost of decision-making errors. Decisions based on incomplete information may direct resources toward groups that do not need them, areas that are not priorities or projects that do not match demand. More accurate, connected and analyzed data can reduce uncertainty and improve the targeting of spending.
Ayesh summarized the economic equation as follows: more accurate data, continuous updates, integration and analysis, and evidence-based decision-making mean better use of resources, less waste, more efficient implementation and higher productivity.
He stressed, however, that simply possessing data is not enough. The real challenge for Jordan is moving from collecting data to producing knowledge and using it in decision-making. This requires linking government databases within legal frameworks that protect privacy, standardizing standards, developing digital infrastructure, strengthening government employees’ data-analysis capabilities, and linking government programs to measurable performance indicators.
He called for building an integrated national system that allows data to be exchanged under clear rules, linking government records, investing in data analysis and artificial intelligence, and developing human capabilities to use data.
Data-Based Decisions Are Better Than Decisions Based on Intuition
Economic expert Zian Zawaneh said all efforts aimed at expanding the national data base contribute to improving government decision-making and increasing the efficiency of planning in various areas.
He stressed that decisions based on a stronger data base are more sound than those made on the basis of intuition.
Zawaneh said the current technological revolution relies heavily on the availability, storage, management and use of data in decision-making. He pointed to the large global investments being directed toward establishing data centers, which he described as an increasingly important element of competition among major countries.
He explained that global technology companies are cooperating with governments in areas related to data and information, providing governments with additional sources that can be used to build information systems and support economic, security and other decisions.
At the same time, Zawaneh noted that some economic areas still lack sufficient data, most notably the informal labor market. He said more accurate information is needed on its size, contribution to gross domestic product, the types of activities it encompasses, the number of workers involved, their geographic and social distribution, and the proportions of Jordanians and foreign workers employed in the sector.
Zawaneh stressed the importance of the government and the Department of Statistics preserving and making use of the results of the 2026 Population and Housing Census as an important national information resource. He said various parties are showing significant interest in the data that will emerge from the census, making it essential to preserve, manage and effectively utilize the information for planning and decision-making.
He added that the need to improve data extends beyond census results to economic sectors and areas that continue to suffer from information gaps, particularly the informal labor market, which requires a more accurate data base covering its size, contribution to GDP, types of activities, number of workers, geographic and social distribution, and the proportions of Jordanians and foreign workers within it.
Source: Al Ghad
