Jordan’s public debt increased 2 percent by the end of February, reaching JOD25.94 billion compared with JOD25.4 billion end of 2017.
The domestic debt reached JOD14.15 billion and the external debt JOD11.79, the Finance Ministry announced on Wednesday. The net public debt constitutes 90.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) data showed a 27.5 percent decline in foreign direct investment in Jordan during the fourth quarter of the past year to JOD176 million (USD248 million) compared with the same period in 2016. FDI in Jordan had reached JOD243 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Experts in the industrial sector said that investor anticipation along with political tension surrounding the kingdom led to a drop in investments from the Gulf and other Western countries.
By the end of last year, foreign currency reserves dropped about 5 percent, reaching around USD12.25 billion compared with around USD12.88 billion end of 2016.
Foreign reserves started dropping early 2016, after a slowdown of growth in expatriate transfers, tourism income and foreign investments.
