The Jordanian National AIDS Programme I. General Context: 1.1.Introduction

The Human Development Report for the Arab States in 2002 indicates that the Human Development Index (HDI) for 1998 is estimated to be 0.72, setting the country in the medium level of the HDI category. Although Jordan is a lower middle-income country with a GNP/per capita of US$1,500 (1999 World Development Indicators; World Development Report 2000/2001 World Bank, Washington), poverty is considered to be a serious problem in the country. The overall poverty incidence in Jordan is 11% according to a DHS survey conducted in 1997. The Gulf War, and its aftermath, combined with the collapse of oil prices and subsequent drop in worker remittances from neighboring oil-producing countries influenced the increase of the rate of poverty in the 1990s.