Jordan Posts Trade Surplus With 10 Arab Markets in First Half 2026
Jordan recorded bilateral trade surpluses with 10 Arab markets in the first half of 2026, while national exports to Greater Arab Free Trade Area countries rose 4.4 percent to 1.997 billion dinars, according to foreign trade data released by Jordan’s Department of Statistics and reported by Petra, the Jordan News Agency.
GAFTA Trade Widens as Imports Outpace Exports
Exports to GAFTA markets climbed to 1.997 billion dinars in the first six months of 2026, up from 1.912 billion dinars in the same period of 2025. Imports from GAFTA countries rose at a far steeper pace, up 26.3 percent to 3.296 billion dinars from 2.610 billion dinars a year earlier. The gap between the two growth rates widened Jordan’s overall trade deficit with GAFTA countries to 1.299 billion dinars, compared with 698 million dinars in the first half of 2025, an increase of about 86.1 percent in dinar terms year on year, on our calculation. Despite the wider deficit, Arab markets remained Jordan’s largest export destination, accounting for about 42.8 percent of the Kingdom’s total national exports during the period.
| Measure | H1 2026 (JD billion) | Change y/y |
|---|---|---|
| Total exports incl. re-exports | 6.414 | +14.5% |
| Total national exports | 4.667 | +6.2% |
| Imports from GAFTA markets | 3.296 | +26.3% |
| Exports to GAFTA markets | 1.997 | +4.4% |
GAFTA trade deficit rose to 1.299 billion dinars from 698 million dinars, an increase of about 86.1 percent, on our calculation.
Winners and Losers Across Arab Markets
Petra listed bilateral trade surpluses with Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, Morocco, Kuwait, Syria, Palestine, Algeria, Iraq and South Sudan, and trade deficits with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Tunisia and Sudan.
Saudi Arabia remained Jordan’s largest single GAFTA export market, with national exports valued at about 529 million dinars in the first half. Iraq followed at 522 million dinars, with exports up 16.3 percent from a year earlier, while shipments to Syria climbed 36.4 percent to 146 million dinars.
Jordan’s exports to Arab markets were led by fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products, including fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, along with salts, skincare products, food preparations, furniture, textiles, garments and paints. Major imports from GAFTA countries included crude oil and petroleum products, jewelry, food products, plastic sheets and plates, titanium oxide, polyethylene, polystyrene, and iron and iron products.
Re-Exports Lift Jordan’s Total Trade Performance
Jordan’s overall national exports increased 6.2 percent in the first half to 4.667 billion dinars. Re-exports rose 44.6 percent to 1.747 billion dinars, bringing total exports, including re-exports, to 6.414 billion dinars, up 14.5 percent year on year.
On our calculation, re-exports accounted for about 27.2 percent of Jordan’s total exports in the first half of 2026, 1.747 billion dinars of 6.414 billion dinars, underscoring their growing weight alongside domestically produced goods. On our reading, the 4.4 percent rise in exports to GAFTA markets also trailed the 6.2 percent increase in Jordan’s total national exports, indicating that Arab markets grew more slowly during the period than Jordan’s export base as a whole.
Why it matters: GAFTA countries remain Jordan’s single largest export outlet, absorbing more than four in ten dinars of national exports, so shifts in demand across the bloc carry outsized weight for Jordan’s overall trade position. The widening deficit with GAFTA, alongside heavier imports of crude oil and petroleum products, means the bloc that anchors Jordan’s export base is also becoming a larger net drain on the Kingdom’s external accounts.
Jordan’s Global Trade Deficit Narrows Even as the GAFTA Deficit Widens
Jordan’s trade position outside the GAFTA bloc moved in the opposite direction. A companion release from the same Department of Statistics data set showed Jordan’s global trade deficit narrowed 5.5 percent to about 3.85 billion dinars in the first half of 2026, from roughly 4.07 billion dinars a year earlier, as imports rose 6.1 percent to about 10.26 billion dinars, a slower pace than the 14.5 percent rise in total exports. Export coverage of imports, the share of import value offset by exports, improved to 63 percent from 58 percent a year earlier. Crude oil and petroleum product imports rose 58.1 percent year on year, a major contributor to overall import growth even as the deficit narrowed. The contrast is notable: Jordan’s deficit with GAFTA countries specifically widened by about 86.1 percent in the same period, even as its global trade deficit fell, consistent with GAFTA imports, including crude oil and petroleum products, contributing disproportionately to the increase in Jordan’s import bill. The available data does not break out how much of the overall 58.1 percent rise in crude oil and petroleum product imports specifically originated within GAFTA.
Outlook: Continued strength in fertilizer, pharmaceutical and agricultural shipments will be central to whether Jordan can narrow its deficit with the larger, oil exporting GAFTA members such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the second half of the year. The pace of re-export growth, which has outstripped growth in domestically produced national exports, will also determine whether Jordan’s total trade figures continue to outperform its underlying national export performance through the rest of 2026.
Sources: Petra (Jordan News Agency), citing Jordan’s Department of Statistics
