Amman, June 30 (Petra) – Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) Governor Adel Sharkas said Jordan's economy grew by 2.9% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 2.7% a year earlier, attributing the improvement to government measures and the resilience of the national economy.

In a statement to Petra on Tuesday, Sharkas said the first-quarter growth exceeded the World Bank's 2026 forecast of 2.6%, reflecting the effectiveness of economic policies and ongoing reforms.

He said the government supported economic activity by accelerating economic programmes, improving the business environment, settling more than JD280 million in arrears owed to private-sector companies and introducing measures to support key sectors.

Sharkas said growth was broad-based, led by agriculture, which expanded by 6.8%, followed by manufacturing at 5.3%, mining and quarrying at 4.7% and electricity at 4.3%.

He added that wholesale and retail trade, transport and storage and financial and insurance activities also recorded growth.

He said Jordan's foreign currency reserves reached $27.4 billion, enough to cover around 9.5 months of imports, while inflation averaged 1.88% during the first five months of 2026.

Sharkas added that remittances from Jordanians working abroad rose 13.3% to $1.6 billion in the first four months of 2026, exports increased 1.6% to around $3 billion in the first quarter and tourism revenue reached approximately $2.8 billion during the first five months of the year despite regional challenges.

He said the latest figures demonstrate the resilience of the Jordanian economy and strengthen confidence in its growth prospects despite ongoing regional and global uncertainties. //Petra// AK