History

The United States and Jordan share a long history of cooperation and friendship, having established diplomatic relations in 1949. Since then, Jordan has transformed from a sparsely populated country with limited road and health services to a country with 10 million people, significant infrastructure, and established government institutions. Jordan today boasts an educated workforce and a vibrant business community, and seeks to become more competitive within the global economy.

As partners in development, we have established pioneering institutions and policies to help Jordan achieve prosperity; built networks of roads, water and sanitation systems, schools and health services; worked to conserve Jordan’s scarce water resources; promoted investment, the growth of new industries, trade, entrepreneurship and tourism; and strengthened the capacity of government and civil society to initiate and sustain reforms necessary to ensure a promising future for all Jordanians.

While Jordan has achieved great progress, the country continues to face serious development challenges. Unemployment is high, particularly among women and youth, and population growth, including the influx of refugees from regional crises, has strained the country’s limited resources, threatening to derail the country’s continued development.

USAID works with the government and people of Jordan to help the country continue advancing on its journey to self-reliance by creating private sector-led economic opportunities for a healthy, well-educated population, improving water security, increasing citizen-state trust, and reducing barriers for women and youth.