Overview
Jordan is a multicultural country with predominantly ethnic Arab Jordanians descendants from tribes who were living around Transjordan areas or from Palestine prior to the 1948 and 1967 wars and the establishment of the state of Israel. After the Arab-Israeli conflicts of the 1948–49 and 1967, Jordan counts 69.4% Arab-Jordanians and due to several regional conflicts in the region, the country hosts other significant migrant populations, Syrians 13.3%, Palestinians 6.7%, Egyptians 6.7%, Iraqis 1.4%, others 2.6% (2015 est.: Encyclopaedia Britannica 2023). Refugees coming into Jordan share religious and linguistic identity while exhibiting different cultural values; they enjoy citizenship rights. Jordan has also other small ethnic minorities including the Druze, Armenians, Circassians, Turkish, Azeri and Chechens (2.5%).
Political, social, and religious leaders play an important role in preserving, promoting, and sustaining intercultural interactions and diversity in Jordan. The Jordanian constitution signals freedom of religion to all Jordanians, regardless of ethnic or religious origin. While there is a degree of importance attached to cultural issues at both the governmental and non-governmental levels, standards, and organised initiatives which preserve and document intercultural efforts amongst different communities are generally absent.
Intercultural Dialogue Index (ICDI) Score
| Component | Score |
| Legislative Dimension | 0.56 |
| Multiculturalism | 0.46 |
| Anti-Discrimination | 0.67 |
| Structural Dimension | 0.36 |
| Social Contact | 0.02 |
| Fractionalisation | 0.71 |
| Inequality | 0.30 |
| Access to communication | 0.33 |
| Cohesion and Stability | 0.43 |
| Opportunities Dimension | 0.43 |
| Attitudes | 0.29 |
| Inclusion | 0.44 |
| Freedoms and Rights | 0.54 |
| ICDI Score | 0.45 |
Summary
Jordan has attained an overall ICDI score of 0.45. A score of 0.71 is the highest amongst all different components for Jordan and this affirms a fairly positive situation relating to cultural participation leading to inclusiveness among the population. A score of 0.67 in the component of anti-discrimination indicates some presence of anti-discrimination acts and policies. In contrast, a score of 0.3 in the component of socio-economic inequality suggests that there little intergenerational social mobility coupled with low levels of educational attainment amongst the population. Further, a score of 0.02 in the component of social contact indicates that there is little intercultural participation amongst different ethnic groups in the population.
Current situation and outlook
Jordan has a slightly above average situation relating to its legislative dimension and has below average scores for both its structural and opportunities dimension. A score of 0.36 in the structural dimension can be attributed particularly to low levels of social contact, socio-economic inequality, and fairly limited access to modern communication. Jordan can improve its overall ICDI score by a few different measures. It can encourage the preservation of Indigenous and immigrant living languages, which will also lend to increased cultural participation and increased platforms for social contact. Jordan can also look at ways to facilitate intergenerational social mobility and create avenues for citizens to gain education qualifications.