Aqaba: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Aqaba: The unemployment rate in Aqaba Governorate, where Aqaba is, was 17.3% in 2024 (15.9% for men and 26.7% for women), against 21.4% across Jordan. The Department of Statistics publishes this by governorate only. That is the lowest among the 9 Jordanian cities covered on this site.
- Health in Aqaba: Aqaba Governorate, which contains Aqaba, had 4 hospitals with 320 beds in 2024: 1 Ministry of Health hospitals with 20 beds, the rest private or other government hospitals. Jordan had 120 hospitals and 16,325 beds.
- Education in Aqaba: Aqaba schools, 2023/2024 (Aqaba education directorate (covers the whole governorate)): 164 schools with 2,250 class units, 55,454 students and 3,931 teachers, according to the Department of Statistics yearbook.
What is the population of Aqaba?
Aqaba (Aqaba District Center (the city and its district centre)) had an estimated 197,625 residents at the end of 2024, according to the Department of Statistics. That is 1.7% of Jordan's 11,734,000 people. That is 4th lowest among the 9 Jordanian cities covered on this site.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyHow many people live in Aqaba Governorate?
Aqaba Governorate, which contains Aqaba, had 245,200 people at the end of 2024, or 2.1% of Jordan. Aqaba (Aqaba District Center (the city and its district centre)) makes up 81% of it.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyIs Aqaba urban or rural?
In Aqaba Governorate, 88.2% of the 245,200 people live in urban areas (localities of 5,000 or more people, as defined in the 2015 census) and 11.8% in rural areas. Across Jordan 90.3% are urban (2024 estimate).
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyHow many men and women live in Aqaba Governorate?
Aqaba Governorate had 120 men for every 100 women at the end of 2024 (133,500 men and 111,700 women); Jordan as a whole had 113.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyWho runs Aqaba?
In Jordan, cities and towns are run by municipalities: Mayors and councils directly elected for four years (in normal times); Amman's mayor and a third of its council are appointed. Local roads, planning, licences, waste and markets, under the Ministry of Local Administration.
How local power works in Jordan
Cities of a similar size in Jordan
- Amman 4,920,100
- Irbid 907,520
- Zarqa 796,650
- Russiefa 591,640
- Ramtha 292,805
- Mafraq 167,680
- Madaba 156,570
- Salt 130,010
Up a level: all cities in Jordan · Jordan · government and power
Sources
- Jordan Department of Statistics: Jordan Statistical Yearbook 2024, chapter 13: Education (tables 13.1.6 and 13.1.7, 2023/2024), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 29399fd3d5cf…)
- Jordan Department of Statistics: Jordan Statistical Yearbook 2024, chapter 14: Health (tables 14.10 and 14.11, 2024), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d3cc404a5043…)
- Jordan Department of Statistics: Jordan Statistical Yearbook 2024, chapter 4: Labour and Wages (table 4.19, Labour Force Survey 2024), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7b5e97c0ce89…)
- Jordan Department of Statistics: Jordan Statistical Yearbook 2024, chapter 2: Population (tables 2.2 to 2.4), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1a2fbb092f86…)
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