Zarqa: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Zarqa: The unemployment rate in Zarqa Governorate, where Zarqa is, was 22.5% in 2024 (19.3% for men and 39.3% for women), against 21.4% across Jordan. The Department of Statistics publishes this by governorate only. That is joint 2nd highest among the 9 Jordanian cities covered on this site.
- Health in Zarqa: Zarqa Governorate, which contains Zarqa, had 9 hospitals with 1,208 beds in 2024: 2 Ministry of Health hospitals with 663 beds, the rest private or other government hospitals. Jordan had 120 hospitals and 16,325 beds.
- Education in Zarqa: Zarqa schools, 2023/2024 (Zarqa 1 and Zarqa 2 education directorates combined): 631 schools with 7,551 class units, 205,477 students and 11,447 teachers, according to the Department of Statistics yearbook.
What is the population of Zarqa?
Zarqa (Zarqa Sub-District) had an estimated 796,650 residents at the end of 2024, according to the Department of Statistics. That is 6.8% of Jordan's 11,734,000 people. That is 3rd highest among the 9 Jordanian cities covered on this site.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyHow many people live in Zarqa Governorate?
Zarqa Governorate, which contains Zarqa, had 1,675,700 people at the end of 2024, or 14.3% of Jordan. Zarqa (Zarqa Sub-District) makes up 48% of it.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyIs Zarqa urban or rural?
In Zarqa Governorate, 96.4% of the 1,675,700 people live in urban areas (localities of 5,000 or more people, as defined in the 2015 census) and 3.6% in rural areas. Across Jordan 90.3% are urban (2024 estimate).
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyHow many men and women live in Zarqa Governorate?
Zarqa Governorate had 112 men for every 100 women at the end of 2024 (886,600 men and 789,100 women); Jordan as a whole had 113.
Source: Jordan Department of Statistics · saved copyThe UN marks this figure as an estimate of lower reliability.
Who runs Zarqa?
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
- Russiefa 591,640
- Ramtha 292,805
- Aqaba 197,625
- 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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