Monday, 23 June 2025

The proportion and number of widowed women are significantly higher than those of men in Jordan across all age groups.

The United Nations has designated an International Day for Widows, observed annually on June 23rd, to raise awareness about their needs, experiences, and rights—ensuring they are recognized and addressed, as they are often overlooked in certain social contexts. Dr. Issa Al-Masarweh, Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council, emphasized that the Council has chosen to mark this occasion by preparing and publishing facts paper on widowhood among Jordanian men and women, categorized by age and sex. He explained that this effort aligns with the Council’s mandate to produce and disseminate knowledge products on marital status in Jordan, where widows are one category—alongside married, single, and divorced individuals among the marital status of both sexes.

The analysis in this paper was based on the most recent data regarding the percentages and numbers of Jordanian widows and widowers by age and sex, sourced from two main references: the 2015 Population and Housing Census, and data on Jordanians from the Civil Status and Passports Department database as of the end-2023 (2024 data not being available yet). The analysis results showed a 52% increase in the number of widows and widowers between 2015-2023, rising from about 143,000 to around 217,000, with women constituting the overwhelming majority at 98.7% of the total number of Jordanian widows and widowers.

Regarding the percentages and numbers of widows and widowers by age, the current marital status data shows that widowhood rates increase with age and vary significantly between men and women. While the percentage of widows in the age group 60 years and above is 42.1% among women, it is less than 1% among men (0.81%). As for the numbers, there are 208,165 widows aged 40 years and above, compared to only 2,721 widowers in the same age group^[1].

To explain these significant gender and age disparities in widowhood rates - which are projected to increase - the paper detailed nine underlying causes. These causes are distributed across four key dimensions: biological, social, demographic, and legislative, all of which were thoroughly examined in the paper.

The paper concluded with an analysis of the interrelationship between widowhood, female-headed households, employment, and poverty. The key findings revealed that while women head 21% of Jordanian households, a striking 76% of these female-headed households are led by widows[2]. The labor market participation rate among widows remains critically low at just 1.8%. Most significantly[3], National Aid Fund data indicates widows constitute 87% of all widowed beneficiaries receiving social assistance, underscoring their disproportionate vulnerability to poverty[4]. The report culminated in evidence-based policy recommendations addressing these systemic challenges.

[1] Civil Status and Passports Department database as of the end of 2023

[2] What the Department of Statistics recently published on the World Family Day

[3] The Department of Statistics - Results of the 2024 Labor Force Survey

[4] National Aid Fund database, March 2025