Licensed Building Areas Decline by 11.1% in Jan-Aug of 2024

AMMAN: The total licensed building area in Jordan reached approximately 5.48 million square meters in the first eight months of 2024, marking an 11.1% decline compared to the same period in 2023, when it was 6.16 million square meters. This decrease reflects a broader slowdown in construction activities across the Kingdom. According to Jordan News Agency, the Department of Statistics (DoS) released a report indicating that 14,948 building permits were issued from January to August 2024, representing a 7.3% decline from the 16,121 permits issued during the same timeframe in 2023. This downward trend has affected the overall construction landscape in the country. The report details that for residential purposes, the licensed areas amounted to 4.4 million square meters, a significant 14.9% decrease from 5.17 million square meters in 2023. Conversely, the licensed areas for non-residential purposes experienced an 8% increase, reaching 1.08 million square meters compared to 1 million square meters last year. Re sidential buildings accounted for 80.3% of the total licensed areas, while non-residential structures made up 19.7%. Regional analysis showed that the central region held the largest share with 68.3% of the licensed building area, albeit with a slight decrease of 2.7%. The northern region accounted for 22.3% of the total, experiencing a larger drop of 10.1%. The southern region, however, saw an increase of 8%, comprising 9.4% of the total licensed building areas.