Figure 2: Human Development Outcomes Human Development Social Outcomes ~ Relative Performance Health and primary education Index (2013) on & Switzerland O 3 ssingaper Finland * 24 Lithuania 35 Piet Hungary Croatia Uruguay Bulgaria Jordan Georgia Tunisia Q ¢) © dh O (43 50 58 77 B79 90 Niger @ 107 pillar, WEF Finland Singapore Competitiveness Report, 2014 Out of 148 Countries Ireland i vc Jordannas2006 sa TT TT 33 —§ 45 Peet Ungny Jordan 2011 I Georgia TE 1 2 70 6s 55 6 2 <— ‘Shun Haman DespmeatIndes, Wold Econom orm, Jordan's ranking shows that it is ahead of some countries, such [other upper middle income countries such as] Tunisia and Georgia, on the Human Development Index. However, the health and education pillars, as measured by the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index, show a relative decline over the past decade compared to some countries. This suggests that some countries have been able to achieve larger gains in health and education ‘outcomes than those achieved in Jordan. It also reflects the stress placed on our education and health system due to the pressures placed on Jordan’s hosting of over 1.4m Syrian refugees as a result of the unprecedented regional instability we have been living through since 2011. In terms of the composition of the population, Jordan's large proportion of young people represents a unique opportunity of strategic importance to achieve long- term prosperity of the Kingdom. As shown in the demographic pyramid below, the essence of this opportunity is the age profile of the Kingdom's population, which is a unique demographic “gift”. More than half the Jordanian population are under the age of 24, and over the next decade, the population is projected to grow at 1.35% and the labour force is expected to rise by 2.3% per year. This means that for the next 20 years to 2035, the working age population in Jordan (15-64) will be larger than the dependent population (children and the elderly). Our demographic reality lies at the centre of “Jordan 2025”. To seize the benefits of this “gift”, educational attainment levels and training must be dramatically improved and workforce participation rates among both males and females must be increased. This represents one of the most important opportunities to improve the well-being of Jordanians. Pw. oe