The objective of this study is to investigate the changes in poverty levels in Jordan. Examining the official data
on household expenditure and income, this study provides evidence of the changes in poverty levels between
1997 and 2002. The methodology has been profoundly influenced by a statistical approach of testing hypotheses.
This approach tests the changes in the level of poverty using two large sample tests that are based essentially on
the normal approximation of the binomial distribution.
The final results of the tests show that five years of growth period following 1997 have positively altered the
level of poverty. Only in Karak, Mafraq and Zarka governorates the level of abject poverty had worsened,
implying that the poorest segment of inhabitants in these governorates had increased. These governorates
accommodate about one quarter of Jordan’s population.