Launching the results of the Key Indicators Report of the Population and Family Health Survey 2017-2018

The Department of Statistics (DoS) has released the results of the Key Indicators Report of the Population and Family Health Survey (PFHS) in Jordan for the year 2017-2018 noting that it is the seventh survey in the series of the demographic and health surveys carried out in Jordan. It aims to provide comprehensive data on reproduction, death, family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition at the national, urban and rural levels, regions and governorates, as well as representing the community by nationality (Jordanian, Syrian and others).

This report provides the results of the survey’s key indicators, while the detailed results will be presented in the final report of the survey expected to be published in the first quarter of 2019. For further details of the report in Arabic and English, please refer to the survey page on the website of the (DoS).

The response rate for households interviewed was 98% at the national level, while the percentage for the eligible woman in the age group (15-49) was 99% and the rate for eligible men from the same age group was 97%.

The results have shown also a decline in the Total Fertility Rate (which represents the average number of children that a woman can expect at the end of her reproductive life) from 5.6 in 1990 to 3.7 in 2002 and 3.5 in the age group (15-49) in 2012 and 2.7 in 2017-2018, which means that a woman in Jordan has an average of 2.7 children throughout her life. The level of total fertility rate in rural areas is higher (3.1 children) compared to urban areas (2.7). This result is in line with the average size of the Jordanian family of 4.8 person, as produced by the General Population and Housing Census – 2015. Governorate wise, the governorates of Amman and Karak, registered the lowest total fertility rate (2.3 children per woman) in the age group 15-49 years. In contrast, Al-Mafraq governorate has registered the highest total fertility rate (4.1) in the same age group. The largest disparity in total fertility rate is among Syrian women at (4.7) in the same age group, compared with 2.6 children per Jordanian woman and 1.9 per woman from other nationalities.

As for childbearing among adolescents aged 15-19 in Jordan, the results show that 5% of them begun childbearing, 3% had a live child and 2% were pregnant in their first child at the time of the interview. In addition, the results show that teenage childbearing is most common among women in Mafraq governorate (13%). By nationality, Syrian women had the highest teenage childbearing rate compared to other nationalities (28%).

Under-five mortality rate was 19 deaths per 1,000 births during the five-year period preceding the survey (2013-2017). Most deaths occur during the first year of life (17 deaths per 1,000 births), while the mortality rate between the first year of life and the fifth birthday is 3 deaths per 1,000 children surviving to the first birthday. As expected, deaths during the first month of life (neonatal mortality) are higher than postneonatal mortality (11 deaths per 1000 births versus 6 deaths per 1000 births), and accounts for 65% of overall infant mortality.

Data show that 98% of women received antenatal care from a health professional (doctor, nurse, or midwife) during pregnancy with their last child in the five years preceding the survey and that health professionals helped almost all births. It is worthy to note that non-Jordanian, uneducated women and mothers living in the lowest of wealth quintile are less likely than other women to give birth in a health facility. Eighty three women who gave birth during the two years preceding the survey received postnatal check during the two days after birth. The percentage of women receiving postnatal check during the two days after birth varies according to nationality (85% among Jordanian women and 76% among Syrian women).

The results show that 86% of children aged 12-23 months received all basic vaccinations. As for the prevalence of anemia among children, it was observed that one in three children are anaemic (32%). Most children with anemia suffer from mild anemia (21%) of all children, 11% suffer from moderate anemia, compared to a small percentage (less than 1%) with severe anemia. By region, the prevalence of anemia among children living in the northern region reached 38% compared with 29% in the central and southern regions. By nationality, 43% of Syrian mothers’ children suffer from anemia, compared to 32% among mothers from other nationalities.

The results indicated that the percentage of women who suffers from anemia was 43% (mild anemia 36%, moderate anemia 6% and less than 1% have severe anemia). The lowest prevalence of anemia among women is in Madaba Governorate (35%), while the highest prevalence is in Ma’an Governorate (49%). The prevalence of anemia among Syrian women was slightly higher than among other nationalities (45% compared to 43% among women of other nationalities).

The survey was funded by the Government of Jordan, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Fund on Population Activities (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund. ICF International agency provided technical assistance through the Global Demographic and Health Surveys Program.