Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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rose again in 2014 as terrorist groups captured large areas of Iraq. As of April 2016, nearly
55,000 Iraqis are registered with UNHCR in Jordan.139
As with Syrians, a large population of Iraqis in Jordan have not registered with UNHCR. The
2015 government census estimated the Iraqi population in Jordan to be nearly 131,000.
Sizable migration flows between Iraq and Jordan were common even prior to the current
refugee situation, and some unregistered Iraqis may thus have already been present in the
country prior to the latest outbreak of violence or may have traveled to Jordan for other
reasons.140
Registered Iraqi refugees are highly urban—no camps have ever been established for Iraqi
refugees—and nearly 90 percent live in Amman.141 According to the 2015 census, most
unregistered Iraqis have also settled in Amman.142
Iraqi refugees registered in Jordan are relatively older than the Syrian population, with just 34
percent age 17 or younger.143 Those who arrived in the late 2000s are thought to have been
relatively well-educated. A 2007 survey found that 46 percent of adult Iraqi respondents (age
16 and older) had at least a Bachelor's degree.144
Palestinians, 1947 – Present
Palestinians are the most established and largest forced migrant population in Jordan, and
many have Jordanian citizenship. As of December 2015, 2.1 million Palestinians were
registered with UNRWA in Jordan,145 comprising over 22 percent of the population.146
Refugees from Palestine are not eligible for assistance by UNHCR,147 and are instead
supported by UNRWA, which provides registration and social services.
Palestinians first fled to Jordan in 1948, following the partitioning of Palestine and Israel. A
second wave of displaced Palestinians arrived in 1967 in the aftermath of the Six Day War,
most from Gaza or the West Bank. Most Palestinian refugees currently residing in Jordan
arrived as a part of these flows or are their children or grandchildren. More recently, Jordan
has also received Palestinian refugees fleeing from Syria. As of 2016, UNRWA had registered
approximately 18,000 Palestinians from Syria in Jordan; the real number is likely to be far
larger, however, as not all Palestinians from Syria have registered with UNRWA. Since January
2013, Palestinians from Syria have not legally been allowed entry into Jordan, and many are
thus reluctant to register their presence with UNRWA.148
Other forced migration flows, primarily 2011-present
Jordan is also host to smaller numbers of other forced migrants, most notably Yemeni,
Sudanese, and Somali refugees. The most recently arrived of these are the Yemenis. As of May
139 UNHCR, “Registered Iraqis in Jordan,” updated April 15, 2016,
140 Close to 27,000 Iraqis were in Jordan as of the 2004 census. Department of Statistics, “Table 7.7 Distribution of Non-
Jordanian Population Living in Jordan 15+ Years of Age”
141 UNHCR, “Registered Iraqis in Jordan”
142 Department of Statistics, Jordan 2015 Census.
143 UNHCR, “Registered Iraqis in Jordan”
144 FAFO, “Iraqis in Jordan: Their Number and Characteristics,” updated May 2007,
145 UNRWA, “Where We Work: Jordan,” accessed June 9, 2016,
146 MPI calculations from
an
147 Palestinians were excluded from the 1951 Convention. See Chapter 1 for a more full discussion.
148 UNRWA, “PRS in Jordan,” accessed June 9, 2016,