Amman:Licensed building area in Jordan saw a 5.7 percent increase during the first eight months of 2026, as highlighted in a monthly report released by the Department of Statistics (DoS) on Sunday.
According to Jordan News Agency, the total building area licensed by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and local municipalities reached 6.81 million square meters from January to August, compared with 6.44 million square meters during the same timeframe in 2025. The total number of building permits issued also saw a 3 percent rise, reaching 16,771, up from 16,276 in the corresponding period last year.
Residential purposes took the largest share of the licensed area, representing 81.8 percent. The licensed residential area increased by 12 percent to 5.6 million square meters, compared with 5.0 million square meters in the first eight months of 2025. On the other hand, the nonresidential licensed area decreased by 14.5 percent, amounting to 1.24 million square meters, down from 1.45 million square meters during the same period last year. Nonresidential areas accounted for 18.2 percent of the total licensed area.
Regionally, the central region dominated the licensed building area, accounting for 72.5 percent, which is a 1.4 percentage point increase over the same period in 2025. The northern region constituted 21.7 percent, up by 1.2 percentage points, while the southern region accounted for 5.8 percent, marking a decrease of 2.6 percentage points.
In terms of the distribution of licensed residential area by governorate and population, Amman Governorate had the highest reported share at 15.0 percent, with 0.666 square meters per person. Zarqa Governorate recorded the lowest share at 2.4 percent, with 0.108 square meters per person.
The report also noted that new construction and additions to existing structures amounted to approximately 4 million square meters, maintaining stability compared to the same period in 2025. These activities made up 59.5 percent of the total licensed area, while retroactive licensing for existing unpermitted structures accounted for the remaining 40.5 percent. Existing buildings were defined as structures built years earlier without permits and licensed during the month covered by data collection, with additions referring to permits for new extensions to existing licensed buildings.