Jordan Census

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Jordan

Census

Online Resources

For more information on Ottoman Nüfus Records (سجلات النفوس العثمانية), including content, locations, and how to access them, please see Palestine, Ottoman Census and Population Registers.

• 1876-1917 Palestine, Ottoman Census and Population Registers, 1876-1917 at FamilySearch — index & images
• 1883-1917 - Nüfūs registers (Ottoman census and population registers of Palestine), 1883-1917. Includes birth, marriage, divorce, and death records. These records can only be accessed at a FamilySearch center or a FamilySearch affiliate library.

These records are in Ottoman Turkish (Turkish in Arabic script) except for seven books of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, which are in Hebrew. The collection consists of 7 types of registers: preliminary registers; basic registers; early population registers; registers of births, marriages, divorces and changes of address; registers of men of military age; registers of foreigners; and Mukhtars' registers. Registers are arranged into 10 districts, each including cities (divided into neighborhoods) and villages in present day Palestine, Israel, and parts of Jordan and Egypt. Registration within each locality is according to religious affiliation. The collection also includes a catalog in English, created by the Israel State Archives (the current owners of the archives), which includes general background information about the registers, a locality index and detailed descriptions of the contents of each register.

• 1979 Population and Housing Census - PDF version. Statistical information only.

Offices to Contact

National Archives of Jordan
Number 9, Haroun Al-Rasheed St.
P.O. Box 6070
Amman, Jordan 11118
Email: nl@nl.gov.jo
Telephone: +962-6-5662791
Website

• The National Library of Jordan is the primary repository for records produced by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and other records that preserve its cultural legacy

University of Jordan Library
P.O. Box 11942
Amman, Jordan
Email: library@ju.edu.jo
Telephone: +962 6 5355000
Website - Manuscript collection

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• The University in Amman houses rare manuscript materials, including Shari'a Court Records from 1926-2003 (legal matters, marriages, inheritance) Ottoman registers and statistics, newspapers, and Mamluk Period documents. Contact general support at the email address below to request more information about these collections.

Background

In the past few centuries, Jordan has been under the rule of several different powers and administrative governance. During Ottoman rule (1516-1918), the area now known as Jordan was part of a greater region called Bilad al-Sham or Southern Syria. The Ottomans took periodic population registers for taxation and conscription purposes, although these did not always cover small towns. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Jordan became part of the British Mandate of Palestine (1921-1946) but Hashemite rulership was given de facto control of what was then considered Transjordan, including Jordan, as well as parts of Syria and Iraq. No formal censuses were conducted during this time, with leadership relying on population estimates. In 1946, the Hashemites declared independence and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Since gaining independence, Jordan has conducted several censuses with the first attempted census in 1952.

Types of Censuses

Ottoman Nufus (population) Registers

The Ottoman population registers, covering the period from 1883 to 1915, were initially compiled through a census survey and subsequently updated with vital information such as births, marriages, and deaths. These registers, which establish family groups and individual identities, list household members' names, including children, along with details such as sex, birth date, residence, age, religion, craft or occupation, marital status, marriage date, health, and military status. In cases of death, the register provides the death date or crosses out the name of the deceased. Supplemental registrations of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths were sometimes added directly to the register or compiled in separate registers. These records are housed in the National Archives in Amman and Jerusalem, with less than 5% available in the FamilySearch Library, primarily from the Ottoman province of Palestine, including parts of Jordan. The population coverage is about 80%, though remote areas may not be fully counted, and while the reliability is generally good, some information may be incomplete.

Hashemite Kingdom Censuses

The British conducted censuses in 1922 and 1931, but these were incomplete, as was the Jordanian government's 1952 census. The first complete census was taken in 1961. The early censuses (1922-1952) listed only males and the number of individuals in each household. From 1961 onwards, the registers include the names of all household members, including children, along with details such as sex, birth date, residence, age, religion, occupation, marital status, health status, and military status. These records are housed in the National Archives in Amman. The population coverage of early censuses was less than 20%, while later censuses cover over 90%.

Information Recorded in the Records

• Ottoman Nufus (population) registers - These registers, which establish family groups and individual identities, list household members' names, including children, along with details such as sex, birth date, residence, age, religion, craft or occupation, marital status, marriage date, health, and military status. In cases of death, the register provides the death date or crosses out the name of the deceased. Supplemental registrations of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths were sometimes added directly to the register or compiled in separate registers.
• Hashemite Kingdom Censuses - Names of all household members, sex, birth date, residence, age, religion, occupation, marital status, health status, and military status.