Jordan is a recent creation, having been established in 1921 within borders drawn by European colonial powers. It soon became the first host of Palestinian refugees. Migration to, from, and across Jordan since the Palestinian exodus of 1948 has played a key role in the country's politics, economy, and society. These movements have several underlying and interacting patterns. The main ones are connected to regional geopolitics, the fluctuations of the oil economy in the Persian Gulf, and efforts by the kingdom's Hashemite monarchy to ensure its own stability.
Today, empirical evidence suggests that more Jordanians are trapped at the lower half of the bottle and looking, somewhat hopelessly, at a narrowing neck through the promised economic revival plan lens. In the context of growing dissatisfaction with public policies and public institutions’ performance, an increasing level of hopelessness and a sense of alienation, nearly a third of adult Jordanians express a desire to emigrate. A quarter of those who want to emigrate have taken action to realise their desire. Given the result and weak market mobility as well as the fact that Jordan continue to violate human rights, including restrictions on free expression, free assembly, and women’s rights, it is expected that more Jordanians will be pushed out of the country to follow those who have left and deposit their wealth elsewhere.