Jordan's population grows fastest in Arab world

Jordan's population is increasing at the highest rate in the Arab world, and is expected to reach 7.1 million by 2010, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.

Jordan's annual population growth rate stands at 4.4 percent, Jordanian Minister of Labor Mohammed Mehdi Farhan Wednesday told a press conference marking World Population Day, Map reported.

The kingdom's population has increased eight fold since 1952, which is an "extraordinary and forced growth" related to political, economic and demographic changes, Farhan, who also heads the National Population Commission, was quoted as saying.

"I hope that the Jordanians are more aware of the need to control population growth naturally in order to improve the standard of living," he added.

Jordan's high population growth rate is due among other factors to long life expectancy, reduced infant mortality, lack of contraception and a high fertility rate, Xinhua said referring to a recent government press release.