clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

50% of people in Sudan, Jordan want to emigrate

August 7, 2019 at 3:08 pm

Jordanian protesters wave national flags and shout slogans during an anti-austerity rally, on 6 June 2018 in front of the Labor Union offices in Amman [AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP/ Getty]

Nearly half of the population of Sudan and Jordan have considered emigrating because of widespread corruption and the deterioration of the economic conditions in their countries, according to a poll.

The Arab Democracy Index showed that 45 per cent of Jordanians considered or are considering emigrating.

However Sudan tops the list of countries whose citizens are longing to get away, with 50 per cent of its people considering emigrating, the poll revealed.

The United States and Canada ranked first among the preferred destinations for migrants with 40 per cent of respondents choosing them as their preferred destinations. at

Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman – come second with 31 per cent; European countries come third with 16 per cent.

READ: 30% of Palestine refugees in Jordan ‘highly vulnerable’

The survey also revealed that Jordan is among the top five Arab countries whose people believe corruption is widespread, with 89 per cent of respondents attesting to the prevalence of corruption.  Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Palestine also made it to the top five.

More than two-thirds of Jordanians, 71 per cent, believe that the most important challenge facing their country today is the general economic situation, followed by financial and administrative corruption.

Sudan also topped the list of countries where those surveyed thought a quota system was necessary to ensure female participation in government. Respondents in Iraq and Jordan came in second and third respectively, while Algeria saw the lowest number of people – only 50 per cent – saying such a system should be introduced.

READ: Sudan’s political deal may not be perfect, but it’s a giant step towards stability