Spatial Variation Analysis of the Human Development Index in the Governorates of Jordan for the Period of (2004-2015)
Ebtisam Marey, Ahmad khawaldeh and Issa El–Shair, Geography Department, Yarmouk University,Irbid, Jordan.
Abstract
The study aims to measure The Human Development Index and its variances between the Jordanian governorates for the period of (2004-2015). Using Descriptive, Analytical Approach in the calculation of the Human Development Index and ArcGIS 9.3 software and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), using data from the Department of Statistics. The study has concluded that the high levels of Human Development have been concentrated on three major cities which are: Amman, the Capital, Irbid, and Zarqa. Using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient as a measure, the study has come to this conclusion: there is a direct proportionality between a strong Education Index and GDP and Human Development Index in 2004. In 2015, the direct proportionality was strong among most indicators but the GDP index was the most influential due to the variations of unemployment rates in the cities and the concentration of development projects on certain cities while other cities suffer from the lack of any development plans and projects.
Keywords: Human Development Index, Education Index, Life Expectancy Index, GDP Index.