The total area of licensed buildings in Jordan reached approximately 4.62 million square meters in the first seven months of 2024, marking a 12% decrease compared to 5.25 million square meters during the same period in 2023. According to a report released by the Department of Statistics on Sunday, the number of building permits issued also dropped by 7.8%, with 12,614 permits issued in January-July 2024, compared to 13,679 permits during the same period last year. In terms of usage, areas licensed for residential purposes amounted to 3.69 million square meters, down by 16.7% from 4.43 million square meters. In contrast, non-residential licensed areas increased by 13.5%, reaching 934,000 square meters compared to 823,000 square meters last year. The report further indicated that residential areas made up 79.8% of the total licensed building area, with non-residential areas accounting for 20.2%. Regionally, the central region held the largest share at 67.4% of the total licensed building area, while the nor thern and southern regions accounted for 23% and 9.6%, respectively. The southern region notably saw an 11.7% increase, while the northern region experienced a 4.6% decline. Source: Jordan News Agency