Jordanian dinar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jordanian dinar
Fifth edition Jordanian bank notes and coins
ISO 4217 Code	JOD
Official user(s)	Jordan
Unofficial user(s)	West Bank
Inflation	1.35%
Source	The World Factbook, 2021 est.
Pegged with	US dollar US$ = JOD 0.708 (buy) US$ = JOD 0.71 (sell)
Subunit
1⁄10	dirham
1⁄100	qirsh or piastre
1⁄1000	fils
Symbol	د.أ‎
Coins	1, 5, 10 piastres/qirsh, 1⁄4, 1⁄2 dinar
Banknotes	1, 5, 10, 20, 50 dinars

The Jordanian dinar (Arabic: دينار أردني‎) is the money used in Jordan. Its official code is JOD, but people often call it JD. Jordan has been using the dinar since 1950. One dinar is split into 100 qirsh (also called piastres) or 1000 fils. Even though fils aren't used much anymore, money amounts are still sometimes written with three decimal places to show fils. The Jordanian dinar is also used a lot in the West Bank, along with the Israeli shekel.

The Central Bank of Jordan started working in 1964. It became the only place allowed to print Jordanian money. Before that, another group called the Jordan Currency Board did this job.

History of the Jordanian Dinar

Before the Jordanian dinar, people in Jordan used the Palestine pound. This was set up in 1927 by the British who were in charge of the area at the time. It was used in both Mandatory Palestine and the area that would become Jordan.

Jordan became an independent country in 1946. But it kept using the Palestine pound for a little while longer. In 1949, Jordan created its own money system. They set up the Jordan Currency Board to print the new Jordanian dinar. This new money was worth the same as the Palestine pound.

The Jordanian dinar officially became Jordan's money on July 1, 1950. The Palestine pound stopped being used in Jordan by September 1950. In 1959, the Central Bank of Jordan was created. It took over printing money in 1964. Even when Jordan lost control of the West Bank in 1967, the Jordanian dinar continued to be used there. It is still widely used in the West Bank today.

Coins of Jordan

Coins were first made in 1949. They came in values like 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 fils. Later, in 1968, 25 fils coins were made. In 1970, 1⁄4 dinar coins were introduced. The 1 fils coin was last made in 1985.

In 1996, smaller 1⁄4 dinar coins were made. New 1⁄2 and 1 dinar coins also came out. Until 1992, the coins had Arabic names like fils, qirsh, dirham, and dinar. But in English, they only showed fils and dinar. Since 1992, the Arabic names fils and dirham are not used on coins. The English names are now dinar, qirsh, or piastres.

Today, the coins used are:

• 1 qirsh
• 5 piastres (qirsh)
• 10 piastres (qirsh)
• 1⁄4 dinar
• 1⁄2 dinar

Banknotes of Jordan

The Central Bank of Jordan is the only place that prints Jordanian banknotes. It started releasing its first series of notes on August 4, 1965. Before 1965, the Jordan Currency Board printed the money. And before 1949, the Palestinian pound was used.

In 1949, the Jordan Currency Board printed banknotes in values of 1⁄2, 1, 5, 10, and 50 dinars. These notes had the country's official name: "The Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan." In 1977, 20 dinar notes were added. The 50 dinar note was updated, and the 1⁄2 dinar notes were replaced by coins in 1999.

Early Banknotes (1949–1965)

These banknotes were issued by the Jordan Currency Board.

First Issue (1949–1952)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Printed Date
		500 fils	128 x 76 mm	Dark Purple	Wadi Al Arab Irrigation Project	Shepherd with his flock	1949 (Gregorian) 1368 (Hijri)
		1 dinar	160 x 86 mm	Green	King Abdullah I	Oval Plaza - Jerash
		5 dinar	169 x 88 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh
		10 dinar	185 x 97 mm	Blue
		50 dinar	190 x 100 mm	Brown		View from Aqaba

Second Issue (1952–1965)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Printed Date
		500 fils	128 x 76 mm	Dark Purple	Wadi Al Arab Irrigation Project	Shepherd with his flock	1952 (Gregorian) 1371 (Hijri)
		1 Dinar	160 x 86 mm	Green	King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Plaza - Jerash
		5 Dinar	169 x 88 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh
		10 Dinar	185 x 97 mm	Blue

Banknotes by the Central Bank of Jordan

These banknotes were issued by the Central Bank of Jordan.

First Issue (1965–1975)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Issue Date
		1⁄2 dinar	140 x 70 mm	Dark Orange	King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Forum - Jerash	August 4, 1965
		1 dinar	150 x 75 mm	Green		Dome of the Rock	August 4, 1965
		5 dinar	164 x 82 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh	August 4, 1965
		10 dinar	175 x 88 mm	Blue		Al-Maghtas	August 4, 1965

Second Issue (1975–1992)

Obverse/Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Issue Date
	1⁄2 dinar	136 × 67.5 mm	Brown	King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Forum - Jerash	November 16, 1975
	1 dinar	144 × 71.5 mm	Green		Dome of the Rock	November 16, 1975
	5 dinar	152 × 76 mm	Red		View of Petra	November 16, 1975
	10 dinar	160 × 80 mm	Dark Purple		The Cultural Palace at Al-Hussein Youth Sports City Roman Amphitheater (Amman) Three Roman columns in Jerash	November 16, 1975
	20 dinar	168 × 84 mm	Olive Green/Blue		View of the Al-Hussein Thermal Power Station in Zarqa Olive grove	June 3, 1978 (Olive Green) August 25, 1990 (Blue)

Third Issue (1992–2002)

Obverse/Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Issue Date
	1⁄2 dinar	131 × 62 mm	Brown	King Hussein bin Talal	Qusayr 'Amra	August 1, 1992
	1 dinar	137 × 66 mm	Green		The Cardo in Jerash
	5 dinar	143 × 70 mm	Red		Al-Khazneh	October 1, 1992
	10 dinar	149 × 74 mm	Blue		Ajloun Castle
	20 dinar	155 × 78 mm	Olive green and gray		Dome of the Rock	August 1, 1992

Fourth Issue (2002–2022)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Printed Date	Issued Date	Watermark
		1 dinar	133 × 74 mm	Green	Hussein bin Ali A silver Hashemite coin	Flag of the Great Arab Revolt Supreme Order of the Renaissance Antique compass	2002 Hijri 1423	March 30, 2003	Sharif Hussein bin Ali
		5 dinars	137 × 74 mm	Brick orange	Abdullah bin al-Hussein I Official Seal of Abdullah bin Al-Hussein I	Ma’an Palace Umayyad coin		December 22, 2002	Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
		10 dinars	141 × 74 mm	Blue	Talal bin Abdullah Umm Qais Museum Commemorative stamp	First Jordanian Parliament Building Picture of Wadi Rum Decorative motif from Al Qastal			Talal bin Abdullah
		20 dinars	145 × 74 mm	Brown and Olive Green	Hussein bin Talal King Abdullah I Mosque	Dome of the Rock		February 2, 2003	Hussein bin Talal
		50 dinars	149 × 74 mm	Brown and Purple	Abdullah bin al-Hussein II	Raghadan Palace Marble carvings from Al-Aqsa Mosque. Black Iris Flower			Abdullah II bin al-Hussein

Fifth Issue (2022–present)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse Picture	Reverse Picture	Printed Date	Issued Date	Watermark
		1 dinar	133 × 74 mm	Green	Hussein bin Ali Acanthus syriacus	Mountains of Wadi Rum Sinai Rosefinch	2022 Hijri 1443	26 December 2022	Sharif Hussein bin Ali
		5 dinars	137 × 74 mm	Orange	Abdullah bin al-Hussein I Petra	Treasury, Petra		16 August 2023	Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
		10 dinars	141 × 74 mm	Blue	Talal bin Abdullah Qusayr 'Amra	Roman Theater in Amman		26 July 2023	Talal bin Abdullah
		20 dinars	145 × 74 mm	Cyan	Hussein bin Talal King Hussein Mosque	Wadi Mujib		21 March 2023	Hussein bin Talal
		50 dinars	149 × 74 mm	Purple	Abdullah bin al-Hussein II Jerusalem	Wadi Rum		5 February 2023	Abdullah II bin al-Hussein II

How the Dinar's Value Stays Fixed

Since October 23, 1995, the Jordanian dinar has been officially "pegged" to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs). This means its value is tied to a mix of other major currencies.

In simple terms, the dinar's value is mostly fixed to the U.S. dollar. For a long time, 1 U.S. dollar has been worth about 0.709 Jordanian dinars. This means 1 Jordanian dinar is worth about 1.41 U.S. dollars. The Central Bank of Jordan buys U.S. dollars at 0.708 dinar per dollar and sells them at 0.710 dinar per dollar. This helps keep the dinar's value stable.

Here's how the dinar's value compared to the U.S. dollar over some years:

See also

• British currency in the Middle East
• Economy of Jordan
• Economy of the Palestinian territories
• Iraqi dinar