Date of publication: 14 August 2025

Jaber, M. M., Stojilovska, A., & Yoon, H. (2025). Assessing the Determinants of Energy Poverty in Jordan Based on a Novel Composite Index. Urban Science, 9(7), 263.

Name of the journal:	Urban Studies
Issuer:	Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
SCImago Journal Rank (SJR):	0.618 (Q1)
Impact factor:	2.9 (2024)

Summary

The article introduces the new composite Energy Poverty Index—covering housing quality, fuel affordability, cooling access, and wealth—, which reveals the highest vulnerability in Jordan’s northern and southern regions. Contributing factors include geographic location, gender, age, education level, dwelling type, ownership of cooling appliances, and financial stability.

The findings emphasize the need for integrated policy approaches that simultaneously address income inequality, infrastructure deficits, and environmental stressors.

Abstract

Energy poverty, resulting from poor energy efficiency and economic and social barriers to accessing appropriate, modern, and sustainable energy services, remains a critical issue in Jordan, a country facing growing climate pressures, particularly given its history of rapid urbanization. This study examines energy poverty through a multidimensional lens, considering its spatial and socio-demographic variations across Jordan. Drawing on data from 19,475 households, we apply a novel energy poverty index and binary logistic regression to analyze key determinants of energy poverty and discuss their intersection with climate vulnerability. The energy poverty index (EPI) is structured around four pillars: housing, fuel, cooling, and wealth. The results show that 51% of households in Jordan are affected by energy poverty. Contributing factors include geographic location, gender, age, education level, dwelling type, ownership of cooling appliances, and financial stability. The results indicate that energy poverty is both a socio-economic and infrastructural issue, with the highest concentrations in the northern and southern regions of the country, areas also vulnerable to climate risks such as drought and extreme heat. Our findings emphasize the need for integrated policy approaches that simultaneously address income inequality, infrastructure deficits, and environmental stressors. Targeted strategies are needed to align social and climate policies for effective energy poverty mitigation and climate resilience planning in Jordan.

The article is open access, available here: LINK (The article acknowledges the support Ana Stojilovska received from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Hungary, under the grant PD_23 OTKA no. 145881.)