GDP growth: 3.5%
GDP: $24bn (PPP: $35bn)
Inflation: 3.0%
Population: 6.5m
GDP per head: $3,750 (PPP: $5,430)

King Abdullah II’s authority is overwhelming, and he will continue to run things according to his preference, aided by a pliant legislature. The only opposition party of note, the Islamic Action Front, is hampered by adverse electoral rules and internal divisions (to the extent that it wanted to boycott a late-2010 election). With the recent focus on insulating the population from the global slowdown, the main constraint on the king’s plans for liberal economic reform is lack of funds. Growth will nudge up to 3.5%, from 3.2% in 2010.