Mafraq Governorate
Mafraq hosts Zaatari refugee camp and 207,000+ Syrians, nearly doubling governorate population and straining water/infrastructure capacity since 2012.
Mafraq hosts Zaatari, the world's largest Syrian refugee camp established in July 2012, the influx nearly doubling the governorate's population and straining infrastructure that served far fewer residents. Over 207,000 Syrians reside in Mafraq governorate, many outside the camp in host communities where refugees and Jordanians compete for employment, housing, and water that the desert climate cannot abundantly provide.
The demographic shock transformed Mafraq from agricultural backwater into humanitarian crisis zone—the Houran Plateau's fruit and vegetable production continuing while international organizations and NGOs became major employers. Population of 549,948 reflects growth that infrastructure planning never anticipated, water demand in northern governorates increasing 40% since the Syrian conflict began.
Work permits granted to Syrians surged from 45,000 in 2019 to 90,000 in 2023 (340,000 cumulative), the labor market integration that reduces dependency while creating competition for Jordanian workers. Whether Mafraq can sustainably integrate refugee populations—or whether the burden exceeds both local and international capacity to manage—tests the limits of host country absorption in protracted displacement crises.