Amman  - The deficit in Jordan's balance of trade shrank 23.5 per cent in the first eight months of the year owing to the global recession that drastically trimmed imports particularly the oil bill, according to official statistics published on Monday.

The Department of Statistics put the trade gap between January and August at 3.49 billion dinars (4.9 billion dollars) compared with 4.559 billion dinars in the same period of 2008.

Economists attributed the narrowing trade deficit mainly to a 21.5 per cent drop in imports which stood in the first eight months at 6.514 billion dinars, compared with 8.298 billion dinars in the same period of 2008.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan's main supplier of crude oil, led exporters to the Jordanian market, followed by China, the United States and Germany.

Jordan's exports and re-exports also retreated by 19.1 per cent between January and August this year, to 3.024 billion dinars from 3.739 billion dinars in the first eight months of 2008.

Iraq topped the list of importers from Jordan, followed by the United States, India and Saudi Arabia. (dpa)