The cover design of the Jordan Human Development Report 2000 is based on a statistical pyramid which provides a breakdown of the size of each age group within the Jordanian population. As the illustration reveals, a large base of child and youth population supports the pyramid, which narrows at the top as the ratio of older persons in the population decreases. The pyramid reflects national statistics, which indicate that a staggering 73% of Jordan's total population falls under the age of 29. Youth aged 15-29 account for 31.4% of the total population and 54.2% of the population over 15 years of age (1997).