Tunísia: Visió econòmica i política
Tunisia's foreign trade represents 94% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). Wire and cable manufacturing continues to be Tunisia's main exporting industry (13.3% of all exports), followed by textiles, petroleum by-products, olive oil, parts of vehicles, and plastics. Hydrocarbon products comprise Tunisia's main imports by far, followed by vehicles, electric apparatus, wheat, transportation and travel (data Comtrade).
The European Union is Tunisia's main trading partner, accounting for 67,5% of its exports and 44.2% of its imports. On a country level, exports are mainly directed towards France (24.1%), Italy (18.4%), Germany (12.8%), Spain (4.1%), and Libya (3.9%); whereas imports come chiefly from Italy (13.5%), France (11.4%), China (10.4%), Germany (6.5%), and Turkey (5.4%). Tunisia has pursued an active policy of enhancing its trade with the rest of Africa. In this regard, Tunisia signed a new trade cooperation agreement with Ghana in 2019. In the same year, the Tunisian Parliament ratified the country's official accession to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA, a joint free trade area with twenty member states stretching from Libya to Swaziland). Furthermore, Tunisia is seeking to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and is a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Click here for a list of the FTAs signed by Tunisia.
Tunisia's trade balance is structurally negative: according to the World Bank, the deficit stood at around 10.1% of GDP in 2021. In the same year, exports reached USD 16.6 billion (+20.8%), with imports increasing at a similar pace (+22.5%), totalling USD 22.5 billion. Concerning services, exports stood at USD 2.7 billion against USD 2.5 of imports (+26.5% and +18.9% y-o-y, respectively). According to the latest figures from the National Statistical Institute, in 2022, exports progressed by +23.4% reaching TND 57.5 billion (around USD 18.8 billion). As for imports, they increased more rapidly (+31.7%) and reached TND 82.7 billion (around USD 27.1 billion). Consequently, the trade deficit worsened from TND 16.2 billion in 2021 to 25.2 billion in 2022. In the same year, the coverage rate lost 4.7 points compared to the year 2021 to reach 69.5%.
| Foreign Trade Values | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Imports of Goods (million USD) | 20,654 | 22,705 | 21,555 | 18,351 | 22,488 |
| Exports of Goods (million USD) | 14,204 | 15,534 | 14,933 | 13,813 | 16,689 |
| Imports of Services (million USD) | 2,780 | 2,990 | 2,854 | 2,171 | 2,583 |
| Exports of Services (million USD) | 3,119 | 3,697 | 4,036 | 2,147 | 2,718 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Indicators | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 95.8 | 103.9 | 102.3 | 84.2 | 94.4 |
| Trade Balance (million USD) | -5,369 | -6,045 | -5,498 | -3,535 | -4,665 |
| Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) | -5,145 | -5,406 | -4,372 | -3,586 | -4,526 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 4.1 | 2.5 | -8.4 | -16.6 | 10.9 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 4.8 | 4.6 | -4.2 | -20.0 | 11.8 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 54.1 | 58.4 | 56.4 | 46.3 | 52.2 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 41.7 | 45.5 | 46.0 | 38.0 | 42.1 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2022 | 2023 (e) | 2024 (e) | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 4.1 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 5.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
| Main Customers (% of Exports) |
2021 |
| France | 24.1% |
| Italy | 18.4% |
| Germany | 12.8% |
| Spain | 4.1% |
| Libya | 3.9% |
| Netherlands | 2.6% |
| United States | 2.3% |
| Belgium | 1.9% |
| United Kingdom | 1.6% |
| Türkiye | 1.6% |
| Morocco | 1.5% |
| Algeria | 1.4% |
| Switzerland | 1.2% |
| India | 1.0% |
| Poland | 1.0% |
| Romania | 0.9% |
| Malta | 0.6% |
| Austria | 0.6% |
| United Arab Emirates | 0.6% |
| Canada | 0.6% |
| See More Countries | 36.8% |
| Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2021 |
| Italy | 13.5% |
| France | 11.4% |
| China | 10.4% |
| Germany | 6.5% |
| Türkiye | 5.4% |
| Spain | 4.2% |
| Algeria | 3.5% |
| Azerbaijan | 3.0% |
| United States | 2.5% |
| Greece | 2.5% |
| Russia | 2.4% |
| Ukraine | 2.3% |
| Saudi Arabia | 2.1% |
| India | 1.9% |
| Belgium | 1.6% |
| South Korea | 1.4% |
| Brazil | 1.3% |
| Egypt | 1.2% |
| Bulgaria | 1.1% |
| Netherlands | 1.1% |
| See More Countries | 52.8% |
Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows.
| 3.9 bn USD of services exported in 2018 | |
| 45.17% | |
| Personal travelPersonal travel | 44.13% |
| Business travelBusiness travel | 1.04% |
| 29.76% | |
| 7.33% | |
| 6.91% | |
| 4.08% | |
| 2.41% | |
| 1.72% | |
| 1.71% | |
| 0.62% | |
| 0.29% | |
| 3.2 bn USD of services imported in 2018 | |
| 45.83% | |
| 26.87% | |
| Personal travelPersonal travel | 23.79% |
| Business travelBusiness travel | 3.08% |
| 7.87% | |
| 7.04% | |
| 5.40% | |
| 2.86% | |
| 2.28% | |
| 0.90% | |
| 0.55% | |
| 0.41% | |
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Actualitzacions: April 2023
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