Tunísia: Visió econòmica i política
Tunisia's foreign trade represents 104% of its GDP (World Bank, 2018). Wire and cable manufacturing continues to be Tunisia's main exporting industry (13.2% of all exports), followed by textile, petroleum by-products, electrical apparatus, olive oil, travel and transportation. Hydrocarbon products comprise Tunisia's main imports by far (around 16% of all imports), followed by vehicles, electric apparatus, wheat, transportation and travel. According to the latest IMF data, the volume of exports of goods and services increased by 13.8% in 2021 compared to 2020, while imports increased by 4.3%. This trend reflects the ongoing recovery that followed the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The IMF expects exports growth to slow down to 7.1% in 2022, and imports to increase by 9.2%.
The European Union is Tunisia's main trading partner, accounting for more than half of its imports and exports. Among EU countries, France was Tunisia's top trading partner, accounting for 29.1% of Tunisian exports and 14.2% of its imports (second only to Italy). Italy was the second main destination of Tunisian exports and first supplier of goods and services in Tunisia. Germany, Spain, China and Turkey were also among Tunisia's major trading partners. 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 February 2019. In March 2019, 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).
Tunisia's trade balance is structurally negative. In 2020, as exports decreased slower than imports, the trade deficit decreased, reaching USD -4.5 billion. According to WTO data, Tunisia's imports of goods stood at USD 18.4 billion in 2020, against USD 13.8 billion for exports. In the same year, the imports of services reached USD 2.2 billion, while the value of services exports amounted to USD 2.1 billion. In 2020, Tunisia recorded record growth in olive oil export revenues despite the Covid-19 crisis, according to data released by the Office National de l'Huille (ONH).
| Foreign Trade Values | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Imports of Goods (million USD) | 19,462 | 20,654 | 22,705 | 21,555 | 18,351 |
| Exports of Goods (million USD) | 13,572 | 14,204 | 15,534 | 14,933 | 13,813 |
| Imports of Services (million USD) | 3,002 | 2,780 | 2,990 | 2,854 | 2,171 |
| Exports of Services (million USD) | 3,136 | 3,119 | 3,697 | 4,036 | 2,147 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Indicators | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 91.0 | 90.8 | 100.0 | 110.0 | 107.9 |
| Trade Balance (million USD) | -4,945 | -4,724 | -5,226 | -5,871 | -5,373 |
| Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) | -4,727 | -4,486 | -5,002 | -5,233 | -4,246 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -2.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.7 | -7.8 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -5.3 | 0.2 | 4.6 | 4.4 | -4.5 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 50.9 | 50.8 | 56.2 | 61.5 | 59.3 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 40.1 | 40.0 | 43.8 | 48.5 | 48.6 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2021 | 2022 (e) | 2023 (e) | 2024 (e) | 2025 (e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 13.8 | 7.1 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.9 |
| Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 4.3 | 9.2 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 4.0 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
| Main Customers (% of Exports) |
2019 |
| France | 29.1% |
| Italy | 16.2% |
| Germany | 12.8% |
| Spain | 3.8% |
| Libya | 3.6% |
| Algeria | 2.7% |
| United Kingdom | 2.2% |
| Netherlands | 2.0% |
| United States | 1.8% |
| Belgium | 1.7% |
| Morocco | 1.6% |
| Poland | 1.3% |
| Turkey | 0.9% |
| Austria | 0.8% |
| Czech Republic | 0.6% |
| India | 0.6% |
| Switzerland | 0.6% |
| Bangladesh | 0.6% |
| Romania | 0.5% |
| Ireland | 0.5% |
| See More Countries | 34.5% |
| Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2019 |
| Italy | 15.4% |
| France | 14.2% |
| China | 9.5% |
| Germany | 6.8% |
| Algeria | 6.6% |
| Turkey | 4.5% |
| Spain | 4.1% |
| United States | 3.2% |
| Russia | 2.3% |
| Egypt | 2.2% |
| Ukraine | 2.1% |
| India | 1.6% |
| Bulgaria | 1.4% |
| Saudi Arabia | 1.3% |
| Belgium | 1.3% |
| United Kingdom | 1.2% |
| South Korea | 1.2% |
| Brazil | 1.1% |
| Japan | 1.1% |
| Netherlands | 1.0% |
| See More Countries | 47.5% |
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, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Actualitzacions: September 2022
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