Includes Tunisia real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Tunisia economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Tunisia best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Capital City: Tunis
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank |
Central Bank of Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Currency |
Tunisian dinars (TND) |
| International Reserves |
USD 6.0 billion (2016) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 39.9 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) | Intl$ 144.2 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007: 6.7% 2008: 4.2% 2009: 3% 2010: 3.5% 2011: -1.9% 2012: 4% 2013: 2.9% 2014: 3% 2015: 1.2% 2016: 1.1% 2017: 2% (Estimate) 2018: 2.5% (Estimate) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 3,423.2 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP |
Intl$ 12,371.7 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980: 0.11% 1990: 0.11% 2000: 0.12% 2010: 0.13% 2019: 0.11% (Estimate) |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 9.5% industry: 23.1% services: 60.3% (2017 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015: 4.4% 2016: 3.6% 2017: 5.3% 2018: 7.3% (Estimate) 2019: 6.6% (Estimate) |
Tunisia
Emerging & Frontier Markets
Tunisia: Seeking FDI
Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2015: 4.4% 2016: 3.6% 2017: 5.3% 2018: 7.3% (Estimate) 2019: 6.6% (Estimate) |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: N/A Moody’s: B2 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate |
2015: 15.2% 2016: 15.6% (Estimate) 2017: 15.3% (Estimate) 2018: 15.4% (Estimate) 2019: N/A (Estimate) |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015: 55.4% 2016: 62.3% (Estimate) 2017: 70.6% (Estimate) 2018: 77% (Estimate) 2019: 74.4% (Estimate) |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015: -5.3% 2016: -6.2% (Estimate) 2017: -5.9% (Estimate) 2018: -4.6% (Estimate) 2019: -4.4% (Estimate) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
2015: 55.4% 2016: 62.3% (Estimate) 2017: 70.6% (Estimate) 2018: 77% (Estimate) 2019: 74.4% (Estimate) |
| Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 43.5% (2017) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.08% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
0.06% (2018) |
| Total exports |
USD 19.4 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Export commodities |
Clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment |
| Total imports |
USD 24.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities |
Textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs |
| Exports – major partners |
France 32.1%, Italy 17.3%, Germany 12.4% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners |
Italy 15.8%, France 15.1%, China 9.2%, Germany 8.1%, Turkey 4.8%, Algeria 4.7%, Spain 4.5% (2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance |
USD -4.4 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
-11.1 % (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016: USD 885 million 2017: USD 881 million 2018: USD 1,036 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016: USD 242 million 2017: USD 57 million 2018: USD 34 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015: N/A 2016: USD 323.6 million 2017: USD 4.7 million 2018: USD 55.5 million |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 78 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 19 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 32 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 63 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 94 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 104 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 61 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 108 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 90 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 88 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 69 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking |
87 out of 141 countries (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 125 / Score: 55.4 (Mostly unfree) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed |
Population & Geographic Data
| Time Zone |
UTC+1 |
|---|---|
| Total Area |
163,610 sq km |
| Total Population |
1990: 8.23 million 2000: 9.7 million 2010: 10.64 million 2015: 11.27 million 2020: 11.9 million (Estimate) |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960: 37.5% 1980: 50.6% 2000: 63.4% 2018: 68.9% |
| Population median age |
32 years |
| Population growth rate |
0.95% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy |
75.9 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
3.2% (last available estimate, 2015) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
32.8 (last available estimate, 2015) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) |
| Freedom House rating |
Free Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 3 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 11.3% Mobile: 127.7% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population |
64.19 % (2018) |
Language & Religon
| Languages |
Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight) |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 81.8% Male: 89.6% Female: 74.2% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions |
Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha’i) 1% |
World Rankings
| Population | 11.9 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index |
Tunis: 209th (2019) |
| C02 Emissions per capita |
2.61 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Tunisia
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000