Source
Central bank

Central Bank of Tunisia

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)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
6.7% 4.2% 3% 3.5% -1.9% 4% 2.9%
2014 2015 2016 2017* 2018*    
3% 1.2% 1.1% 2% 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 1990 2000 2010 2019*
0.11% 0.11% 0.12% 0.13% 0.11%

*Estimate

 
 
Source
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 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
4.4% 3.6% 5.3% 7.3% 6.6%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015 2016* 2017* 2018* 2019*
15.2% 15.6% 15.3% 15.4% N/A

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

 

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016* 2017* 2018* 2019*
55.4% 62.3% 70.6% 77% 74.4%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016* 2017* 2018* 2019*
-5.3% -6.2% -5.9% -4.6% -4.4%

*Estimate   

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: B2

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
USD 8.5 billion USD 8.9 billion USD 8.3 billion

 

Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD -4.4 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-11.1 % (2018 estimate)

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)

 
 
Source
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)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 885 million USD 881 million USD 1,036 million
FDI outflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 242 million USD 57 million USD 34 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A USD 323.6 million USD 4.7 million USD 55.5 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

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)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+1

Total area

163,610 sq km

Capital

Tunis

Currency

Tunisian dinars (TND)

Government type

Parliamentary republic

Languages

Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight)

Religions

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) 1%

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015 2020*
8.23 million 9.7 million 10.64 million 11.27 million 11.9 million

*Estimate  

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
37.5% 50.6% 63.4% 68.9%
Population median age

32 years 

Population growth rate

0.95% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

75.9 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 81.8% 
Male: 89.6% 
Female: 74.2%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

% 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)

Source
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)

Mercer Cost of living index

Tunis: 209th (2019)

CO2 emissions

2.61 metric tons per capita (2014)

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