Tunisia: Seeking FDI
Tunisia offers opportunities for foreign direct investors, but it might be better to wait.
Tunisia GDP and Economic Data
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.
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International Reserves
USD 6.0 billion (2016)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 144.2 billion (2018, estimate)
Source
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
Source
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2019* |
| 0.11% | 0.11% | 0.12% | 0.13% | 0.11% |
*Estimate
Source
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 9.5%
- industry: 23.1%
- services: 60.3%
(2017 estimate)
Inflation
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 4.4% | 3.6% | 5.3% | 7.3% | 6.6% |
*Estimate
Source
Unemployment rate
| 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | 2018* | 2019* |
| 15.2% | 15.6% | 15.3% | 15.4% | N/A |
*Estimate
Source
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
Source
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
Source
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: N/A
Moody's: B2
Standard & Poor's / Moody's
Source
Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 8.5 billion | USD 8.9 billion | USD 8.3 billion |
Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-11.1 % (2018 estimate)
Source
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)
Export commodities
Clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
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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
Source
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
Source
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
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
| 37.5% | 50.6% | 63.4% | 68.9% |
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)
Source
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)