Tunisia’s trade deficit grows after rise in imports

Tunisia has reported an increased trade balance deficit for the first 11 months of 2025 due to a rise in imports.

The 20 percent increase in the commercial deficit runs against targets to narrow the gap as part of reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund to stimulate the economy and tackle fiscal and trade shortfalls.

The trade deficit stood at around TD20.1 billion ($6.9 billion) in the first 11 months against TD16.7 billion in the first 11 months of 2024, the national statistics institute said in a report this week.

Exports grew by just 1.5 percent to TD57.9 billion while imports swelled by nearly 5.8 percent to TD78 billion.

The report showed the European Union remained Tunisia’s top trading partner, with the value of total exchange standing at around TD73 billion, nearly 54 percent of the North African Arab country’s total exchange in the first 11 months of 2025.

The report attributed the modest growth in exports to a decline in olive oil sales, a major component of Tunisia’s exports. While there was an increase in other sales, exports of olive oil plunged by around 20 percent to TD34.7 billion.

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Tunisia, which relies mainly on farm exports, tourism and remittances for its hard currency income, has suffered from a large trade deficit over the past few years mainly because of a steady rise in imports and slow export growth.

Experts have also blamed a government tendency to increase commercial exchanges with China and Russia following a surge in imports from these countries.

There was a deficit of around $3 million in trade with China and $1.6 million in trade with Russia, said Zuhair Al-Halawi, an economics professor at Tunis University. Tunisia recorded surpluses with the US and some EU countries.