Economy of Tunisia

The economy ofTunisiais in the process of beingliberalizedafter decades of heavy state direction and participation in the country's economy. Prudent economic and fiscal planning has resulted in moderate but sustained growth for over a decade. Tunisia'seconomic growthhistorically has depended onoil,phosphates,agri-food products,car parts manufacturing, andtourism. In the World Economic ForumGlobal Competitiveness Reportfor 2015–2016, Tunisia ranks in 92nd place.
The year 2015 was marked by terrorist attacks in Tunisia which are likely to affect economic growth, especially in tourism, one of the main sectors.
GDP per capita soared by more than 380% in the seventies (1970–1980: USD 280–1,369). But this proved unsustainable and it collapsed to a cumulative 10% growth in the turbulent eighties (1980–1990: USD 1,369–1,507), rising again to almost 50% cumulative growth in the nineties (1990–2000: USD 1,507–2,245), signifying the impact of successful diversification.
Growingforeign debtand theforeign exchangecrisis in the mid-1980s led the government to launch astructural adjustmentprogram to liberalize prices, reducetariffs, and reorient Tunisia toward amarket economyin 1986. Tunisia's economic reform program was lauded as a model byinternational financial institutions. The government liberalized prices, reduced tariffs, lowered debt-service-to-exports and debt-to-GDPratios, and extended the average maturity of its $10 billion foreign debt. Structural adjustment brought additional lending from theWorld Bankand other Western creditors. In 1990, Tunisia acceded to theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT) and is a member of theWorld Trade Organization(WTO).
In 1996 Tunisia entered into an "Association Agreement" with theEuropean Union(EU) which removed tariffs and othertrade barrierson most goods by 2008. In conjunction with the Association Agreement, the EU is assisting the Tunisian government'sMise A Niveau(upgrading) program to enhance the productivity of Tunisian businesses and prepare for competition in the global marketplace.
The government totally or partially privatized around 160state-owned enterprisesafter theprivatizationprogram was launched in 1987. Although the program is supported by the GATT, the government had to move carefully to avoid mass firings.Unemploymentcontinued to plague Tunisia's economy and was aggravated by a rapidly growing workforce. An estimated 55% of the population is under the age of 25. Officially, 15.2% of the Tunisian workforce is unemployed.
In 2011, after theArab Spring, the economy slumped but then recovered with 2.81% GDP growth in 2014. However, unemployment is still one of the major issues with 15.2% of the labor force unemployed as of the first quarter of 2014. Tunisia's political transition gained new momentum in early 2014, with the resolution of a political deadlock, the adoption of a new Constitution and the appointment of a new government. Thenational dialogue platform, brokered by key civil society organizations, played a crucial role in gathering all major political parties. This consensus will allow for further reform in the economy and public sector.
In 2015, theBardo National Museum attackled to the collapse of the third largest sector of Tunisia's economy;tourism. Tunisian tourist workers in Tunis have said that "tourism is dead, it is completely dead", expressing the severe drop in tourism after the attack.
The number ofragpickersin Tunisia is increasing due to the continuing high level of unemployment, the loss of purchasing power of the most disadvantaged families, and the explosion of plastic waste due to new consumption habits. Ragpickers do not benefit fromsocial protection, granted to professions with a legal status and may be subject to the exploitation of theRecyclingindustry.
The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2017. Inflation under 5% is in green.
In 1992, Tunisia re-entered the private international capital market for the first time in 6 years, securing a $10-million line of credit forbalance-of-paymentssupport. In January 2003Standard & Poor'saffirmed its investment grade credit ratings for Tunisia. TheWorld Economic Forum2002-03 ranked Tunisia 34th in the Global Competitiveness Index Ratings (two places behindSouth Africa, the continent's leader). In April 2002, Tunisia's firstUS dollar-denominatedsovereign bondissue since 1997 raised $458 million, with maturity in 2012.
TheBourse de Tunisis under the control of the state-run Financial Market Council and lists over 50 companies. The government offers substantial tax incentives to encourage companies to join the exchange, and expansion is occurring.
The Tunisian government adopted a unified investment code in 1993 to attract foreign capital. More than 1,600 export-orientedjoint venturefirms operate in Tunisia to take advantage of relatively low labor costs and preferential access to nearby European markets. Economic links are closest with European countries, which dominate Tunisia's trade. Tunisia'scurrency, the dinar, is not traded outside Tunisia. However, partial convertibility exists for bona fide commercial and investment transaction. Certain restrictions still limit operations carried out by Tunisian residents.
The stockmarket capitalisationof listed companies in Tunisia was valued at $5.3 Billion in 2007, 15% of 2007 GDP, by theWorld Bank.
For 2007, foreign direct investment totaled TN Dinar 2 billion in 2007, or 5.18% of the total volume of investment in the country. This figure is up 35.7% from 2006 and includes 271 new foreign enterprises and the expansion of 222 others already based in the country.
The economic growth rate seen for 2007, at 6.3% is the highest achieved in a decade.
On 29 and 30 November, Tunisia held an investment conference with country chiefs from all around the world with pledges that have reached $30 billion to finance new public projects.
As of 2022, Tunisia's government is in need of international help as the economy grapples with a crisis in public finances that has raised fears it may default on debt and has contributed to shortages of food and fuel, according to government critics. As a result, the government announced in December 2022 that they expect to reduce its fiscal deficit to 5.5% in 2023 from a forecast 7.7% this year, driven by austerity measures that could pave the way for a final deal with the International Monetary Fund on a rescue package.
Source:
On 20 April 2012, U.S. Treasury Secretaryand Tunisian Finance MinisterHoucine Dimassisigned a declaration of intentto move forward on a U.S. loan guarantee for Tunisia. The U.S. Government would provide this loan guarantee to enable the Tunisian government to access significant market financing at affordable rates and favorable maturities with the backing of a U.S. guarantee of principal and interest (up to 100 percent).
The support would consist of the U.S. guarantee of Tunisian government-issued debt (or of bank loans made to the Government of Tunisia).  This guarantee will significantly reduce the Tunisian government's borrowing costs at a time when market access has become more expensive for many emerging market countries.  In the weeks ahead, both governments intend to make progress on a loan guarantee agreement that would allow Tunisia to move forward with a debt issuance.
The ceremony took place at the World Bank immediately following the meeting of Finance Ministers of theDeauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition.
Microfinance institutions, such as Enda Tamweel, exist to assist those who are unable to access the regular banking system. This comprises those living in rural or impoverished regions where the informal sector thrives, accounting for 34% of Tunisia's GDP.
Enda Tamweel has made over 3 million microloans to over 900,000 people in the 30 years since its inception, infusing more than €1.6 billion into the local economy.
Tunisia's natural resources are modest when compared to those of its neighbors: Algeria and Libya. This modesty in natural resources forced the country to import oil, which contributed to the rise in the cost of gasoline: on 26 April 2006, the liter crossed the bar of one dinar to sell for 1.50 Tunisian dinars. (a price equivalent to European prices from the point of view of purchasing power parity).
In 2017, the breakdown by economic sector is as follows:
Agriculture - products:olives,grain,tomatoes,citrus fruit,sugar beets,dates,almonds.
In 2018, Tunisia produced:
In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products, likealmond(66 thousand tons) andsugar beet(76 thousand tons).