Tunisia Trade Market 2026: Strategic Review & Growth Forecast

Tunisia's export value has shown a consistent upward trajectory from 2020 to 2023. Starting at $13.8 billion in 2020, exports grew significantly to $18.6 billion by 2023. While the pace of growth slowed slightly between 2022 and 2023, the overall four-year trend reflects a robust expansion in Tunisia's global trade footprint and export capacity.

Tunisia's import values peaked in 2022 at $26.5 billion before a slight contraction to $25.3 billion in 2023. Despite this recent minor decline, the 2023 figure remains substantially higher than the $18.3 billion recorded in 2020, indicating a significant long-term increase in domestic demand for foreign goods, energy, and commodities over the four-year period.

Electrical components dominate Tunisia's export profile, with cable with connectors ($1.3B) and wire harnesses ($922M) as the leading products. Energy also plays a vital role, with petroleum crude oil contributing $793M. The data reveals a diverse export base spanning technical manufacturing, energy, and agriculture, including significant contributions from the apparel and olive oil sectors.

Tunisia's import needs are heavily concentrated in energy and food security. Petroleum ether ($2.1B) and gaseous hydrocarbons ($1.3B) are the top imports, followed by significant expenditures on barley and wheat. This highlights a strategic reliance on foreign energy sources and essential agricultural commodities to sustain the national economy and meet domestic consumption requirements.

European nations remain Tunisia's primary trade partners, with France and Italy collectively accounting for nearly 60% of total trade. France leads with a 30.76% share. Notably, Tunisia maintains a trade surplus with its top three European partners (France, Italy, Germany), while running significant trade deficits with China and Algeria, driven largely by energy and manufactured imports.