Economy Of Tunisia

Economy overview Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth, averaging 5% for the latter half of the last decade, slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought, slow investment, and lackluster tourism. Better rains in 2003, however, pushed GDP growth up to an estimated 6 percent, and tourism also recovered after the end of combat operations in Iraq. GDP growth remained at 6% in 2004. Tunisia has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the European Union over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges for the future.
 
GDP purchasing power parity - $68.23 billion (2004 est.)
 
GDP - real growth rate 5.1% (2004 est.)
 
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,900 (2004 est.)
 
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 13.9%
industry: 32.2%
services: 53.9% (2004 est.)
 
Investment gross fixed 24.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
 
Population below poverty line 7.6% (2001 est.)
 
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
 
Distribution of family income - Gini index 41.7 (1995)
 
Inflation rate consumer prices 2.7% (2004 est.)
 
Labor force 3.461 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2004 est.)
 
Labor force by occupation services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.)
 
Unemployment rate 14.3% (2004 est.)
 
Budget
revenues: $6.101 billion
expenditures: $6.855 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2004 est.)
 
Public debt 59.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
 
Agriculture products olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
 
Industries petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
 
Industrial production growth rate -0.1% (2004 est.)
 
Electricity production 10.48 billion kWh (2001)
 
Electricity production by source
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.5%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
 
Electricity consumption 9.748 billion kWh (2001)
 
Electricity exports 0 kWh (2001)
 
Electricity imports 1 million kWh (2001)
 
Oil production 72,580 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 
Oil consumption 87,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 
Oil exports NA (2001)
 
Oil imports NA (2001)
 
Oil proved reserves 417 million bbl (2004)
 
Natural gas production 2.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 
Natural gas consumption 3.83 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 
Natural gas exports 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 
Natural gas imports 1.58 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 
Natural gas proved reserves 77.16 billion cu m (2004)
 
Current account balance $-738.6 million (2004 est.)
 
Exports $8.035 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
 
Exports commodities textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
 
Exports partners France 32.6%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 10.7%, Spain 4.7%, Libya 4.4% (2003)
 
Imports $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 
Imports commodities textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
 
Imports partners France 26.1%, Italy 19.8%, Germany 8.9%, Spain 5.2% (2003)
 
Reserves of foreign exchange gold $2.949 billion (2004 est.)
 
Debt external $14.39 billion (2004 est.)
 
Economic aid recipient $378 million (2001)
 
Currency Tunisian dinar (TND)
 
Currency code TND
 
Exchange rates Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999)
 
Fiscal year calendar year

 

 

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This information was reproduced in part from the CIA World Fact book.

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