RIYADH: Tunisia’s trade deficit swelled to 12.6 billion dinars ($4.2 billion) in the first half of 2026, up from 9.9 billion dinars a year earlier, as import growth outstripped a solid rise in exports, according to official trade data.
Figures from the National Institute of Statistics showed exports reached 34.6 billion dinars in the first six months of 2026, up from 31.7 billion dinars in the same period of 2025. Imports climbed to 47.2 billion dinars, compared with 41.6 billion dinars a year earlier.
The widening gap comes as the International Monetary Fund maintained Tunisia’s 2026 growth forecast at 2.1 percent in its April regional outlook,, while warning that the economy remains highly exposed to external shocks, particularly energy price volatility.
In June, the African Development Bank projected Tunisia’s current account deficit to widen to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year.
The trade data showed that exports grew by 9 percent, but imports rose by 13.3 percent, “resulting in a trade deficit of around 12.6 billion dinars compared with 9.9 billion dinars during the first half of 2025.” The import coverage rate by exports fell to 73.4 percent, down from 76.2 percent a year earlier.
By sector, exports rose in the mechanical and electrical industries by 9.1 percent and in agricultural and food products by 25.2 percent, the latter driven by a jump in olive oil sales, which reached 3.3 billion dinars compared with 2.3 billion dinars a year earlier.
The energy sector posted the sharpest export gain, up 49.1 percent, on higher sales of refined products. Phosphate and derivatives exports fell 19 percent, while textiles, clothing and leather dropped 3.5 percent.
On the import side, every category of goods increased in value. Energy imports rose fastest, up 33.5 percent, followed by food products, capital goods, consumer goods and raw and semi-finished materials.
Geographically, the EU remained Tunisia’s dominant trade partner, receiving 70.4 percent of total exports, worth 24.3 billion dinars, up from 22.3 billion dinars a year earlier.
On imports, the EU supplied 44.9 percent of the total, worth 21.1 billion dinars, with purchases from France up 18.5 percent and from Italy up 13.7 percent, while imports from Bulgaria and Portugal edged down.
