That dollar amount results from a 36% increase over the five-year period starting in 2021 when Tunisian exports totaled $16.4 billion.
Year over year, the overall value of exports from Tunisia accelerated by 12.2% compared to $19.9 billion during 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, Tunisia uses the Tunisian dinar which appreciated by 7.1% against the US dollar since 2021 but diluted by -4% from 2024 to 2025. Year over year, the weaker Tunisian currency made Tunisia’s exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively lesser expensive for international buyers starting with American currency.
Major Tunisian Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 77.6% of products exported from Tunisia was bought by importers in: France (21.7% of the Tunisian total), Italy (18.8%), Germany (13.3%), Spain (5.3%), Libya (4.0%), United States of America (3.3%), Algeria (2.7%), United Kingdom (2.2%), Belgium (1.7%), Netherlands (1.65%), Switzerland (1.57%) and Türkiye (1.4%).
From a continental perspective, 78.7% of Tunisia’s exports by value was delivered to European countries while 11.1% was sold to importers also in Africa. Tunisia shipped another 5% worth of goods to buyers in Asia.
Smaller percentages went to customers in North America (4.7%), Latin America (0.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.
Given Tunisia’s population of 12.4 million people, its total US$22.4 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $1,800 for every resident in the northern African country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $1,675 per person one year earlier in 2024.
Tunisia’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Tunisian global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Tunisia.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$6.8 billion (30.4% of total exports)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $2.8 billion (12.5%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.4 billion (6.2%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $1.1 billion (4.9%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $988.5 million (4.4%)
- Machinery including computers: $979.2 million (4.4%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $901.9 million (4%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $898.4 million (4%)
- Vehicles : $884.4 million (4%)
- Footwear: $816.8 million (3.7%)
Tunisia’s top 10 export product categories accounted for 78.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Unknitted and non-crocheted clothing or accessories represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 63.3% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was knitted or crocheted clothing or accessories via a 54.2% advance.
Tunisia’s shipments of footwear posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 49.7%.
The leading decliner among Tunisia’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil, thanks to a -27.4% year-over-year drop.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, insulated wire or cable represents Tunisia’s most valuable exported product worth 17.5% of the country’s total. In second place was olive oil (5.9%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits or trousers (5.1%), automobile parts or accessories (3.6%), unknitted and non-crocheted women’s clothing (3.2%), lower-voltage switches and fuses (3.1%), miscellaneous items made from plastic (2.6%), processed petroleum oils (2.4%), phone devices including smartphones (1.7%) then crude oil (1.6%).
Products Generating Tunisia’s Best Trade Surpluses
Tunisia generated an overall US$141.3 million trade surplus for 2025, reversing the -$5.9 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2024.
The following types of Tunisian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$2.9 billion (Up by 43.4% since 2024)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $2.7 billion (Up by 83.1%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.1 billion (Down by -22.2%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $985.4 million (Up by 70%)
- Footwear: $655.1 million (Up by 80.8%)
- Fruits, nuts: $320.3 million (Up by 0.2%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $304.1 million (Down by -4.9%)
- Furniture, bedding, lighting , signs, prefab buildings: $197.6 million (Up by 137.8%)
- Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $197 million (Down by -28.8%)
- Leather/animal gut articles: $183 million (Up by 69.2%)
Tunisia has highly positive net exports in the international apparel trade. In turn, these cashflows indicate Tunisia’s strong competitive advantages under the clothing and accessories product categories whether or not knitted or crocheted.
Products Causing Tunisia’s Worst Trade Deficits
Below are exports from Tunisia that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Tunisia’s goods trail Tunisian importer spending on foreign products.
- Machinery including computers: -US$1.12 billion (Down by -7.1% since 2024)
- Vehicles: -$1.11 billion (Up by 3.6%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$763 million (Down by -8.3%)
- Copper: -$581.6 million (Up by 4.2%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$497.7 million (Down by -6.5%)
- Cereals: -$431.2 million (Down by -52.5%)
- Cotton: -$411.3 million (Down by -27%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: -$361.6 million (Up by 70.1%)
- Manmade staple fibers: -$305.4 million (Up by 8%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: -$301.5 million (Down by -91.7%)
Tunisia has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the machinery including computers product category.
Tunisian Export Companies
Not one Tunisian corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Tunisia. Selected examples are shown below.
- Evertek (telecommunications)
- Groupe Mabrouk (food, beverages)
- Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines (automobiles)
- Vermeg (technology & software)
- Wallyscar (car manufacturer)
In macroeconomic terms, Tunisia’s total exported goods represent 12.2% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($183.7 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 12.2% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 11.7% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Tunisia’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Tunisia’s unemployment rate averaged 15% at March 2026, down from an average 15.7% one year earlier according to International Monetary Fund statistics.
Tunisia’s capital city is Tunis, a port located on the Mediterranean Sea.
See also South Africa’s Top 10 Exports, Top African Export Countries, Nigeria’s Top 10 Exports, Algeria’s Top 10 Exports and Morocco’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on July 27, 2026
EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Tunisian Dinar (TND) To US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate History. Accessed on July 27, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 27, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on July 27, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 27, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 27, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on July 27, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Tunisia. Accessed on July 27, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on July 27, 2026