That dollar amount results from a 49.2% increase over the five-year period starting in 2020 when Tunisian exports totaled $13.8 billion.
Year over year, the overall value of exports from Tunisia advanced by 3% compared to $20 billion during 2023.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, Tunisia uses the Tunisian dinar which depreciated by -9.7% against the US dollar since 2020 and diluted by -0.2% from 2023 to 2024. The weaker Tunisian currency made Tunisia’s exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively lesser expensive for international buyers.
Major Tunisian Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data from 2023 shows that 77.5% of products exported from Tunisia was bought by importers in: France (22.8% of the Tunisian total), Italy (18.3%), Germany (13.2%), Spain (5.3%), Libya (4.3%), United States Minor Outlying Islands (3.1%), Netherlands (2.3%), Algeria (2%), Belgium (1.7%), Switzerland (1.6%), United Kingdom (1.59%) and Morocco (1.3%).
From a continental perspective, 81.4% of Tunisia’s exports by value was delivered to European countries while 11.5% was sold to importers also in Africa. Tunisia shipped another 5.7% worth of goods to Asia.
Smaller percentages went to buyers in North America (0.8%), Latin America (0.5%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.
Given Tunisia’s population of 12.3 million people, its total $20.6 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $1,675 for every resident in the northern African country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $1,650 per person one year earlier in 2023.
Tunisia’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Tunisian global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Tunisia.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$5.6 billion (27.3% of total exports)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $2.7 billion (13.2%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.7 billion (8.3%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $1.1 billion (5.3%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $1.1 billion (5.2%)
- Machinery including computers: $883.7 million (4.3%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $836.7 million (4.1%)
- Footwear: $798 million (3.9%)
- Vehicles: $796.8 million (3.9%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $780.5 million (3.8%)
Tunisia’s top 10 export product categories accounted for 79.2% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Unknitted and non-crocheted clothing and accessories was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 46.2% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was footwear via a 42.2% advance.
Tunisia’s shipments of knitted or crocheted clothing and accessories posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 39.5%.
The lone decliner among Tunisia’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil, recording a -13.2% 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 15.1% of the country’s total. In second place was olive oil (8%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits or trousers (5.5%), automobile parts or accessories (3.6%), %), unknitted and non-crocheted women’s clothing (3.4%), processed petroleum oils (3.3%), lower-voltage switches and fuses (2.8%), miscellaneous items made from plastic (2.2%), crude oil (1.8%), then leather footwear (also 1.8%).
Products Generating Tunisia’s Best Trade Surpluses
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.
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): US$2.6 billion (Up by 64.6% since 2023)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $2.3 billion (Up by 4.6%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.5 billion (Up by 39.6%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $1 billion (Up by 58.4%)
- Footwear: $625.1 million (Up by 64.6%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $309.6 million (Up by 21.8%)
- Fruits, nuts: $264.5 million (Down by -7.6%)
- Leather/animal gut articles: $183.5 million (Up by 57.7%)
- Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $183 million (Down by -22.5%)
- Fertilizers: $175.2 million (Down by -42.7%)
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
Tunisia incurred an overall -US$5.9 billion trade deficit for 2024, shrinking by -27.5% from -$8.1 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2023.
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$959.4 million (Down by -21.4% since 2023)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$793.4 million (Down by -9.3%)
- Vehicles: -$759.2 million (Down by -6.7%)
- Cereals: -$624.1 million (Down by -60.5%)
- Copper: -$489.3 million (Down by -8.4%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$451.9 million (Down by -4.8%)
- Cotton: -$408.6 million (Down by -31%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: -$372.9 million (Up by 80.5%)
- Manmade staple fibers: -$304.4 million (Up by 2.5%)
- Iron, steel: -$295.4 million (Down by -51.1%)
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 11.7% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($176.4 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 11.7% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 12.4% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing 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 15.7% for 2024, down from an average 16.4% 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 August 8, 2025
EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Tunisian Dinar (TND) To US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate History. Accessed on August 8, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 8, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on August 8, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 8, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 8, 2025
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on August 8, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Tunisia. Accessed on August 8, 2025
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on August 8, 2025