That estimated dollar amount reflects a 24.8% increase over the five-year period starting in 2018 when Tunisian exports totaled $15.5 billion.
Year over year, the overall value of exports from Tunisia advanced by 17.9% compared to $16.4 billion during 2021.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2022, Tunisia uses the Tunisian dinar which depreciated by -17.3% against the US dollar since 2018 and diluted by -11.1% from 2021 to 2022. 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 shows that just over three-quarters (76.1%) of products exported from Tunisia were bought by importers in: France (24.1% of the Tunisian total), Italy (18.4%), Germany (12.7%), Spain (4.1%), Libya (3.9%), Netherlands (2.6%), United States of America (2.3%), Belgium (1.9%), United Kingdom (1.6%), Morocco (1.5%), Algeria (1.42%), and Türkiye (1.4%).
From a continental perspective, 78.6% of Tunisia’s exports by value was delivered to European countries while 11% was sold to importers also in Africa. Tunisia shipped another 6.6% worth of goods to buyers in Asia.
Smaller percentages went to customers in North America (3.2%), Latin America (0.5%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.2%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Given Tunisia’s population of 12.1 million people, its total $19.4 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $1,600 for every resident in the northern African country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $1,200 per person one year earlier in 2021.
Tunisia’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Tunisian global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Tunisia.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$5.3 billion (27.2% of total exports)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $2.7 billion (13.7%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $1.4 billion (7%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $1.1 billion (5.7%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $880.5 million (4.5%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $766.3 million (4%)
- Footwear: $740.8 million (3.8%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $730.2 million (3.8%)
- Machinery including computers: $686.7 million (3.5%)
- Vehicles : $659 million (3.4%)
Tunisia’s top 10 exports accounted for 76.7% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Knitted or crocheted clothing and accessories was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 112% from 2021 to 2022.
In second place for improving Tunisian export sales was footwear via a 69.1% advance.
Tunisia’s shipments of unknitted or non-crocheted clothing and accessories posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 59.3%.
The most modest increase among Tunisia’s top 10 export categories was optical, technical and medical apparatus. That category posted a 5.1% year-over-year upturn.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, insulated wire or cable represents Tunisia’s most valuable exported product worth 13.4% of the country’s total. In second place was unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits or trousers (5.6%), olive oil (4.3%), unknitted and non-crocheted women’s clothing (3.6%), crude oil (3.4%), processed petroleum oils (3.3%), automobile parts or accessories (2.9%), lower-voltage switches and fuses (2.7%), phone devices including smartphones (2.6%), and miscellaneous items made from plastic (2.2%).
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$2.5 billion (Up by 79% since 2021)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $2 billion (Up by 42.3%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $1 billion (Up by 145.8%)
- Footwear: $568.5 million (Up by 100%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $552.8 million (Up by 11.9%)
- Fertilizers: $260.1 million (Down by -18%)
- Fruits, nuts: $254.3 million (Up by 8.6%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $232.8 million (Down by -12.9%)
- Fish: $220.2 million (Up by 84.8%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $182.2 million (Reversing a $35.5 million surplus in 2021)
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 -$2.3 billion trade deficit for 2022, shrinking by -57% from -$5.4 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2021.
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.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$1.3 billion (Down by -38.9% since 2021)
- Cereals: -$1.1 billion (Down by -3.4%)
- Machinery including computers: -$913.5 million (Up by 6.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$690.7 million (Down by -15.7%)
- Vehicles: -$567.1 million (Down by -36%)
- Cotton: -$482.5 million (Down by -17.6%)
- Copper: -$436.5 million (Up by 11.2%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: -$412.4 million (Up by 164.2%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$369.8 million (Down by -26.8%)
- Iron, steel: -$292.3 million (Down by -51.2%)
Tunisia has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels including oil category–particularly red ink for refined petroleum oils and petroleum gases.
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 12.6% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2022 ($154.3 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 12.6% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2022 compares to 12% for 2021. 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 was 15.2% as of January 2022, down from an average 16.2% one year earlier according to the International Monetary Fund.
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 June 8, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on June 8, 2023
International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (Domestic Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on June 8, 2023
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on June 8, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 8, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 8, 2023
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on June 8, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Tunisia. Accessed on June 8, 2023
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on June 8, 2023