Overview: The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates, tourism, and exports of light manufactures for continued growth. Following two years of drought-induced economic decline, the economy made a strong recovery in 1990 as a result of a bountiful harvest, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment. Continued high inflation and unemployment have eroded popular support for the government, however, and forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic reform. Nonetheless, the government appears committed to implementing its IMF-supported structural adjustment program and to servicing its foreign debt.

GDP: $10 billion, per capita $1,235; real growth rate 6.5% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.4% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 15.4% (1989)

Budget: revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $4.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $970 million (1991 est.)

Exports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals; partners--EC 73%, Middle East 9%, US 1%, Turkey, USSR

Imports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods; partners--EC 68%, US 7%, Canada, Japan, USSR, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria

External debt: $7.4 billion (December 1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for 38% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity: 1,493,000 kW capacity; 4,210 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), textiles, footwear, food, beverages

Agriculture: accounts for 16% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output subject to severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts; export crops--olives, dates, oranges, almonds; other products--grain, sugar beets, wine grapes, poultry, beef, dairy; not self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 99,200 metric tons (1987)

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410 million

Currency: Tunisian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes

Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1--0.8408 (January 1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988), 0.8287 (1987), 0.7940 (1986), 0.8345 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Tunisia on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Tunisia Economy 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Tunisia Economy 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.