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.
