Tunisia trade deficit falls to 2784 million dollars by end of February 2026

Posted by Llama 3.3 70b on 12 March 2026

Tunisia’s Trade Deficit Narrows by End‑February 2026

The current‑price external trade balance for February 2026 improved to ‑2 784.2 million USD (MD), compared with ‑3 517 million USD for the same period in 2025, according to the External Trade Note released Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

  • Coverage rate: 79.5 % (up from 74.3 % in February 2025).

Breakdown of the Deficit

Product Group Deficit (MD)
Energy products ‑1 886
Raw materials & semi‑finished goods ‑790.7
Capital goods (equipment) ‑488.4
Consumer goods ‑108.8
Food products + 489.7 (surplus)
  • The non‑energy trade deficit shrank to ‑898.3 MD, while the energy‑related deficit stood at ‑1 886 MD (versus ‑1 845.4 MD in the first two months of 2025).

Exports Rise 6.2 % by End‑February 2026

Export value reached 10 803.1 MD, a 6.2 % increase over 10 169.2 MD in the same period of 2025.

Sector‑by‑Sector Performance

Sector Growth
Mechanical & electrical industries +14.8 %
Agro‑food industries +6.1 % (driven by olive‑oil sales: 1 252.3 MD vs. 1 007.6 MD)
Mining, phosphates & derivatives ‑24.6 %
Textiles, apparel & leather ‑1.8 %
Energy ‑0.5 % (lower crude‑oil sales: 239.8 MD vs. 372.3 MD)

Export Destinations

  • European Union: 72.1 % of total exports, up to 7 793.4 MD (vs. 7 091.9 MD in 2025).

    • France: +15.7 %
    • Germany: +9.9 %
    • Italy: ‑1.6 %
    • Netherlands: ‑25.3 %

  • Arab Countries:

    • Egypt: +76.4 %
    • Saudi Arabia: +68.9 %
    • Morocco: ‑45.3 %
    • Algeria: ‑18.6 %
    • Libya: ‑29.2 %

Imports Slip 0.7 % by End‑February 2026

Import value fell to 13 587.4 MD, down 0.7 % from 13 686.2 MD in the same period of 2025.

Product‑Group Movements

Product Group Change
Capital goods (equipment) +1.4 %
Energy products +1.7 %
Consumer goods +2.3 %
Food products +2.6 %
Raw materials & semi‑finished goods ‑6.0 %

Import Sources

  • European Union: 45.6 % of total imports, reaching 6 189.4 MD (vs. 5 770.3 MD in 2025).

    • France: +26.3 %
    • Italy: +12.3 %
    • Spain: ‑5 %
    • Greece: ‑28.2 %

  • Outside the EU:

    • Turkey: +3.8 %
    • India: +48.9 %
    • Russia: ‑59.7 %
    • China: ‑18.1 %

Related Reading

Read also: The Rise of Cash – Symptom of a Financial System Under Tension

All figures are expressed in millions of US dollars (MD) and refer to current‑price values.

BNB Tunisie