“Imports are sinking into the Tunisian market and the trade deficit has risen!” Economists have sounded the alarm about the bleeding of hard currency!

صحافة بلادي — Tunisia – The Tunisian trade deficit increased by more than 25% during the first nine months of 2026, exceeding $7 billion, equivalent to 20.9 billion Tunisian dinars, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, with imports growing faster than exports, especially energy imports.

The institute attributed this development to an increase in the value of imports by 13.1%, compared to an increase in exports by 8.6%, which led to a decline in the percentage of coverage of imports by exports to 70.6%, compared to 73.5% during the same period in 2025.

The energy sector constituted one of the most prominent sources of pressure on the trade balance, after its deficit exceeded 3.5 billion dollars, equivalent to 10.4 billion Tunisian dinars, which represents about half of the total deficit recorded during the period in question, according to what was reported by the German news agency “DPA.”

In a related context, support expenditures in Tunisia increased by 12% during the first half of 2026, compared to the same period last year, according to a report on the implementation of the state budget.

Ministry of Finance data showed that the state allocated more than $1.2 billion to cover support expenses until the end of June 2026, which is equivalent to 35.7% of the total appropriations allocated for this purpose in the current year’s budget.

These indicators reflect continued pressure on financial and trade balances in Tunisia, in light of the rise in the import bill, especially energy, in parallel with the increase in support expenditures. The numbers highlight the importance of monitoring the development of exports, supply costs, and public spending during the remaining months of the year, to assess their repercussions on the country’s economic and financial situation.

Source:My press