Provisional data on trade at current prices for the first eleven months of 2025 show a mixed dynamic in Tunisia’s foreign trade.
Despite an increase in the pace of exports, a sharper rise in imports led to a notable widening of the trade deficit and a decline in the coverage rate.
According to data published this Friday, December 12, 2025, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), Tunisian exports reached 57,916 million dinars (MD) at the end of November 2025, compared to 57,056 MD a year earlier, a slight improvement of 1.5%.
In parallel, imports stood at 78,085 MD, an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period last year (73,815 MD).
This asymmetric trend results in a trade deficit of 20,168 MD, compared to 16,758 MD in the first eleven months of 2024. The rate of coverage of imports by exports thus fell to 74.2%, from 77.3% a year earlier.
The overall increase in exports masks heterogeneous sectoral trends.
The most significant increases concern mining, phosphates and derivatives (+12%) and mechanical and electrical industries (+7.8%).
On the other hand, several strategic sectors recorded significant declines. Energy exports fell by 29.6%, due to a sharp contraction in refined product sales (899.5 MD compared to 1,755 MD a year earlier).
Exports from the agri-food industries fell by 11.2%, dragged down by the decrease in the value of olive oil exports (3,470 MD compared to 4,456 MD). Similarly, exports from the textile, clothing and leather sector show a decline of 1.8%.
On the imports side, demand remains strong for several product categories. The most pronounced increases concern capital goods (+14.6%), raw materials and semi-finished products (+6.6%), and consumer goods (+11%).
Conversely, two product groups are in decline: energy (-4.2%) and food products (-7.7%).
The overall trade deficit of 20,168 MD remains largely driven by the energy products group (10,308 MD), raw materials and semi-finished products (5,514 MD), capital goods (3,268 MD), and consumer goods (1,952 MD). Only the food group shows a notable surplus of 875.5 MD.
Excluding energy, the trade deficit shrinks to 9,860 MD, confirming the predominant weight of the energy bill in the country’s external imbalance. The energy deficit itself widened compared to 2024 (9,812 MD), reaching 10,308 MD in the first eleven months of 2025.
