Has Tunisia’s trade balance deficit become totally out of control? It would be hard not to think so in view of the succession of episodes of worsening of this deficit, the latest of which has just been recorded, Tuesday, by the National Institute of Statistics, which announced that the trade deficit at current prices widened at the end of July 2025, to -11,904.5 million dinars, against -9,631.8 million dinars during the first seven months of 2024.
Therefore, the coverage rate reached 75.6% against 79.4% during the same period in 2024.
According to a note published by the INS, this deficit comes mainly from energy (-6,037.2 million dinars), raw materials and semi-finished products (-3,800.4 million dinars), capital goods (-1,959.6 million dinars) and consumer goods (-930.7 million dinars).
Conversely, the food group recorded a surplus of (+823.4 million dinars).
On the other hand, it should be noted that the trade balance deficit excluding energy was reduced to (-5,867.4 million dinars), while the energy balance deficit stood at (-6,037.2 million dinars), against (-6,591.7 million dinars) during the first seven months of the year 2024.
Exports fall by 0.2%
The results of Tunisia’s foreign trade at current prices during the first seven months of 2025 show that exports fell by 0.2% to.36,973.4 million dinars, from 37,034.9 million dinars during the same period in 2024.
By sector, exports recorded an increase in the mining, phosphates and derivatives sector (+8.6%) and in the mechanical and electrical industries sector (+6.5%).
Moreover, exports recorded a decrease in the energy sector (-34.8%) due to the drop in sales of refined products (381.3 million dinars against 1,143.1 million dinars), as well as in the agri-food industries sector (-17.5%) following the fall in the value of olive oil sales (2,506.1 million dinars against 3,636.2 million dinars) and in the textile, clothing and leather sector (-0.2%).
For Tunisian exports to the European Union, during the first seven months of the year 2025 (70.6% of total exports), they reached the value of 26,120.1 million dinars against 25,914.6 million dinars during the first seven months of the year 2024.
Exports increased with Germany (+15.4%), France (+7.5%) and the Netherlands (+11.8%). Conversely, they decreased with Italy (-9.4%) and Spain (-30.4%).
To Arab countries, exports increased with Libya (+12.5%), Morocco (+38.5%), Algeria (+20.8%) and Egypt (+48.9%).
Imports rise 4.7%
As for imports, they reached the level of 48,877.9 million dinars against 46,666.7 million dinars during the same period of the year 2024, thus recording an increase of 4.7%.
According to the breakdown of products, imports recorded an increase in imports of capital goods (+18.6%) and of raw materials and semi-finished products (+6.6%); likewise, imports of consumer goods rose by (+12.1%).
Conversely, imports of energy products recorded a decrease of (-14.9%) and food products of (-5.1%).
With regard to imports from the European Union (44.2% of total imports), they reached 21,591.4 million dinars against 20,639.5 million dinars during the first seven months of the year 2024.
Imports increased with France (+12.7%) and with Germany (+10.3%). Conversely, they fell with Italy (-0.7%), with Greece (-29.7%) and with Belgium (-7.6%).
Outside the European Union, imports increased with China (+37.2%) and Turkey (+14.9%). Conversely, they recorded a decrease with Russia (-21.9%) and India (-9.2%).
