The overall balance of payments recorded a surplus of 1,799 MTD in the first two months of 2015 against a deficit of 183 MTD thanks to the consolidation of net capital inflows primarily due to the receipt of the bond issue of 1 billion dollar on the international financial market during the month of January of the current year, combined with a relaxation of the current account deficit in comparison with the level of the first two months of 2014, announced the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT).
The current account deficit decreased by 23.8% (266 MTD) during the first two months of 2015, to 850 MTD or 1% of GDP against 1,116 MTD and 1.4% in the same period of the previous year.
The trade deficit has posted during the same period a drop of 355.5 MTD (18%) to 1,556.4 MTD. This trend is attributed to the recovery of exports (up 4.1%), including agricultural and food products, and a decline in imports by 2.6%, bringing the coverage rate to 75.1% (+4.9%).
As for the services balance, it recorded a decline in its surplus by 22 MTD to 196 MTD, due to lower transportation revenues of 9.3% and declining tourism revenues of 2.1 % compared to their 2014 levels to 390 MTD (against an increase of 22.1% over the first two months of 2014), in connection with the decline in foreign tourist arrivals and total tourist bed-nights from one year to another.
