External debt servicing exceeded 10.1 billion dinars in the first ten months of 2023, an increase of 44.4% compared to the same period last year, according to monetary and financial indicators published by the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) on Monday. According to the BCT, net foreign exchange reserves have fallen in recent days to 25.3 billion dinars, equivalent to 113 days of imports.
However, they remain higher than a year ago, when they stood at 22.7 billion dinars (102 days of imports).
As a reminder, Tunisia has just repaid a euro-denominated bond issued in 2017, as part of the list of loan repayments for 2023, which caused foreign exchange reserves to fall to 112 days of imports at the end of October 2023.
Foreign exchange reserves come mainly from tourism receipts, which amounted to 6.3 billion dinars as of October 31, 2023, up 37.8% compared to last year. They also come from workers’ remittances, which increased slightly by 4% from 6 billion dinars at the end of October 2022 to 6.3 billion dinars at present.
