According to the latest INS report on household consumption in Tunisia in 2021, a person is considered poor if his or her annual consumption expenditure is less than TD 2,536.
The poverty rate stands at 16.6% in 2021, compared with 15.2% in 2015, 20.5% in 2010 and 23.1% in 2005.
Estimates from the survey results also show a stagnation in the so-called ‘severe or extreme’ poverty rate, which will be 2.9% in 2021, the same as in 2015.
A reading of the results by major regions shows an increase in poverty in several regions of the country between 2015 and 2021.
However, it should be noted that the Northwest region stands out with a significant reduction in the poverty rate, from 28.4% in 2015 to 22.5% in 2021.
Greater Tunis shows a slight decrease in the poverty rate to 4.7% in 2021 (from 5.3% in 2015).
The Centre-West remains the region with the highest poverty rate in Tunisia, rising to 37% in 2021 (from 30.8% in 2015), and its “gap” with other regions, such as those on the Tunisian coast, remains significant.
