According to the U.S. “Heritage Foundation,” Tunisia was ranked 109th out of 186 countries in the index of economic freedom with an overall score of 57.3 / 100.
Over the 20-year history of the Index, Tunisia’s economic freedom score has declined by over 6 points, one of the 20 biggest drops in the history of the Index.
Across the 10 economic freedoms, including the areas of the rule of law, regulatory efficiency, and market openness, Tunisia’s ratings have declined substantially.
Its score is 0.3 point higher this year, with improvements in trade freedom and labor freedom largely offset by declines in business freedom and monetary freedom. Tunisia is ranked 11th out of 15 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region, and its overall score is below the world average.
Tunisia’s economy was considered “mostly free” during most of the first 10 years of the Index but has been largely rated “mostly unfree” since 2003.
The overall entrepreneurial environment remains severely constrained. An overbearing regulatory framework, exacerbated by poor access to credit and high financing costs, stifles economic activity and hurts business expansion and the development of a vibrant private sector. Corruption, which is perceived as widespread, is a serious problem.
