The figures published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reveal a breath of fresh air for Tunisia’s trade balance.
Thanks to a surge in exports and tighter control over imports, the deficit was reduced by nearly 500 million dinars compared to the previous year.
Indeed, the trade deficit stood at 1,287 million dinars in January, compared with 1,764 million dinars in January 2025. This significant improvement is reflected in a sharp rise in the coverage rate, which gained more than 6 points to reach 80.4%.
This performance is driven by a scissor effect: an increase in exports (+5.4%), reaching 5,298 million dinars and a decline in imports (–3%), falling to 6,586 million dinars.
Export momentum was particularly strong in several key sectors. With a spectacular increase of 140%, the energy sector benefited from a surge in refined product sales (100.3 million dinars, compared with just 28.5 million dinars last year).
Likewise, olive oil exports continue to support the sector, generating revenues of 610.5 million dinars and allowing overall sector growth of 1%.
By contrast, the mining and phosphate sector recorded a sharp decline of 23.6%, while the textile and clothing sector stagnated, posting a slight drop of 2.1%.
On the import side, the trend is toward a slowdown, particularly for essential goods.
Imports of food products fell by 32.5%, a decisive factor in reducing the overall deficit. Imports of raw materials and semi-finished products also declined by 5.5%.
However, Tunisia continues to invest in its production capacity, with imports of capital goods rising by 6.9%. Energy imports (+3.9%) and consumer goods (+1.1%) also posted slight increases.
Excluding the energy sector, Tunisia’s trade deficit would be almost eliminated, standing at just 360.3 million dinars.
The energy deficit, although reduced (from 1,078 million dinars to 927.4 million dinars year-on-year), remains the main burden on the trade balance.
Conversely, the food sector stands out as the top performer, posting a surplus of 424.9 million dinars, once again demonstrating the resilience and export strength of Tunisian agriculture.
