2019 Edition

Background

Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in convincing the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in January 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country's new constitution. Following ESSEBSI’s death in office in July 2019, Tunisia moved its scheduled presidential election forward two months and after two rounds of voting, Kais SAIED was sworn in as president in October 2019. Tunisia also held legislative elections on schedule in October 2019. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, expires in 2024.

Area

Land

155,360 sq km

Total

163,610 sq km

Water

8,250 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly larger than Georgia

Climate

temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south

Coastline

1,148 km

Elevation

Highest Point

Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

Lowest Point

Shatt al Gharsah -17 m

Mean Elevation

246 m

Environment Current Issues

toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment International Agreements

Party To

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Signed But Not Ratified

Marine Life Conservation

Geographic Coordinates

34 00 N, 9 00 E

Geography Note

strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration

Irrigated Land

4,590 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

Border Countries

Algeria 1034 km, Libya 461 km

Total

1,495 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land

64.8% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Arable Land

18.3% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Crops

15.4% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture

31.1% (2011 est.)

Forest

6.6% (2011 est.)

Other

28.6% (2011 est.)

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

Map References

Africa

Maritime Claims

Contiguous Zone

24 nm

Exclusive Economic Zone

12 nm

Territorial Sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

flooding; earthquakes; droughts

Natural Resources

petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Population Distribution

the overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated

Terrain

mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara

Age Structure

0 14 Years

25.25% (male 1,502,655 /female 1,405,310)

15 24 Years

13.53% (male 787,178 /female 770,929)

25 54 Years

43.25% (male 2,426,011 /female 2,554,253)

55 64 Years

9.75% (male 560,233 /female 562,436)

65 Years And Over

8.22% (male 448,784 /female 498,400) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

17.4 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight

2.8% (2012)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

62.5% (2011/12)

Current Health Expenditure

7% (2016)

Death Rate

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Demographic Profile

The Tunisian Government took steps in the 1960s to decrease population growth and gender inequality in order to improve socioeconomic development. Through its introduction of a national family planning program (the first in Africa) and by raising the legal age of marriage, Tunisia rapidly reduced its total fertility rate from about 7 children per woman in 1960 to 2 today. Unlike many of its North African and Middle Eastern neighbors, Tunisia will soon be shifting from being a youth-bulge country to having a transitional age structure, characterized by lower fertility and mortality rates, a slower population growth rate, a rising median age, and a longer average life expectancy.Currently, the sizable young working-age population is straining Tunisia’s labor market and education and health care systems. Persistent high unemployment among Tunisia’s growing workforce, particularly its increasing number of university graduates and women, was a key factor in the uprisings that led to the overthrow of the BEN ALI regime in 2011. In the near term, Tunisia’s large number of jobless young, working-age adults; deficiencies in primary and secondary education; and the ongoing lack of job creation and skills mismatches could contribute to future unrest. In the longer term, a sustained low fertility rate will shrink future youth cohorts and alleviate demographic pressure on Tunisia’s labor market, but employment and education hurdles will still need to be addressed.Tunisia has a history of labor emigration. In the 1960s, workers migrated to European countries to escape poor economic conditions and to fill Europe’s need for low-skilled labor in construction and manufacturing. The Tunisian Government signed bilateral labor agreements with France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and the Netherlands, with the expectation that Tunisian workers would eventually return home. At the same time, growing numbers of Tunisians headed to Libya, often illegally, to work in the expanding oil industry. In the mid-1970s, with European countries beginning to restrict immigration and Tunisian-Libyan tensions brewing, Tunisian economic migrants turned toward the Gulf countries. After mass expulsions from Libya in 1983, Tunisian migrants increasingly sought family reunification in Europe or moved illegally to southern Europe, while Tunisia itself developed into a transit point for sub-Saharan migrants heading to Europe.Following the ousting of BEN ALI in 2011, the illegal migration of unemployed Tunisian youths to Italy and onward to France soared into the tens of thousands. Thousands more Tunisian and foreign workers escaping civil war in Libya flooded into Tunisia and joined the exodus. A readmission agreement signed by Italy and Tunisia in April 2011 helped stem the outflow, leaving Tunisia and international organizations to repatriate, resettle, or accommodate some 1 million Libyans and third-country nationals.

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio

11.1 (2015 est.)

Potential Support Ratio

9 (2015 est.)

Total Dependency Ratio

45.6 (2015 est.)

Youth Dependency Ratio

34.5 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural

93.2% of population

Improved Total

97.7% of population

Improved Urban

100% of population

Unimproved Rural

6.8% of population

Unimproved Total

2.3% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

0% of population

Education Expenditures

6.6% of GDP (2015)

Ethnic Groups

Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

<.1% (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<100 (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

2,800 (2018 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female

10.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female

77.6 years

Male

74.3 years

Total Population

75.9 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Female

74.2% (2015)

Male

89.6%

Total Population

81.8%

Major Urban Areas Population

2.328 million TUNIS (capital) (2019)

Maternal Mortality Rate

43 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female

32.5 years

Male

31.3 years

Total

32 years (2018 est.)

Nationality

Adjective

Tunisian

Noun

Tunisian(s)

Net Migration Rate

-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

26.9% (2016)

Physicians Density

1.27 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

11,516,189 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.95% (2018 est.)

Religions

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) 1%

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural

79.8% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Total

91.6% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Urban

97.4% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Rural

20.2% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Total

8.4% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

2.6% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female

16 years NA (2016)

Male

14 years NA

Total

15 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years

1.07 male(s)/female

15 24 Years

1.02 male(s)/female

25 54 Years

0.95 male(s)/female

55 64 Years

1 male(s)/female

65 Years And Over

0.9 male(s)/female

At Birth

1.06 male(s)/female

Total Population

0.99 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.17 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female

37.7% (2013 est.)

Male

33.4%

Total

34.7%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization

1.53% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Urban Population

69.3% of total population (2019)

Administrative Divisions

24 governorates (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), L'Ariana (Aryanah), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bouzid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)

Capital

Geographic Coordinates

36 48 N, 10 11 E

Name

Tunis

Time Difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

Citizenship By Birth

no

Citizenship By Descent Only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Tunisia

Dual Citizenship Recognized

yes

Residency Requirement For Naturalization

5 years

Constitution

Amendments

proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People membership; following review by the Constitutional Court, approval to proceed requires an absolute majority vote by the Assembly and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; the president can opt to submit an amendment to a referendum, which requires an absolute majority of votes cast for passage (2017)

History

several previous; latest approved by Constituent Assembly 26 January 2014, signed by the president, prime minister, and Constituent Assembly speaker 27 January 2014

Country Name

Conventional Long Form

Republic of Tunisia

Conventional Short Form

Tunisia

Etymology

the country name derives from the capital city of Tunis

Local Long Form

Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

Local Short Form

Tunis

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Donald A. BLOME (since 21 February 2019)

Embassy

Les Berges du Lac, 1053 Tunis

Fax

[216] 71 107-090

Mailing Address

Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053

Telephone

[216] 71 107-000

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery

1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Faycal GOUIA (since 18 May 2015)

Fax

[1] (202) 862-1858

Telephone

[1] (202) 862-1850

Executive Branch

Cabinet

selected by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly of the Representatives of the People

Chief Of State

President Kais SAIED (elected 13 October, sworn in 23 October 2019)

Election Results

first round - Kais SAIED (independent) 18.4%, Nabil KAROUI (Heart of Tunisia) 15.6%, Abdelfattah MOUROU (Nahda Movement) 12.9%, Abdelkrim ZBIDI(independent) 10.7%,Youssef CHAHED (Long Live Tunisia) 7.4%, Safi SAID (independent) 7.1%, Lotfi MRAIHI (Republican People's Union) 6.6%, other 21.3%; runoff - Kais SAIED elected president; Kais SAIED 72.7%, Nabil KAROUI 27.3%

Elections Appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 15 September 2019 with a runoff on 13 October 2019 (next to be held in 2024); following legislative elections, the prime minister is selected by the majority party or majority coalition and appointed by the president

Head Of Government

Prime Minister Youssef CHAHED (since 27 August 2016); on 15 November 2019, President SAIED asks Habib JEMLI to form a government

Flag Description

red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star) and recalls Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire; red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam

Government Type

parliamentary republic

Independence

20 March 1956 (from France)

International Law Organization Participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CD, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (organized into 1 civil and 3 criminal chambers); Constitutional Court (established in 2014 but remained vacant as of late 2018)

Judge Selection And Term Of Office

Supreme Court judges nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council, an independent 4-part body consisting mainly of elected judges and the remainder legal specialists; judge tenure based on terms of appointment; Constitutional Court NA

Subordinate Courts

Courts of Appeal; administrative courts; Court of Audit; Housing Court; courts of first instance; lower district courts; military courts

Legal System

mixed legal system of civil law, based on the French civil code and Islamic (sharia) law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session

Legislative Branch

Description

unicameral Assembly of the Representatives of the People or Majlis Nuwwab ash-Sha'b (Assemblee des representants du peuple) (217 seats; 199 members directly elected in Tunisian multi-seat constituencies and 18 members in multi-seat constituencies abroad by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

Election Results

percent of vote by party - Ennahdha 19.6%, Heart of Tunisia 14.6%, Free Destourian Party 6.6%, Democratic Current 6.4%, Dignity Coalition 5.9%, People's Movement 4.5%, TahyaTounes 4.1%, other 35.4%, independent 2.9%;seats by party - Ennahdha 52, Heart of Tunisia 38, Free Destourian Party 17, Democratic Current 22, Dignity Coalition 21, People's Movement 16, Tahya Tounes 14, other 25, independent 12; composition - men 139, women 78, percent of women 35.9%

Elections

initial election held on 6 October 2019 (next to be held in October 2024)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music

Mustafa Sadik AL-RAFII and Aboul-Qacem ECHEBBI/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB

Name

"Humat Al Hima" (Defenders of the Homeland)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 20 March (1956); Revolution and Youth Day, 14 January (2011)

National Symbol S

encircled red crescent moon and five-pointed star; national colors: red, white

Political Parties And Leaders

Afek Tounes [Yassine BRAHIM]Al Badil Al-Tounisi (The Tunisian Alternative) [Mehdi JOMAA] Call for Tunisia Party (Nidaa Tounes) [Hafedh CAID ESSEBSI] Congress for the Republic Party or CPR [Imed DAIMI] Current of Love [Hachemi HAMDI] (formerly the Popular Petition party) Democratic Alliance Party [Mohamed HAMDI] Democratic Current [Mohamed ABBOU] Democratic Patriots' Unified Party [Zied LAKHDHAR] Dignity Coalition [Seifeddine MAKHIOUF] Free Destourian Party [Abir MOUSSI] Free Patriotic Union (Union patriotique libre) or UPL [Slim RIAHI] Green Tunisia Party [Abdelkader ZITOUNI] Heart of Tunisia (Qalb Tounes) Irada Movement Long Live Tunisia (Tahya Tounes) [Youssef CHAHED] Machrou Tounes (Tunisia Project) [Mohsen MARZOUK] Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ahmed KHASKHOUSSI] Ennahda Movement (The Renaissance) [Rachid GHANNOUCHI] National Destourian Initiative or El Moubadra [Kamel MORJANE] Party of the Democratic Arab Vanguard [Ahmed JEDDICK, Kheireddine SOUABNI] People's Movement [Zouheir MAGHZAOUI] Popular Front (coalition includes Democratic Patriots' Unified Party, Workers' Party, Green Tunisia, Tunisian Ba'ath Movement, Party of the Democratic Arab Vanguard) Republican Party [Maya JRIBI] Tunisian Ba'ath Movement [OMAR Othman BELHADJ] Tunisia First (Tunis Awlan) [Ridha BELHAJ] Workers' Party [Hamma HAMMAMI]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months

Agriculture Products

olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

Budget

Expenditures

12.21 billion (2017 est.)

Revenues

9.876 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-5.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2010

5.75%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2013

6.76%

31 December 2016

7.31%

Current Account Balance

2016

-$3.694 billion

2017

-$4.191 billion

Debt External

31 December 2016

$28.95 billion

31 December 2017

$30.19 billion

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

1995

41.7

2005

40

Economy Overview

Tunisia's economy – structurally designed to favor vested interests – faced an array of challenges exposed by the 2008 global financial crisis that helped precipitate the 2011 Arab Spring revolution. After the revolution and a series of terrorist attacks, including on the country’s tourism sector, barriers to economic inclusion continued to add to slow economic growth and high unemployment.Following an ill-fated experiment with socialist economic policies in the 1960s, Tunisia focused on bolstering exports, foreign investment, and tourism, all of which have become central to the country's economy. Key exports now include textiles and apparel, food products, petroleum products, chemicals, and phosphates, with about 80% of exports bound for Tunisia's main economic partner, the EU. Tunisia's strategy, coupled with investments in education and infrastructure, fueled decades of 4-5% annual GDP growth and improved living standards. Former President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (1987-2011) continued these policies, but as his reign wore on cronyism and corruption stymied economic performance, unemployment rose, and the informal economy grew. Tunisia’s economy became less and less inclusive. These grievances contributed to the January 2011 overthrow of BEN ALI, further depressing Tunisia's economy as tourism and investment declined sharply.Tunisia’s government remains under pressure to boost economic growth quickly to mitigate chronic socio-economic challenges, especially high levels of youth unemployment, which has persisted since the 2011 revolution. Successive terrorist attacks against the tourism sector and worker strikes in the phosphate sector, which combined account for nearly 15% of GDP, slowed growth from 2015 to 2017. Tunis is seeking increased foreign investment and working with the IMF through an Extended Fund Facility agreement to fix fiscal deficiencies.

Exchange Rates

2013

1.6976

2014

1.9617

2015

2.148

2016

2.148

2017

2.48

Currency

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar -

Exports

2016

$13.57 billion

2017

$13.82 billion

Exports Commodities

clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment

Exports Partners

France 32.1%, Italy 17.3%, Germany 12.4% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services

43.2% (2017 est.)

Government Consumption

20.8% (2017 est.)

Household Consumption

71.7% (2017 est.)

Imports Of Goods And Services

-55.2% (2017 est.)

Investment In Fixed Capital

19.4% (2017 est.)

Investment In Inventories

0% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture

10.1% (2017 est.)

Industry

26.2% (2017 est.)

Services

63.8% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$39.96 billion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015

$11,800

2016

$11,800

2017

$11,900

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015

$133.5 billion

2016

$135 billion

2017

$137.7 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015

1.2%

2016

1.1%

2017

2%

Gross National Saving

2015

12.5% of GDP

2016

13.4% of GDP

2017

12% of GDP

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

Highest 10

27% (2010 est.)

Lowest 10

2.6%

Imports

2016

$18.37 billion

2017

$19.09 billion

Imports Commodities

textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports Partners

Italy 15.8%, France 15.1%, China 9.2%, Germany 8.1%, Turkey 4.8%, Algeria 4.7%, Spain 4.5% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

0.5% (2017 est.)

Industries

petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate, iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016

3.7%

2017

5.3%

Labor Force

4.054 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture

14.8%

Industry

33.2%

Services

51.7% (2014 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

31 December 2010

$10.68 billion

31 December 2011

$9.662 billion

31 December 2012

$8.887 billion

Population Below Poverty Line

15.5% (2010 est.)

Public Debt

2016

62.3% of GDP

2017

70.3% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016

$5.941 billion

31 December 2017

$5.594 billion

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016

$11.83 billion

31 December 2017

$12.92 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

31 December 2016

$285 million

31 December 2017

$285 million

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

31 December 2016

$37.15 billion

31 December 2017

$37.95 billion

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016

$34.18 billion

31 December 2017

$36.19 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016

$11.83 billion

31 December 2017

$12.92 billion

Taxes And Other Revenues

24.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016

15.5%

2017

15.5%

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

23.42 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

39,980 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

17,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

39,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

425 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

15.27 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

500 million kWh (2015 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

94% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

134 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

5.768 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

18.44 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

5.125 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

3.851 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

1.274 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

102,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

13,660 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

85,340 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

27,770 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

7 (2017 est.)

Total

801,785

Broadcast Media

1 state-owned TV station with multiple transmission sites; 5 private TV stations broadcast locally; cable TV service is available; state-owned radio network with 2 stations (in Lome and Kara); several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2019)

Internet Country Code

.tn

Internet Users

Percent Of Population

50.9% (July 2016 est.)

Total

5,665,242

Telephone System

Domestic

in an effort to jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; rural areas are served by wireless local loops; competition between several mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; fixed-line is 10 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity has reached about 126 telephones per 100 persons (2018)

General Assessment

above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; telephone network is completely digitized; Internet access available throughout the country; penetration rates and Internet services are among the highest in the region; launched Tunisia's first commercial 3G mobile service; in 2016 the regulator accepted 3 MNO (mobile network operator) bids for LTE licenses; government Internet censorship abolished in 2013 (2018)

International

country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches (2017)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

10 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

1,113,168

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

126 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

14,334,080

Airports

29 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

2 (2013)

2 438 To 3 047 M

6 (2013)

914 To 1 523 M

3 (2013)

Over 3 047 M

4 (2013)

Total

15 (2013)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

1 (2013)

914 To 1 523 M

5 (2013)

Total

14 (2013)

Under 914 M

8 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

TS (2016)

Merchant Marine

By Type

general cargo 14, oil tanker 1, other 51 (2018)

Total

66

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

10,354,241 mt-km (2015)

Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

3,496,190 (2015)

Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers

41 (2015)

Number Of Registered Air Carriers

3 (2015)

Pipelines

68 km condensate, 3111 km gas, 1381 km oil, 453 km refined products (2013)

Ports And Terminals

Bizerte, Gabes, Rades, Sfax, Skhira

Railways

Dual Gauge

8 km 1.435-1.000-m gauge (2014)

Narrow Gauge

1,694 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2014)

Standard Gauge

471 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

Total

2,173 km (1,991 in use) (2014)

Roadways

20,000 km (2015)

Military And Security Forces

Tunisian Armed Forces (Forces Armees Tunisiens, FAT): Tunisian Army (includes Tunisian Air Defense Force), Tunisian Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force; Ministry of Interior: Tunisian National Guard (2019)

Military Expenditures

2014

1.91% of GDP

2015

2.27% of GDP

2016

2.35% of GDP

2017

2.13% of GDP

2018

2.09% of GDP

Military Service Age And Obligation

20-23 years of age for compulsory service, 1-year service obligation; 18-23 years of age for voluntary service (2019)

Disputes International

none

Trafficking In Persons

Current Situation

Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Tunisia’s increased number of street children, rural children working to support their families, and migrants who have fled unrest in neighboring countries are vulnerable to human trafficking; organized gangs force street children to serve as thieves, beggars, and drug transporters; Tunisian women have been forced into prostitution domestically and elsewhere in the region under false promises of legitimate work; East and West African women may be subjected to forced labor as domestic workers

Tier Rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Tunisia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, Tunisia was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; in early 2015, the government drafted a national anti-trafficking action plan outlining proposals to raise awareness and enact draft anti-trafficking legislation; authorities did not provide data on the prosecution and conviction of offenders but reportedly identified 24 victims, as opposed to none in 2013, and operated facilities specifically dedicated to trafficking victims, regardless of nationality and gender; the government did not fully implement its national victim referral mechanism; some unidentified victims were not protected from punishment for unlawful acts directly resulting from being trafficked (2015)

Terrorist Groups Home Based

Al Qa Ida In The Islamic Maghreb Aqim

aim(s): overthrow various African regimes and replace them with one ruled by Sharia; establish a regional Islamic caliphate across all of North and West Africa area(s) of operation: leadership headquartered in Algeria; operates in Tunisia and Libya note: al-Qa'ida's affiliate in North Africa; Tunisia-based branch known as the Uqbah bin Nafi Battalion; Mali-based cadre merged with allies to form JNIM in March 2017, which pledged allegiance to AQIM and al-Qa'ida (2018)

Ansar Al Sharia In Tunisia Aas T

aim(s): expand its influence in Tunisia and, ultimately, replace the Tunisian Government with Sharia area(s) of operation: headquartered in Tunisia; members instigate riots and violent demonstrations and engage in attacks, targeting Tunisian military and security personnel, Tunisian politicians, religious sites, and Western interests (2018)

Islamic State Of Iraq And Ash Sham Isis Network In Tunisia To Include Pro Isis Cells And Designated Jund Al Khilafah Jak T

aim(s): replace the Tunisian Government with an Islamic state and implement ISIS's strict interpretation of Sharia area(s) of operation: Tunisian ISIS fighters stage attacks just across the border in Libya against government facilities and personnel and foreign tourists in Tunisia (2018)