Tunisia--Economy
CIA FactbookThe World Factbook 1993: Tunisia Economy

Overview: The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates, tourism, and exports of light manufactures. Following two years of drought-induced economic decline, the economy came back strongly in 1990-92 as a result of good harvests, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment. High unemployment has eroded popular support for the government, however, and forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic reform. Nonetheless, the government appears committed to implementing its IMF-supported structural adjustment program and to servicing its foreign debt.

National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $13.6 billion (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate: 8% (1992 est.)

National product per capita: $1,650 (1992 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15.7% (1992)

Budget: revenues $4.3 billion; expenditures $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

Exports: $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals partners: EC countries 74%, Middle East 11%, US 2%, Turkey, former USSR republics Imports: $6.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods partners: EC countries 67%, US 6%, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria

External debt: $7.7 billion (1992 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity: 1,545,000 kW capacity; 5,096 million kWh produced, 600 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages

Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output subject to severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts; export crops - olives, dates, oranges, almonds; other products - grain, sugar beets, wine grapes, poultry, beef, dairy; not self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 99,200 metric tons (1987)

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410 million

Currency: 1 Tunisian dinar (TD)=1,000 millimes

Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 0.9931 (February 1993), 0.8844 (1992), 0.9246 (1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988)

Fiscal year: calendar year