Tunisia’s industrial trade deficit widens as imports outpace exports

Tunisia’s industrial sector experienced a significant widening of its trade deficit during the first half of 2025. According to data from Tunisia’s Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII),while the country’s exports showed modest growth of 1.9%,reaching 29.48 billion dinars,imports surged by 8% to 32.03 billion dinars.

This imbalance caused the trade deficit to expand dramatically from 713.3 million dinars in 2024 to 2.55 billion dinars in 2025,reflecting growing pressure on the nation’s industrial trade balance.

Sector performance varied considerably,with several industries showing strong export growth. The construction materials,ceramics and glass sector led with a 17% export increase,while miscellaneous industries grew 16.8% and chemical industries expanded 12%.

However,these gains were offset by significant declines in other sectors,particularly agri-food which suffered a 23.3% drop in exports. The mechanical and metallurgical sector showed concerning import growth of 14.5%,further contributing to the deficit,while textiles and leather goods recorded minimal changes,highlighting the uneven recovery across Tunisia’s industrial landscape.