Madar (Tunis) - Tunisia's energy trade deficit has reached 10.480 billion dinars, about half of the country's overall trade deficit, and foreign-currency reserves have fallen to the equivalent of 93 days of imports, Finance Minister Mechkat Salma Khaldi said on Thursday, October 29, 2026, according to news site Webdo.
The minister was speaking at a hearing on the execution of the 2026 state budget before the finance and budget committees of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) and the National Council of Regions and Districts (CNRD). She said economic indicators showed relative stability despite risks and challenges.
According to the figures she presented, imports rose by 13.1% while exports grew by 8.6%, adding pressure on the trade balance and on external financing needs. She also pointed to possible repercussions of the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East on trade and energy prices.
Tourism receipts rose by 3.7% and remittances from Tunisians living abroad by 4.4%. As of October 23, foreign-currency reserves stood at 24.180 billion dinars, or 93 days of imports, compared with 107 days a year earlier.
The minister also highlighted the expansion of the informal sector, which she said creates unfair competition for formal businesses and reduces state resources, adding that the government has drawn up a plan to gradually bring informal activities into the legal framework, the same source said.
