Tunisia Travel Podcast with Rania Ben Salah

Location

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

Terrain

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

Climate

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

Elevation

Highest point

Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

Lowest point

Shatt al Gharsah -17 m

Mean elevation

246 m

Area

Total

163,610 sq km

Land

155,360 sq km

Water

8,250 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly larger than Georgia

Coastline

1,148 km

Land borders

Total

1,495 km

Border countries

Algeria 1,034 km; Libya 461 km

Natural resources

Petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Land use

Agricultural land

62.4% (2023 est.)

Arable land

18.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

13.6% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

30.6% (2023 est.)

Forest

4.5% (2023 est.)

Other

33.1% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Flooding; earthquakes; droughts

Note

Strategic location in central Mediterranean

Population

Total

11,962,995 (2025 est.)

Male

5,926,741

Female

6,036,254

Nationality

Noun

Tunisian(s)

Adjective

Tunisian

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

Languages

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

Major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن كتاب تتعلم به المعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

Religions

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%

Median age

Total

34.1 years (2025 est.)

Male

33.6 years

Female

35.1 years

Life expectancy

Total population

77.3 years (2024 est.)

Male

75.7 years

Female

79.1 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

70.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated, as shown in this population distribution map

Largest cities

2.475 million TUNIS (capital) (2023)

Background

Many empires have controlled Tunisia, including the Phoenicians (as early as the 12 century B.C.), Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, various Arab and Berber kingdoms, and Ottomans (16th to late-19th centuries). 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 after World War I finally convinced 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. In 1987, Zine el Abidine BEN ALI replaced BOURGUIBA in a bloodless coup.

Street protests that began in Tunis in 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths and later became known as the start of the regional Arab Spring uprising. BEN ALI dismissed the government and fled the country, and a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held later that year, and human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI was elected as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in 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. After ESSEBSI’s death in office in 2019, Kais SAIED was elected. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, was set to expire in 2024. However, in 2021, SAIED used the exceptional powers allowed under Tunisia's constitution to dismiss the prime minister and suspend the legislature. Tunisians approved a new constitution through public referendum in 2022, expanding presidential powers and creating a new bicameral legislature.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Tunis

Time zone

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

Local name

Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

Independence

20 March 1956 (from France)

National day

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

Overview

Lower middle-income North African economy; drafting reforms for foreign lenders; high unemployment, especially for youth and women; hit hard by COVID-19; high public sector wages; high public debt; protectionist austerity measures; key EU trade partner

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$12,700 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$12,600 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$12,700 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

7.2% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

9.3% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

16.3% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

15.2% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

15.3% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

3.107 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

3.106 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

3.104 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2.794 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

2.812 (2020 est.)

Main industries

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

Agriculture

Milk, tomatoes, olives, onions, chillies/peppers, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, dates, oranges (2023)

Airports

14 (2025)

Railways

Total

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

Standard gauge

471 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Narrow gauge

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

Dual gauge

8 km (2014) 1.435-1.000-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

16 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

3

Small

7

Very small

6

Ports with oil terminals

10

Key ports

Ashtart Oil Terminal, Banzart, Didon Terminal, Gabes, La Goulette, Menzel Bourguiba, Mersa Sfax, Sousse, Tazerka Oil Terminal, Tunis

Internet domain

.tn

Internet users

Percent of population 72% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

14.4 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

118 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Toxic and hazardous waste disposal; water pollution from raw sewage; limited freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Fresh water

4.615 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)