Tunis
Tunisia
Key facts and a structured country profile. π§Ύ Change log π True Size
11,962,995 (2025 est.)
163,610 sq km
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
π§ 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 ESSEBSIβs 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.
πΊοΈ Geography
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
34 00 N, 9 00 E
Africa
163,610 sq km
155,360 sq km
8,250 sq km
Slightly larger than Georgia
1,495 km
Algeria 1,034 km; Libya 461 km
1,148 km
12 nm
24 nm
12 nm
Temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
Mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
246 m
Petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
62.4% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 13.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 30.6% (2023 est.)
4.5% (2023 est.)
33.1% (2023 est.)
3,920 sq km (2013)
North Western Sahara Aquifer System
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
Flooding; earthquakes; droughts
Strategic location in central Mediterranean
π₯ People and Societyβ¬οΈ Top
11,962,995 (2025 est.)
5,926,741
6,036,254
Tunisian(s)
Tunisian
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Tamazight
ΩΨͺΨ§Ψ¨ ΨΩΨ§Ψ¦Ω Ψ§ΩΨΉΨ§ΩΩ Ψ Ψ£ΨΨ³Ω ΩΨͺΨ§Ψ¨ ΨͺΨͺΨΉΩΩ Ψ¨Ω Ψ§ΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩ Ψ§Ψͺ Ψ§ΩΨ£Ψ³Ψ§Ψ³ΩΨ© (Arabic) The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%
24.4% (male 1,516,871/female 1,426,522)
65.2% (male 3,861,731/female 3,990,802)
10.4% (2024 est.) (male 593,640/female 659,281)
50.7 (2025 est.)
35.6 (2025 est.)
15.1 (2025 est.)
6.6 (2025 est.)
34.1 years (2025 est.)
33.6 years
35.1 years
0.38% (2025 est.)
11.35 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
-1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
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
70.5% of total population (2023)
1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2.475 million TUNIS (capital) (2023)
1.06 male(s)/female
1.06 male(s)/female
0.97 male(s)/female
0.9 male(s)/female
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
36 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
10.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
12.7 deaths/1,000 live births
9.8 deaths/1,000 live births
77.3 years (2024 est.)
75.7 years
79.1 years
1.59 children born/woman (2025 est.)
0.77 (2025 est.)
Urban: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 93.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 97.2% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 6.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 2.8% of population (2022 est.)
7% of GDP (2021)
11.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
1.32 physicians/1,000 population (2021)
2.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Urban: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 99% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 1% of population (2022 est.)
26.9% (2016)
1.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
19% (2025 est.)
37.6% (2025 est.)
1.4% (2025 est.)
1.6% (2018 est.)
52.5% (2023 est.)
0% (2018)
1.5% (2018)
0% (2018)
6.7% of GDP (2023 est.)
17.3% national budget (2025 est.)
86.2% (2023 est.)
92.7% (2023 est.)
80.1% (2023 est.)
14 years (2016 est.)
14 years (2016 est.)
15 years (2016 est.)
πΏ Environmentβ¬οΈ Top
Toxic and hazardous waste disposal; water pollution from raw sewage; limited freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
Marine Life Conservation
Temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
62.4% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 13.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 30.6% (2023 est.)
4.5% (2023 est.)
33.1% (2023 est.)
70.5% of total population (2023)
1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
24.645 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
4,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
14.249 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
10.392 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
26.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
88 kt (2022-2024 est.)
94.5 kt (2019-2021 est.)
97.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
3 kt (2019-2021 est.)
2.7 million tons (2024 est.)
10.9% (2022 est.)
815.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
61.9 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
2.71 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
4.615 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
ποΈ Governmentβ¬οΈ Top
Republic of Tunisia
Tunisia
Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
Tunis
The country name derives from the capital city of Tunis
Parliamentary republic
Tunis
36 48 N, 10 11 E
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
The origin of the ancient name is unclear; it is sometimes associated with the name of the Phoenician goddess Tanith
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)
Mixed system of civil law, based on the French civil code and Islamic (sharia) law; Supreme Court reviews some legislative acts in joint session
Several previous; latest draft published by the president 30 June 2022, approved by referendum 25 July 2022, and adopted 27 July 2022
Proposed by the president of the republic or one third of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People membership; following Constitutional Court review, approval to proceed requires an absolute majority vote in the Assembly, and final passage requires a two-thirds Assembly majority vote; the president can opt to submit an amendment to a referendum, which requires an absolute majority of votes cast for passage
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
No
At least one parent must be a citizen of Tunisia
Yes
5 years
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
President Kais SAIED (since 23 October 2019)
Prime Minister Sarra ZAAFRANI Zenzri (since 21 March 2025)
Prime minister appointed by the president; cabinet members appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister
President directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
6 October 2024
2024: Kais SAIED reelected president in first round - Kais SAIED (independent) 90.7%, Ayachi ZAMMEL (Long Live Tunisia) 7.3%, Zouhair MAGHZAOUI (People's Movement) 2% 2019: Kais SAIED elected president in second round; percent of vote in 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%; percent of vote in second round - Kais SAIED 72.7%, Nabil KAROUI 27.3%
2029
Bicameral
Assembly of People's Representatives (Majlis Nawwab ash-Sha'ab)
161 (all directly elected)
Plurality/majority
Full renewal
5 years
12/17/2022 to 1/29/2023
15.8%
December 2027
National Council of Regions and Districts
77 (all indirectly elected)
Full renewal
5 years
4/19/2024
13%
April 2029
Court of Cassation (consists of the first president, chamber presidents, and magistrates; organized into 27 civil and 11 criminal chambers)
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 (established in the 2014 and 2022 constitutions, but never implemented)
Courts of Appeal; administrative courts; Court of Audit; Housing Court; courts of first instance; lower district courts; military courts
Afek Tounes Al Badil Al-Tounisi (The Tunisian Alternative) Al-Amal Party Call for Tunisia Party (Nidaa Tounes) Current of Love (formerly the Popular Petition party) Democratic Current Democratic Patriots' Unified Party Dignity Coalition or Al Karama Coalition Ennahda Movement (The Renaissance) Ettakatol Party Free Destourian Party or PDL Green Tunisia Party Harakat Hak Heart of Tunisia (Qalb Tounes) July 25 Movement Labor and Achievement Party Long Live Tunisia (Tahya Tounes) Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS National Coalition Party National Salvation Front New Carthage Party Party of the Democratic Arab Vanguard People's Movement Republican Party (Al Joumhouri) The Movement Party (Hizb Harak) Third Republic Party Tunisian Ba'ath Movement Voice of the Republic Workers' Party
Ambassador (vacant); ChargΓ© d'Affaires Anis HAJRI (since 1 August 2025)
1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
[1] (202) 862-1850
[1] (202) 862-1858
AT.Washington@Tunisiaembassy.org https://www.tunisianembassy.org/
Ambassador Bill BAZZI (since 21 November 2025)
Les Berges du Lac, 1053 Tunis
6360 Tunis Place, Washington DC 20521-6360
[216] 71-107-000
[216] 71-107-090
Tuniswebsitecontact@state.gov https://tn.usembassy.gov/
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AIIB, 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, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
20 March 1956 (from France)
Independence Day, 20 March (1956); Revolution and Youth Day, 14 January (2011)
Description: red with a white disk in the center that displays a red crescent around a five-pointed red star meaning: red stands for martyrs' blood shed the fight against oppression, and white for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam history: resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star), a reference to Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire
Red crescent moon and five-pointed star in a white circle
Red, white
"Humat Al Hima" (Defenders of the Homeland)
Mustafa Sadik AL-RAFII and Aboul-Qacem ECHEBBI/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB
Adopted 1957, replaced 1958, restored 1987; Mohamad Abdel WAHAB also composed the music for the anthem of the United Arab Emirates
9 (8 cultural, 1 natural)
Amphitheatre of El Jem (c); Archaeological Site of Carthage (c); Medina of Tunis (c); Ichkeul National Park (n); Punic Town of Kerkuane (c); Kairouan (c); Medina of Sousse (c); Dougga / Thugga (c); Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory (c)
πΉ Economyβ¬οΈ Top
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
$156.086 billion (2024 est.)
$154.006 billion (2023 est.)
$153.945 billion (2022 est.)
1.4% (2024 est.)
0% (2023 est.)
2.7% (2022 est.)
$12,700 (2024 est.)
$12,600 (2023 est.)
$12,700 (2022 est.)
$53.41 billion (2024 est.)
7.2% (2024 est.)
9.3% (2023 est.)
8.3% (2022 est.)
9.3% (2023 est.)
23.6% (2023 est.)
62.1% (2023 est.)
76.2% (2024 est.)
18.6% (2024 est.)
13.4% (2024 est.)
0% (2024 est.)
48.4% (2024 est.)
-56.6% (2024 est.)
Milk, tomatoes, olives, onions, chillies/peppers, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, dates, oranges (2023)
Petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate, iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
-2.5% (2024 est.)
4.247 million (2024 est.)
16.3% (2024 est.)
15.2% (2023 est.)
15.3% (2022 est.)
40.1% (2024 est.)
41.1% (2024 est.)
37.6% (2024 est.)
16.6% (2021 est.)
33.7 (2021 est.)
22.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
3.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
3.1% (2021 est.)
27% (2021 est.)
6% of GDP (2023 est.)
6.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
6.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
$10.866 billion (2019 est.)
$12.375 billion (2019 est.)
62.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
-$1.111 billion (2023 est.)
-$3.969 billion (2022 est.)
-$2.77 billion (2021 est.)
$19.732 billion (2023 est.)
$17.254 billion (2022 est.)
$14.054 billion (2021 est.)
France 22%, Italy 17%, Germany 13%, USA 4%, Libya 4% (2023)
Garments, insulated wire, olive oil, refined petroleum, crude petroleum (2023)
$21.953 billion (2023 est.)
$22.453 billion (2022 est.)
$18.178 billion (2021 est.)
Italy 13%, France 12%, China 10%, Russia 8%, Germany 7% (2023)
Refined petroleum, natural gas, plastic products, cars, plastics (2023)
$9.344 billion (2024 est.)
$9.24 billion (2023 est.)
$8.094 billion (2022 est.)
$21.212 billion (2023 est.)
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar -
3.107 (2024 est.)
3.106 (2023 est.)
3.104 (2022 est.)
2.794 (2021 est.)
2.812 (2020 est.)
β‘ Energyβ¬οΈ Top
100% (2022 est.)
100%
99.7%
6.639 million kW (2023 est.)
19.153 billion kWh (2023 est.)
80 million kWh (2023 est.)
2.576 billion kWh (2023 est.)
4.629 billion kWh (2023 est.)
96.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
1.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
28 metric tons (2023 est.)
3,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
35,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
104,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
425 million barrels (2021 est.)
1.313 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
5.131 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
3.887 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
65.129 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
33.754 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
π‘ Communicationsβ¬οΈ Top
1.863 million (2023 est.)
15 (2023 est.)
14.4 million (2024 est.)
118 (2024 est.)
2 state-owned TV stations; 10 private local TV stations; satellite TV service available; state-owned radio network with 2 stations; several dozen private radio stations and community radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2019)
.tn
72% (2023 est.)
1.73 million (2023 est.)
14 (2023 est.)
π Transportationβ¬οΈ Top
TS
14 (2025)
11 (2025)
2,173 km (2014) (1,991 in use)
471 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
1,694 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
8 km (2014) 1.435-1.000-m gauge
72 (2023)
Container ship 1, general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 62
16 (2024)
0
3
7
6
10
Ashtart Oil Terminal, Banzart, Didon Terminal, Gabes, La Goulette, Menzel Bourguiba, Mersa Sfax, Sousse, Tazerka Oil Terminal, Tunis
π‘οΈ Military and Securityβ¬οΈ Top
Tunisian Armed Forces (Forces ArmΓ©es Tunisiennes, FAT): Tunisian Army (includes Air Defense Force), Tunisian Navy, Tunisia Air Force Ministry of Interior (MoI): Internal Security Forces (National Police, National Guard) (2025)
2.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
2.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
3% of GDP (2021 est.)
3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Approximately 35,000 active-duty Armed Forces (2025)
The Tunisian military's inventory consists mostly of older or secondhand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including Austria, France, Italy, TΓΌrkiye, and the US (2025)
18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; men 20-35 years of age subject to 12 months of compulsory national service (2025)
840 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025)
The Tunisian Armed Forces (FAT) are responsible for territorial defense and internal security; operational areas of focus include counterterrorism and assisting with securing the border regions, particularly along the frontiers with Algerian and Libya the FAT conducts bilateral and multinational training exercises with a variety of countries, including Algeria and other North African and Middle Eastern countries, France, and the US, as well as NATO; it also participates in UN peacekeeping operations; Tunisia has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2025)
π¨ Terrorismβ¬οΈ Top
Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) network in Tunisia (known locally as Ajnad al-Khilafah or the Army of the Caliphate); al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb
π Transnational Issuesβ¬οΈ Top
12,575 (2024 est.)
Tier 2 Watch List β the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Tunisia was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/tunisia
Source: Factbook JSON archive.