have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia
relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9%
in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism.
Increased rain helped to push GDP growth to an average rate of 5% in
2003-06. However, a recession in agriculture, weak expansion in the
tourism and textile sectors, and increasing import costs due to
rising world energy prices cut growth to 4% in 2006. Tunisia is
gradually removing barriers to trade with the EU. Broader
privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to
increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency,
and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$87.88 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$32.95 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12.8%
industry: 31%
services: 56.2% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
3.502 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 23%
services: 22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate:
13.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $7.728 billion
expenditures: $8.734 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6
billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
57.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets,
dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

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

Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
11.81 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
10.97 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
15 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
5 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
81,530 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil -