| ECONOMY |
| |
| Overview |
Tunisia
has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining,
energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control
of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened
over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification
of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real
growth averaged 5.4% in 1997-2001 but slowed to 1.9% in 2002
because of agricultural drought, slow investment, and lackluster
tourism. Increased rainfall portends higher growth levels
for 2003, but continued regional tension from the war in Iraq
will most likely continue to suppress tourism earnings. Tunisia
has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the
European Union over the next decade. 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
for the future. |
| GDP |
purchasing
power parity - $67.13 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate |
4.8% (2002
est.) |
| GDP
- per capita |
purchasing
power parity - $6,800 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector |
agriculture:
12%
industry: 32%
services: 56% (2003 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line |
6% (2000
est.) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices) |
2.5% (2002
est.) |
| Labor
force |
2.69 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation |
services
55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate |
15.4% (2002
est.) |
| Industries |
petroleum,
mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles,
footwear, agribusiness, beverages |
| Industrial
production growth rate |
3.5% (2002
est.) |
