Tunisia’s trade deficit reached at the end of 2017 a record level of 15.5 billion Tunisian dinars ($6.2 billion), the National Institute of statistics (INS) said.
The trade deficit widened by 23.5 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2017 to 14.362 billion Tunisian dinars ($5.81 billion), central bank data showed in December.
The record level was mainly due to the rise in the trade deficit of the oil sector, which stood at 4 billion dinars (25.9% of the overall deficit).
The trade balance deficit, excluding energy, edged down to 11.5 billion dinars, INS said.
It reflects an imbalance in trade with countries such as China and Turkey.
Tunisia has been witnessing a wave of protests demanding the government reverse austerity measures.
