Tunisia has fully repaid its foreign debt for 2025, exceeding expectations and bolstering the nation’s financial standing. The country disbursed 125% of its obligations before the end of September, totaling over 8.4 billion Tunisian dinars (approximately 2.5 billion euros), according to data reported by the World Bank.
This proactive debt repayment demonstrates Tunisia’s commitment to financial independence and comes at a time when global supply is contracting, potentially opening new opportunities for Tunisian exports, particularly in key sectors like olive oil. The success of this strategy is linked to increased tourism revenue, remittances from Tunisians abroad, and growth in exports.
The payments included 1.126 billion dinars (332 million euros) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 815 million dinars (240 million euros) to the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), and 159 million dinars (47 million euros) to Saudi Arabia. Notably, Tunisia achieved this without resorting to new external borrowing, although maintaining what officials describe as a “comfortable” level of foreign exchange reserves.
The World Bank praised Tunisia’s management of its debt-to-national-income ratio, highlighting the government’s “rigorous budgetary discipline” despite a significant proportion of short-term obligations. The move aligns with a national strategy to reduce reliance on external financing and promote domestic capital markets.
Tunisian authorities are focused on increasing tax revenues and developing the domestic capital market, believing these measures will strengthen the country’s financial sovereignty. The policy’s success has been aided by increased exports, including olive oil and products from the mechanical industry, as reported by APAnews.
The development underscores Tunisia’s growing economic resilience and its ambition to play a more prominent role in regional trade.
