Foreign Direct Investment in Tunisia Increases by 12.9% in 2024
According to the report "Balance of Payments and Global External Position of Tunisia 2024" published today by the Central Bank of Tunisia, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Tunisia has increased by 12.9% in 2024, reaching 2.7 billion dinars.
Key Findings
- The country recorded a net increase of 2,361 million dinars in liabilities, while the net acquisition of financial assets stood at 108 million dinars.
- Inward FDI flows now represent 1.7% of GDP, a progression attributed to the improvement of the business climate and measures taken to remove investment obstacles.
- The data shows a contrasted evolution across sectors.
Sectoral Breakdown
- The energy sector experienced a near-stagnation with 485 million dinars, a slight increase of 1.2%. This stability is explained by a decrease in investments in hydrocarbons, offset by an increase in foreign projects in renewable energies, particularly solar energy.
- On the other hand, the manufacturing industry was the main driver of the increase, attracting 1,779 million dinars, a 20.1% increase, which represents more than half of FDI in 2024. The progression concerns several sub-sectors:
- Electrical and electronic industries (856 million dinars, up from 654 million dinars in 2023)
- Mechanical, metal, and metallurgical industries (318 million dinars, up from 256 million dinars)
- Textile and clothing industry (178 million dinars, up from 129 million dinars)
- Plastics industry (143 million dinars)
- Other sectors also show significant developments:
- Tourism and real estate jumped to 30.2 million dinars, an exceptional increase of 149.6%, although the amounts remain modest.
- Investments in the "other sectors" category reached 116.9 million dinars, a 183.2% increase.
- The financial sector is the only one to experience a significant decline, falling from 275 million dinars in 2023 to 176 million dinars in 2024. The previous year had been marked by an exceptional operation: the capital increase of the "QNB Tunisie" bank by the "QNB" group for 248 million dinars.
Employment
- FDI outside the energy sector allowed for the creation of 15,681 new jobs in 2024.
- The report lists 751 extension projects (1,977 million dinars) and 105 creation projects (244 million dinars).
- At the end of the year, Tunisia had 4,109 companies with foreign participation outside the energy sector, including 3,873 totally European or with European participation.
