Tunisia – The remittances of Tunisians abroad contributed significantly to enhancing foreign currency reserves, which has relatively preserved the stability of the dinar in front of the euro and the dollar, and helped pay the external debt, but some experts believe that these transfers remain limited due to the high banking commissions.
According to a research paper published by Professor and Economist Lamia Jaidan Mazigh, entitled “The remittances of Tunisians residing abroad … is not exploited as a shoulder”, the high value of banking deductions from these transfers “constitute a major obstacle to many Tunisian expatriates.”
In her research within another group of research written by a number of experts in a book entitled “The Tunisian Economy … a future for economic recovery?”, That the high banking commissions reduced the volume of transfers of expatriates and increased resort to “unofficial” transfer channels.
The data of the Tunisian Central Bank indicates that the volume of Tunisian expatriates’ transfers last year increased to about 8 billion dinars (i.e. 2.3 billion dollars), with a development of 6% compared to 2023. Tunisian remittances abroad exceeded last year until the revenues of the tourism sector.
Reluctance
Experts attribute the development of the remittances of Tunisians residing abroad to this standard level compared to the revenues of tourism and foreign direct investments, to the increasing migration of Tunisian competencies, led by nurses, engineers and professors, in recent years to Europe and the Gulf.
Although the transfers of Tunisian expatriates helped feed the stock of foreign currency, which increased last year to about 27 billion dinars (9 billion dollars), which corresponds to 121 days of supply, their transfers remain limited compared to the size of the transfers of some Arab and African countries.
Professor and economic expert Lamia Jaaidan Mazig says in her economic article that about 60% of Tunisians residing abroad do not contribute to these transfers due to the high value of banking commissions compared to the rest of the countries, which amount to 8%.
The expert pointed out that an important part of the remittances of Tunisian expatriates takes place through informal channels due to the high value of banking deductions, which put an additional financial burden on Tunisian immigrants who mainly send their money to their families in Tunisia to cover their basic expenses in light of the high cost of living.
Obstacle
Besides, Lamia Jaaidan Mazig revealed a decline in Tunisian investments abroad in their homeland due to many economic and administrative obstacles that negatively affect the investment environment, which limits their remittances and the Tunisian economy loses part of these resources.
In turn, the economist Rasha Al -Shakandali, one of the experts who contributed to the authorship of the book “The Tunisian Economy … is a future for economic recovery?”, That the transfers of expatriates contributed to the stability of the dinar in front of the euro and the dollar and the payment of debts, but it remains not exploited as it should.
Moody’s credit rating agency recently raised Tunisia’s classification to the CA1 (CAA1) with a stable future look thanks to the improvement of the central bank’s ability to maintain stable foreign exchange precautions in the past two years, especially thanks to expatriate and tourism transfers.
Burdens
The expert attributes the limited expatriate transfers compared to Arab and African countries to the burdens of banking commissions on transfers, and to the deterioration of the business climate in Tunisia due to the high tax rate and the outbreak of bureaucracy, which is one of the most prominent obstacles that hinder investment.
An example of the decline in the classification of Tunisia on the level of investment attracting, Al -Shakandali refers to the Economic Freedom Index for the year 2025, which ranked Tunisia 149 out of 176 countries, stressing that the decline in investment includes both foreign investment and local investment.
Based on the Shakendali’s comments, the remittances of Tunisians abroad represent one of the vital sources to enhance foreign exchange reserves, but the maximum benefit from these transfers require:
- Structural improvements in the financial system.
- Reducing banking commissions.
- Providing a more attractive business environment.
He says that the reluctance of about 60% of Tunisian expatriates to transfer their money to Tunisia because of the high banking commissions has negative repercussions on the Tunisian economy, because it limits the stock of foreign currency, as well as the banking sector because of the transfer of money across the black market, and also affects the standard of living of many families that depend on these transfers.
On the other hand, Al -Shankandali believes that the Tunisian state’s relying on Tunisian transfers abroad and tourism revenues may expose it to financial tremors, given the fragility of the tourism sector exposed to security fluctuations, as well as the effects of strict immigration laws in the countries of Europe on the stability of the situation of Tunisian immigrants.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Social Affairs for the past year, the number of Tunisians residing abroad reached more than 1.8 million people, or by more than 15% of the Tunisian people, at a time when their financial transfers to their families have exceeded 7% of the GDP.
In recent years, Tunisia has been facing a difficult economic and financial situation that prompted it to repeatedly resort to external borrowing to fill in foreign currency resources. This trend is due to the weakness of the economic growth rate, the weak investment, the exacerbation of the budget deficit and the high state expenditures.
