Tunisia Textile Industry Statistics

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector was affected by COVID-19 with export declines reported in 2020 [1]

The Tunisian textile sector faced order cancellations in early stages of COVID-19 [2]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is a key export earner [3]

Tunisia’s manufacturing output is significantly linked to the textile and clothing sector [4]

In 2022, Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports grew compared with 2021 according to industry summaries [5]

In 2022, Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports were approximately €2.8bn [5]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector accounts for a major share of industrial value added [6]

The Tunisian textile industry has faced competitiveness challenges linked to input costs and energy prices [7]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is exposed to global demand shocks [8]

Tunisia’s apparel exporters compete on quality, lead time, and compliance (contextual) [9]

Tunisia’s industry competitiveness depends on production costs and productivity [4]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is vulnerable to disruptions in input supply [10]

Tunisia’s textile industry needs modernization to meet evolving buyer standards [11]

Tunisia’s textile sector contributes materially to industrial GDP growth [12]

Tunisia’s textiles and clothing are among the most important non-energy exports in the country [3]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing industry faced financing constraints during COVID-19 for working capital [13]

Tunisia had an average inflation rate around 7% in 2023 impacting costs (general macro context) [14]

Tunisia’s exchange rate depreciation affects imported textile inputs (contextual) [14]

Tunisia’s textile industry benefits from renewable energy programs to reduce electricity costs (contextual) [15]

Tunisia’s electricity tariff reforms impact industrial competitiveness (contextual) [16]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports are heavily concentrated in a limited number of EU buyers (contextual) [9]

Tunisia’s industry has been impacted by trade restrictions and geopolitical factors affecting global sourcing (contextual) [17]

Tunisia’s industrial sector includes energy efficiency improvement initiatives for textile firms (contextual) [18]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing industry employs about 170,000 people [19]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing industry contributes about 26% of national manufacturing employment [19]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector supports women employment with a high female workforce share (industry report) [20]

The textile and clothing sector in Tunisia has a high proportion of wage employees [21]

Average annual labor force in Tunisia’s textile sector is substantial (industry employment) [19]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector has relatively low average wages compared to some EU supply chain countries (contextual labor cost comparison) [22]

The sector often relies on shift work for meeting apparel export deadlines [23]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is affected by occupational safety and health requirements [24]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector includes many workers in informal arrangements in some segments (labor market context) [25]

Tunisia’s textile sector has been a target for skill development and training programs [26]

Tunisia’s clothing sector is a major employer for youth and women [27]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is monitored in ILO sector briefs and labor statistics [28]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing industry is linked to migration and labor dynamics in North Africa (ILO context) [29]

Tunisia’s textile sector includes workers subject to Tunisian labor inspection and occupational safety systems (ILO/OSHA context) [30]

Tunisia uses the EU’s trade preferences for textile and clothing trade [31]

EU–Tunisia Association Agreement allows duty-free access for certain goods under rules of origin [32]

Tunisia benefits from preferential rules under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) in some cases [33]

Tunisia uses Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ)-like arrangements for specific export processing frameworks historically [34]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is subject to the EU’s REACH and related chemicals compliance requirements when exporting to the EU [35]

Tunisia’s apparel exports often require compliance with EU standardization and labeling requirements [36]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports are impacted by EU tariff and quota rules in some product categories [37]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is exposed to tariffs on non-preferential entries [38]

Tunisia is part of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership trade preferences [39]

Tunisia’s textile exports benefit from an EU preferential regime with specific rules of origin [40]

Tunisia’s textile sector is regulated under Tunisian labor and industrial regulations [41]

Tunisia’s industrial policy documents include support measures for textile competitiveness [42]

Tunisia’s export manufacturing benefits from industrial zones and investment incentives [43]

Tunisia provides investment incentives under its industrial investment law for exporters [44]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing industry is included in the list of promoted sectors for investment incentives [45]

Tunisia has a specific export processing framework under customs regulations for industrial exporters [46]

Tunisia’s exports rely on customs facilitation and trade logistics for garment shipments [47]

Tunisia has a national federation for the textile and clothing industry (UTICA-related sector bodies) [48]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector operates within Tunisian Ministry oversight frameworks for industry and trade [49]

Tunisia has export support mechanisms and industrial modernization programs that include textiles [50]

Tunisia’s customs code includes arrangements for temporary admission and export processing relevant to garment manufacturing [51]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is dominated by the production of knitwear and woven garments [52]

Tunisia’s textile sector has a large share of subcontracting/processing rather than full package production [52]

Tunisia’s apparel exports are mainly made up of garments such as knitwear and underwear [52]

Tunisia has more than 200 textile and clothing companies [53]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector is concentrated in the coastal regions such as Greater Tunis, Sousse, and Sfax [53]

Tunisia’s main textile hubs include Monastir and Sousse [53]

Tunisia’s textile sector includes many SMEs and subcontractors [53]

Tunisia’s garment segment uses mostly labor-intensive production models [4]

Tunisia’s textile sector uses both natural and synthetic fibers [53]

Tunisia’s textile industry is integrated with dyeing/finishing capabilities in-country [53]

Tunisia has capacity in yarn spinning and fabric production depending on subsector [53]

Tunisia’s production is oriented to export orders, with short lead times typical [54]

Lead times and responsiveness are critical for Tunisian apparel exporters [55]

Tunisia’s textile and apparel supply chain depends on imported inputs for some categories [5]

Tunisia’s garment industry has vertical integration for some processes like cutting and sewing [52]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector experienced increased demand for sustainable materials and compliance [56]

Major Tunisian exporters have adopted environmental management systems to meet EU customer requirements [56]

Tunisia’s textile industry faces wastewater and chemical management pressures [57]

Tunisia’s textile industry increasingly invests in cleaner production to reduce environmental impact [57]

Tunisia exported knitwear and underwear as key product lines (contextual) [52]

Tunisia exported T-shirts and other basic garments as key categories (contextual) [52]

Tunisia exported trousers and uniforms as notable garment categories (contextual) [52]

Tunisia’s textile sector includes denim and workwear production in some firms (contextual) [52]

Tunisia’s exporters increasingly market recycled polyester or sustainable fabrics (contextual) [56]

Tunisia’s garment production depends on imported machinery and equipment for finishing and knitting in some segments (contextual) [58]

Tunisia’s textiles sector has been modernized through investments in machinery and technology upgrades (contextual) [59]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector uses imported cotton and synthetic fibers for some production (contextual) [60]

Tunisia’s textile and apparel sector uses an extensive network of subcontractors for cutting and sewing operations [53]

Tunisia’s apparel manufacturing is centered on large industrial clusters with common service providers (contextual) [53]

Tunisia’s textile industry includes weaving, knitting, dyeing, and finishing capacities (contextual) [53]

Tunisia’s exporters often use cut-make-trim (CMT) and processing models (contextual) [52]

In Tunisia, textiles and clothing exports account for about 30% of total exports [5]

Tunisia’s textiles and clothing sector exports reached €2.8 billion in 2022 [5]

Tunisia exported €2.5 billion worth of textiles and clothing in 2021 [5]

Tunisia’s trade balance in textiles and clothing is positive, with exports exceeding imports [5]

Tunisia ranks among the top producers in North Africa for textiles and clothing [61]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing sector produces mainly for export markets in the EU [55]

Tunisia’s largest import market for textiles and clothing is the EU [55]

The EU is Tunisia’s main destination for textile and clothing exports [5]

Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports experienced volatility across years [62]

Tunisia exported $2.1B of textiles in 2022 (HS+category on OEC) [62]

Tunisia exported $1.7B of textiles in 2021 (OEC) [62]

Tunisia exported $2.5B of clothing in 2022 (OEC) [63]

Tunisia exported $2.0B of clothing in 2021 (OEC) [63]

Tunisia exported $4.6B of textiles and apparel combined in 2022 (OEC combined categories) [64]

Tunisia exported $3.7B of textiles and apparel combined in 2021 (OEC) [64]

Tunisia has an estimated 7% share of EU knitted apparel imports (contextual estimate in EU market analysis) [65]

Tunisia has an estimated 4% share of EU woven apparel imports (contextual estimate in EU market analysis) [65]

Tunisia is within the top suppliers to the EU for certain categories of textile and clothing [55]

EU is among Tunisia’s main buyers for cotton and synthetic fabrics and garments [65]

Tunisia exported most apparel to France and Italy among EU markets (contextual) [55]

Tunisia’s textile industry demand for cotton affects import volumes (contextual) [66]

Tunisia’s textile-related imports include synthetic filament yarn and sewing thread (HS data via UN Comtrade) [67]

Tunisia’s exports include cotton yarn and woven fabrics (HS data via UN Comtrade) [68]

Tunisia’s exports include T-shirts (HS 6109) (UN Comtrade data link) [69]

Tunisia’s exports include trousers/breeches/leggings (HS 6103/6104) (UN Comtrade data link) [70]

Tunisia’s exports include knitted fabric (HS 6001/6002) (UN Comtrade data link) [71]

Tunisia’s exports include woven cotton fabric (HS 5208) (UN Comtrade data link) [72]

Tunisia’s imports include polyester filament yarn (HS 5402) (UN Comtrade data link) [73]

Tunisia’s imports include cotton yarn (HS 5205/5207) (UN Comtrade data link) [74]

Tunisia’s imports include knitted fabrics (HS 6003) (UN Comtrade data link) [75]

Tunisia’s imports include woven fabrics (HS 5512) (UN Comtrade data link) [76]

Tunisia’s textile and apparel exports include HS 61/62 categories (knit and woven apparel) (UN Comtrade data link) [77]

Tunisia’s textile and apparel exports include HS 61 categories (knit apparel) (UN Comtrade data link) [78]