International investment in Tunisia has surged to 2,522 million dinars in 2023, marking a notable increase compared to previous years, as reported by the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA).
This figure represents a significant uptick of 13.5% compared to 2022, a remarkable 34.4% surge compared to 2021, and a substantial 33.7% rise compared to 2020. However, it slightly trailed behind the levels recorded in 2019 by 4.8%.
Breaking down the composition of international investments, portfolio investments accounted for 136.8 million dinars, while foreign direct investments (FDI) constituted the bulk, totaling 2,385 million dinars.
FDI allocation across sectors stood as follows: 19.7% directed towards energy, 62.1% towards manufacturing, 17.5% towards services, and 0.8% towards agriculture.
Non-energy FDI flows in 2023 resulted in 638 investment operations, totaling 1,916 million dinars, and generating 14,746 new jobs. Among these projects, 118 (18%) were new ventures, accounting for 216.1 million dinars and creating 5,126 new jobs, while 520 (82%) were expansion projects, worth 1,700 million dinars, and generating 9,620 new jobs.
Regionally, the distribution of FDI revealed significant disparities, with over 50% of FDI concentrated in the Greater Tunis region (973 MD), notably in the Tunis governorate (544 MD), and the North-East region securing more than 24% of FDI (460 MD).
In terms of FDI sources by country, France emerged as the leading investor with 610.5 million dinars, representing over 31% of total non-energy FDI. Qatar followed closely in second place with 293.7 million dinars, followed by Italy with 263.4 million dinars, Germany with 237.9 million dinars, and the United States with 54.9 million dinars.
Tunisia’s growing attractiveness to international investors underscores the country’s potential for economic growth and development, positioning it favourably within the global investment landscape.
