Transfers by Tunisians living abroad reached 3,669 million dinars, about 3.6 billion dinars, as of the end of May 2026, marking a 4.5% rise compared with the same period of the previous year, when they stood at 3,510 million dinars, according to the latest monetary indicators published by the Central Bank of Tunisia.
Converted into American currency, these transfers represent about $1,267 million, or nearly $1.26 billion, based on the monthly average exchange rate recorded at the end of last May, namely 1 dollar for 2.894 dinars.
A Strategic Support for Foreign Exchange Reserves
The resilience of financial flows from the Tunisian diaspora constitutes a real safety net for the country’s public finances, especially in a global economic context marked by considerable complexity.
Transfers by Tunisians abroad, combined with tourism revenues, which are also on an upward trend with the start of the summer season, represent the main driver of fueling and stabilizing the national foreign exchange reserves.
These cumulative flows have helped strengthen net holdings in foreign currencies, enabling Tunisia to maintain a comfortable coverage level equivalent to 103 days of imports. This threshold serves as a technical and psychological safety indicator crucial for the stability of the dinar’s exchange rate and the country’s external financial commitments.
Towards Productive Investments
In the same context, the dynamics of these transfers are undergoing a gradual evolution. While they were previously mainly intended to support household consumption, notably to cover health, education, and housing expenses, there is now a shared will between the authorities and the Tunisian expatriates abroad to direct this savings toward productive investments.
The state is currently working on implementing a set of incentive mechanisms designed to channel these transfers toward promising sectors with high added value, such as health, information technology, and the green economy.
With the start of the summer season and the return of hundreds of thousands of Tunisian expatriates from Europe, the Gulf countries, and North America, the strategic role of the Tunisian community abroad is confirmed as a financial bulwark contributing to preserving the country’s economic sovereignty.
