Tunisia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Tunisia. Strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 37 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Tunisia
Location Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
Geographic coordinates 34 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
Natural Resources petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Natural Hazards flooding; earthquakes; droughts
Irrigated Land 3,920 sq km (2013)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers North Western Sahara Aquifer System
Land Boundaries 1,495 km
Border Countries Algeria 1,034 km; Libya 461 km
Coastline 1,148 km
Climate temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
Area
Total Area
Land Area 155,360 sq km
Water Area 8,250 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than Georgia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 12 nm
Elevations
Highest point Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Lowest point Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
Mean elevation 246 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 64.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 18.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 15.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 31.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 6.6% (2018 est.)
Other 28.6% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Tunisia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Population
Pop growth rate 0.58% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 13.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.2 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.93 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.94 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 50.7% (2018)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 53.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 7.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Net Migration rate -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Tunisian | Tunisian(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%
Age Structure
0-14 years 24.4% (male 1,516,871/female 1,426,522)
15-64 years 65.2% (male 3,861,731/female 3,990,802)
65 years and over 10.4% (2024 est.) (male 593,640/female 659,281)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 50.9
Youth dependency ratio 36.3
Elderly dependency ratio 13.3
Potential support ratio 7.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 34.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 33.6 years
Female 35.1 years
Urbanization
Urban population 70.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.475 million TUNIS (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 11.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 9.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 77.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 75.7 years
Female 79.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 97.3% of population
Improved: total total: 99.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 2.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 98.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.4% of population
Improved: total total: 99% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 24.6% (2020 est.)
Male 47.2% (2020 est.)
Female 2% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 1.5% (2018 est.)
Demographic profile

The Tunisian Government took steps in the 1960s to decrease population growth and gender inequality in order to improve socioeconomic development. Through its introduction of a national family planning program (the first in Africa) and by raising the legal age of marriage, Tunisia rapidly reduced its total fertility rate from about 7 children per woman in 1960 to 2 in 2022. Unlike many of its North African and Middle Eastern neighbors, Tunisia will soon be shifting from being a youth-bulge country to having a transitional age structure, characterized by lower fertility and mortality rates, a slower population growth rate, a rising median age, and a longer average life expectancy.

Currently, the sizable young working-age population is straining Tunisia’s labor market and education and health care systems. Persistent high unemployment among Tunisia’s growing workforce, particularly its increasing number of university graduates and women, was a key factor in the uprisings that led to the overthrow of the BEN ALI regime in 2011. In the near term, Tunisia’s large number of jobless young, working-age adults; deficiencies in primary and secondary education; and the ongoing lack of job creation and skills mismatches could contribute to future unrest. In the longer term, a sustained low fertility rate will shrink future youth cohorts and alleviate demographic pressure on Tunisia’s labor market, but employment and education hurdles will still need to be addressed.

Tunisia has a history of labor emigration. In the 1960s, workers migrated to European countries to escape poor economic conditions and to fill Europe’s need for low-skilled labor in construction and manufacturing. The Tunisian Government signed bilateral labor agreements with France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and the Netherlands, with the expectation that Tunisian workers would eventually return home. At the same time, growing numbers of Tunisians headed to Libya, often illegally, to work in the expanding oil industry. In the mid-1970s, with European countries beginning to restrict immigration and Tunisian-Libyan tensions brewing, Tunisian economic migrants turned toward the Gulf countries. After mass expulsions from Libya in 1983, Tunisian migrants increasingly sought family reunification in Europe or moved illegally to southern Europe, while Tunisia itself developed into a transit point for Sub-Saharan migrants heading to Europe.

Following the ousting of BEN ALI in 2011, the illegal migration of unemployed Tunisian youths to Italy and onward to France soared into the tens of thousands. Thousands more Tunisian and foreign workers escaping civil war in Libya flooded into Tunisia and joined the exodus. A readmission agreement signed by Italy and Tunisia in April 2011 helped stem the outflow, leaving Tunisia and international organizations to repatriate, resettle, or accommodate some 1 million Libyans and third-country nationals.

All Important Facts about Tunisia

Want to know more about Tunisia? Check all different factbooks for Tunisia below.

Tunisia is found in Northern Africa