# Tunisia (تونس)
**Tunisia** (تونس) is a North African republic on the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast, with a population of approximately 12 million as of 2024 and Arabic as the official language, while French is widely used in business and administration.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) It is a lower-middle-income country whose economy rests on agriculture, component manufacturing, retail, and tourism.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) Politically, Tunisia is known for the 2011 uprising that removed a longtime autocrat and opened a decade of democratic government, and for the concentration of power under President Kais Saied since July 2021 that has reversed many of those gains.[2](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025) • [3](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/09/human-rights-watch-briefing-paper-on-the-human-rights-situation-in-tunisia)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Population and status | Approximately 12 million (2024); lower-middle-income; official language Arabic, French widely used[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) |
| Democratic opening | After the 2011 ouster of a longtime autocrat, Tunisia held free multiparty elections under a constitution promulgated in 2014[2](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025) |
| Power grab | On July 25, 2021, President Kais Saied suspended parliament and seized extraordinary executive powers[3](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/09/human-rights-watch-briefing-paper-on-the-human-rights-situation-in-tunisia) |
| 2022 constitution | A new constitution consolidates powers in the hands of the president, grants him immunity, and removes the constitutional court's power to adjudicate disputes over presidential powers[4](https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2022-08-23/tunisia-new-constitution-consolidates-powers-in-the-hands-of-the-president/) |
| Freedom ratings | Freedom House downgraded Tunisia from "Free" to "Partly Free" in 2022; in Freedom in the World 2025 it recorded one of the year's largest score declines[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2024-10-02_RS21666_7924f659a459c4bdf35861c918c39eaf0165bf6f.pdf) • [6](https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/FITW_World2025digitalN.pdf) |
| Economy | Growth of 1.4% in 2024 after 0.2% growth in 2023, with GDP still below its pre-COVID level; unemployment 15.2% in Q4 2025[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) |
| Water scarcity | About 380 cubic meters of renewable freshwater per person per year, below the international threshold for absolute water scarcity[7](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/09/22/world-bank-stronger-water-management-could-unlock-growth-protect-jobs) |
## Historical background
Tunisia has an early record of constitutional development in the region: it abolished slavery in 1846, two years before France, and in 1861 adopted the first constitution in the [Muslim world](https://www.edgepedia.org/muslim-world).[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/17/kais-saied-and-tunisia-s-downfall_6749522_4.html) In the mid-twentieth century it was legally a sovereign state under the Bey of Tunis, but a protectorate treaty and an 1883 convention gave France control of defense and foreign affairs; nationalists progressively demanded complete and immediate independence.[9](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1952-54v11p1/d51)
The modern political story turns on the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, which removed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in power from 1987 to 2011.[10](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2026/782582/EPRS_STU%282026%29782582_EN.pdf) • [11](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/07/27/tunisia-is-no-longer-in-a-stalled-democratic-transition-it-has-entered-into-an-unfinished-authoritarian-one_6755894_23.html) Tunisia was the only country of the 2011 Arab uprisings to emerge with a new democratic system.[12](https://apnews.com/article/9b652c4846c91c36d1b8a08d1aea9254) The 2014 constitution, adopted after an extensive, internationally celebrated national dialogue, divided executive power between a president and a prime minister accountable to parliament.[13](https://tunisiacenter.org/constitutional-meddling/) • [8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/17/kais-saied-and-tunisia-s-downfall_6749522_4.html) In 2015, the country was collectively honored with the [Nobel Peace Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/nobel-peace-prize) for its democratic endeavor.[14](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/04/25/tunisia-in-the-era-of-judicial-madness_6740623_23.html)
## The 2021 power grab and the 2022 constitution
**July 25, 2021.** Citing the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic political crises, President Kais Saied, a constitutional lawyer elected in 2019 on an anti-corruption platform, suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister, and began governing by decree.[15](https://apnews.com/article/f22aebbe7b2cb6d228d909215d3ccb5c) • [16](https://time.com/7020023/tunisia-kais-saied-democracy/) The army deployed tanks in front of the Parliament (Bardo Palace) and the government seat at the Kasbah.[17](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2025/04/27/in-tunisia-kais-saied-s-headlong-rush-toward-autocracy_6740679_124.html)
It grants the president immunity for measures adopted during his term and strips the constitutional court of the prerogative to adjudicate disputes over presidential powers.[4](https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2022-08-23/tunisia-new-constitution-consolidates-powers-in-the-hands-of-the-president/) • [18](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tunisias-new-constitution-will-only-worsen-its-political-crisis/) Saïd Benarbia of the International Commission of Jurists summarized it as "an unbridled presidential system, with an omnipotent President, a powerless Parliament and a toothless judiciary."[18](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tunisias-new-constitution-will-only-worsen-its-political-crisis/) The constitution assigns a decisive role to a Constitutional Court that, four years after its creation was mandated, still does not exist.[11](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/07/27/tunisia-is-no-longer-in-a-stalled-democratic-transition-it-has-entered-into-an-unfinished-authoritarian-one_6755894_23.html) A second chamber, the Council of Regions and Districts, was seated in April 2024, completing the elected institutions under the new constitution.[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2024-10-02_RS21666_7924f659a459c4bdf35861c918c39eaf0165bf6f.pdf)
Participation has fallen sharply. [Voter turnout](https://www.edgepedia.org/voter-turnout) reached 57% in the 2019 presidential election, fell to 30% for the 2022 constitutional referendum, and was again low in the October 2024 presidential election.[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/17/kais-saied-and-tunisia-s-downfall_6749522_4.html) Where 26 candidates were approved for the 2019 election, the electoral commission approved just two relatively unknown candidates in 2024, defying an order by the country's highest court to allow three additional candidates.[2](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025) • [16](https://time.com/7020023/tunisia-kais-saied-democracy/) [Freedom House](https://www.edgepedia.org/freedom-house) classified elections in Tunisia as manipulated to prevent genuine opposition candidates from participating.[19](https://freedomhouse.org/article/new-report-amid-unprecedented-wave-elections-political-violence-and-armed-conflict-fueled)
## Human rights and civil liberties
**Arbitrary detention.** Since early 2023, authorities have stepped up arrests and detentions of critics across the political spectrum, including lawyers, judges, activists, journalists, human rights defenders, social media users, and family members of critics.[20](https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/04/16/all-conspirators/how-tunisia-uses-arbitrary-detention-crush-dissent) As of November 2024, over 80 people were detained on political grounds or for exercising fundamental rights.[21](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/tunisia) In August 2024, a Tunis court sentenced five prospective presidential candidates, Abdellatif Mekki, Nizar Chaari, Mourad Messaoudi, Mohamed Adel Dou, and Leila Hammami, to eight months in prison and a lifetime ban on running for office.[21](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/tunisia) In the same month, a judge ordered the detention of Sihem Bensedrine, former president of the Truth and Dignity Commission established in 2014 to examine past human rights abuses.[2](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025)
**Civil society and judiciary.** [Human Rights Watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/human-rights-watch) reported that authorities have prosecuted at least 46 people connected to NGOs, using provisions of the 1975 Law on Passports and Travel Documents, the 1968 Law on the Status of Foreigners, the 2015 counterterrorism and money laundering law, and financial crimes legislation.[3](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/09/human-rights-watch-briefing-paper-on-the-human-rights-situation-in-tunisia) In October 2025, Tunisian courts ordered some of the country's most prominent human rights organizations to halt activities; the president of one, Saadia Mosbah, had been detained since May 2024.[22](https://apnews.com/article/14aa0487e7c0b7d08873cde90266a8be) The government has also systematically undermined judicial independence, targeting judges and using the judiciary for political ends.[21](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/tunisia) A state of emergency in place since 2015 and renewed repeatedly gives police broad discretion to arrest and detain people on security- or terrorism-related charges.[2](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025) Tunisia has maintained its suspension of access to asylum and committed widespread violations against migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.[23](https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/north-africa/tunisia/report-tunisia/)
**Press freedom.** Tunisia ranks 129th of 180 countries on the 2025 Press Freedom Index.[10](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2026/782582/EPRS_STU%282026%29782582_EN.pdf) Media that once showed regional diversity in coverage has been brought into line under Saied.[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/17/kais-saied-and-tunisia-s-downfall_6749522_4.html)
## International ratings
Freedom House downgraded Tunisia from "Free" to "Partly Free" in 2022, and its score fell by eight points, from 64 to 56, over Saied's consolidation of power.[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2024-10-02_RS21666_7924f659a459c4bdf35861c918c39eaf0165bf6f.pdf) • [24](https://time.com/6261065/freedom-house-report-democratic-backsliding/) In Freedom in the World 2025, Tunisia was among the countries with the largest score declines for the year, alongside [El Salvador](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-salvador), Haiti, and Kuwait.[6](https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/FITW_World2025digitalN.pdf) The European Union's bilateral engagement remains guided by the EU–Tunisia Association Agreement, which stipulates that relations are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.[25](https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2025/2024%20Human%20Rights%20and%20Democracy%20in%20the%20World%20%28country%20reports%29v2_0.pdf)
## Economy
Tunisia's growth has remained moderate since the sharp COVID-19 contraction of 2020: a rebound of 4.7% in 2021 and 2.8% in 2022 was followed by 0.2% in 2023, 1.4% in 2024, and 2.5% in 2025, with GDP below its pre-COVID level in 2024.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) Drought-related losses caused an 11% drop in agriculture in one recent year, underlining the need for climate adaptation.[26](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/05/08/tunisia-s-sustained-recovery-requires-quick-action-to-take-advantage-of-opportunities) [Unemployment](https://www.edgepedia.org/unemployment) stood at 15.2% in Q4 2025, and as of 2021 youth unemployment (ages 15–24) was 36.8% and the national poverty rate 16.6%, reaching 24.8% in rural areas.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia) Public debt declined from 84.9% of GDP in 2024 to an estimated 82.2% in 2025, against a pre-COVID 67.8% in 2019, and inflation moderated from 10.4% in February 2023 to 5.7% on average in 2025.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia)
Water is a defining constraint. Tunisia has about 380 cubic meters of renewable freshwater per person each year, well below the international threshold for absolute water scarcity, and the World Bank estimates that water scarcity could reduce GDP by 6.4% by 2050.[7](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/09/22/world-bank-stronger-water-management-could-unlock-growth-protect-jobs)
## Culture and heritage
Tunisia has been a UNESCO member state since 1956 and holds 10 World Heritage Sites, 10 intangible cultural heritage elements, and 3 Memory of the World registrations.[27](https://www.unesco.org/en/countries/tn)
## References
1. [Tunisia Overview, World Bank](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/tunisia)
2. [Tunisia: Freedom in the World 2025 Country Report, Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2025)
3. [Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper on the Human Rights Situation in Tunisia (2026)](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/09/human-rights-watch-briefing-paper-on-the-human-rights-situation-in-tunisia)
4. [Tunisia: New Constitution Consolidates Powers in the Hands of the President, Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (2022)](https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2022-08-23/tunisia-new-constitution-consolidates-powers-in-the-hands-of-the-president/)
5. [Tunisia: In Brief, Congressional Research Service (2024)](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2024-10-02_RS21666_7924f659a459c4bdf35861c918c39eaf0165bf6f.pdf)
6. [Freedom in the World 2025, Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/FITW_World2025digitalN.pdf)
7. [World Bank: Stronger Water Management Could Unlock Growth, Protect Jobs, and Build Resilience in Tunisia (2026)](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/09/22/world-bank-stronger-water-management-could-unlock-growth-protect-jobs)
8. [Kais Saied and Tunisia's downfall, Le Monde (2026)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/17/kais-saied-and-tunisia-s-downfall_6749522_4.html)
9. [Historical Documents, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1952-54v11p1/d51)
10. [Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide, European Parliament (2026)](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2026/782582/EPRS_STU%282026%29782582_EN.pdf)
11. ["Tunisia is no longer in a stalled democratic transition, it has entered into an unfinished authoritarian one", Le Monde (2026)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/07/27/tunisia-is-no-longer-in-a-stalled-democratic-transition-it-has-entered-into-an-unfinished-authoritarian-one_6755894_23.html)
12. [Tunisia's parliament convenes for first time since 2021, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/9b652c4846c91c36d1b8a08d1aea9254)
13. [Constitutional Meddling Won't Solve Tunisia's Woes, Center for Strategic Studies on Tunisia (2022)](https://tunisiacenter.org/constitutional-meddling/)
14. [Tunisia in the era of 'judicial madness', Le Monde (2025)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/04/25/tunisia-in-the-era-of-judicial-madness_6740623_23.html)
15. [A new report says Tunisia has dramatically expanded the use of politically motivated arrests, AP News (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/f22aebbe7b2cb6d228d909215d3ccb5c)
16. [The Sorry State of Tunisia's Democracy, TIME (2024)](https://time.com/7020023/tunisia-kais-saied-democracy/)
17. [In Tunisia, Kais Saied's headlong rush toward autocracy, Le Monde (2025)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2025/04/27/in-tunisia-kais-saied-s-headlong-rush-toward-autocracy_6740679_124.html)
18. [Tunisia's new constitution will only worsen its political crisis, Brookings (2022)](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tunisias-new-constitution-will-only-worsen-its-political-crisis/)
19. [NEW REPORT: 19th Consecutive Year of Decline in Global Freedom, Freedom House (2025)](https://freedomhouse.org/article/new-report-amid-unprecedented-wave-elections-political-violence-and-armed-conflict-fueled)
20. ["All Conspirators": How Tunisia Uses Arbitrary Detention to Crush Dissent, Human Rights Watch (2025)](https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/04/16/all-conspirators/how-tunisia-uses-arbitrary-detention-crush-dissent)
21. [World Report 2025: Tunisia, Human Rights Watch](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/tunisia)
22. [Tunisian courts suspend prominent human rights groups, AP News (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/14aa0487e7c0b7d08873cde90266a8be)
23. [Human rights in Tunisia, Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/north-africa/tunisia/report-tunisia/)
24. [The Global Democratic Recession May Finally Be Ending, TIME (2023)](https://time.com/6261065/freedom-house-report-democratic-backsliding/)
25. [2024 EU country updates on human rights and democracy, European External Action Service](https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2025/2024%20Human%20Rights%20and%20Democracy%20in%20the%20World%20%28country%20reports%29v2_0.pdf)
26. [Tunisia's Sustained Recovery Requires Quick Action, World Bank (2024)](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/05/08/tunisia-s-sustained-recovery-requires-quick-action-to-take-advantage-of-opportunities)
27. [Tunisia, UNESCO](https://www.unesco.org/en/countries/tn)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Countries, territories, and regional overviews › Countries and territories › Titles R to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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