Tunisia’s textile, clothing and leather exports rose 18.6 per cent in 2018. The plan is to raise textile and clothing exports to the European Union. The textile and clothing sector in Tunisia accounts for 35 per cent of the country’s GDP and offers 161,425 jobs.

Also 95 per cent of Tunisia’s textile and clothing exports are aimed at Europe. Similarly, 82.7 per cent of companies located in Tunisia are totally exporting. Tunisia was the first country along the southern coast of the Mediterranean to have achieved free trade with the European Union. In the 1990s, Tunisia signed a free trade agreement with the EU to facilitate economic exchanges between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

The textile and clothing industry in Tunisia plays a critical role in the socio-economic development of the country. Tunisia is among the top 15 garment suppliers in the world, and has the advantage of being close to the European market. It is the fifth largest supplier to the European Union as well as the leading trouser supplier to the EU. Other important products are work wear and lingerie. The main foreign investors in the apparel sector in Tunisia are France, Germany, Belgium and Italy.