The services sector showed a remarkable improvement during this quarter, with a growth of 3.2%, driven by the positive performance of the sector of hotels, restaurants and cafés, which increased by 16.3%, of the sector of transport by 5.3% and the information and communication sector. sector by 4.8%.
However, the agricultural sector experienced a noticeable slowdown, as it contracted by 3.1%, with the Institute of Statistics expecting this contraction to continue until the end of this year, in more than the contraction of the industrial sector by 1%.
The institute added that despite inflation in the country rising to around 10% in the first quarter of this year, domestic demand maintained its performance after rising by 1.8%, to remain the main driver. of the growth trajectory and contribute 1.9 percentage points to growth.
Net currencies contributed 0.2 points to the growth rate due to the increase in the volume of exports of goods and services by 12.3%.
The Tunisian economy had recorded a growth of 2.4% in 2022 against 4.3% in 2021, the highest growth rate since 2008.
On the other hand, data from the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics showed that the unemployment rate reached 16.1%, unchanged compared to the same period of the previous year, but it increased compared to data from the last quarter of last year, which was 15.2%. percent.
The institute estimated the number of unemployed in the first quarter at around 655,800, compared to 624,600 in the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of 31.2 thousand.
The Tunisian Ministry of Economy had forecast a drop in the economic growth rate in 2023 to 1.8%, and it is also seeking to reduce the budget deficit this year to 5.5% of GDP from 7.7% in 2022, thanks to the implementation of an austerity programme. .
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