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Demographics Of Tunisia

Tunisia's population was estimated to be around 12.04 million in 2022.

In the generally youthful African continent, Tunisia's population is among the most mature. This is because the government has supported a successful family planning program that has reduced the population growth rate to just over 1% per annum, contributing to Tunisia's economic and social stability.

Demographics of Tunisia
Demographics Of Tunisia
Population pyramid of Tunisia in 2020
Population11,896,972 (2022 est.)
Growth rate0.69% (2022 est.)
Birth rate14.62 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate6.36 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy76.82 years
 • male75.14 years
 • female78.6 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate2.11 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate11.87 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years25.28%
65 and over8.86%
Sex ratio
Total0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.06 male(s)/female
Under 151.07 male(s)/female
65 and over0.78 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityTunisian
Major ethnicArabs (98%)
Minor ethnicBerbers (1%), Others (1%)
Language
OfficialArabic
Demographics Of Tunisia
Tunisia's population (0 to 2021).

The population of Tunisia is made up of Arabs (98%), Berbers (1%), and others (1%). Around 98 percent of the population are Muslim. There is a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba and in Tunis. There also exists a small autochthonous group of Christian adherents.

Population History

Historical population
YearPop.±%
0 800,000—    
500 850,000+6.2%
1000 1,000,000+17.6%
1500 800,000−20.0%
1700 800,000+0.0%
1900 1,880,000+135.0%
1960 4,220,701+124.5%
1970 5,127,000+21.5%
1980 6,384,000+24.5%
1990 8,154,400+27.7%
2000 9,563,500+17.3%
2010 10,547,000+10.3%
2020 11,818,619+12.1%

Source: National Institute of Statistics and United Nations Statistics Division

Vital statistics

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1,000) Crude death rate (per 1,000) Natural change (per 1,000) Population growth (annual %) Fertility rates
1948 3,425,100 111,084 49,917 61,167 32.4 14.6 17.8
1949 3,489,400 92,439 35,409 57,030 26.5 10.1 16.4 1.877
1950 3,530,000 106,235 33,648 72,587 30.1 9.5 20.6 1.164
1951 3,596,000 119,981 33,935 86,046 33.4 9.4 24.0 1.870
1952 3,662,000 105,469 30,676 74,793 28.8 8.4 20.4 1.835
1953 3,727,000 116,638 31,116 85,522 31.3 8.3 23.0 1.775 6.90
1954 3,793,000 119,774 31,249 88,525 31.6 8.2 23.4 1.771
1955 3,860,000 134,489 28,942 105,547 34.8 7.5 27.3 1.766
1956 3,929,000 140,505 33,367 107,138 35.8 8.5 27.3 1.788
1957 3,999,000 157,741 36,964 120,777 39.4 9.2 30.2 1.782
1958 4,072,000 181,144 37,018 144,126 44.5 9.1 35.4 1.825 7.00
1959 4,145,000 184,209 41,737 142,472 44.4 10.1 34.3 1.793
1960 4,220,701 182,221 42,064 140,157 43.2 10.0 33.2 1.826
1961 4,297,000 184,396 45,437 138,959 42.9 10.6 32.3 1.808
1962 4,376,000 181,861 49,200 132,661 41.6 11.2 30.4 1.838
1963 4,457,000 187,395 45,415 141,980 42.0 10.2 31.8 1.851 7.21
1964 4,541,000 206,046 43,656 162,390 45.4 9.6 35.8 1.885
1965 4,630,000 193,220 51,700 141,520 41.7 11.2 30.2 1.960
1966 4,716,000 206,717 48,307 158,410 43.8 10.2 33.6 1.857 7.22
1967 4,819,000 187,320 49,387 137,933 38.9 10.2 28.7 2.184
1968 4,920,000 188,190 46,712 141,478 38.3 9.5 28.8 2.096 6.86
1969 5,027,500 194,940 52,872 142,068 38.8 10.5 28.3 2.185
1970 5,126,500 186,360 45,560 140,800 36.4 8.9 27.5 1.969 6.09
1971 5,228,400 183,311 48,625 134,686 35.1 9.3 25.8 1.988 6.00
1972 5,331,800 199,121 39,488 159,633 37.3 7.4 29.9 1.978
1973 5,333,400 194,810 60,800 134,010 36.5 11.4 25.1 0.030 6.18
1974 5,463,700 194,600 54,700 139,900 35.6 10.0 25.6 2.443
1975 5,611,400 205,390 41,172 164,218 36.6 7.3 29.3 2.703
1976 5,774,900 208,040 37,028 171,012 36.0 6.4 29.6 2.914
1977 5,928,300 220,546 36,272 184,274 37.2 6.1 31.1 2.656
1978 6,067,100 207,342 34,885 172,457 34.2 5.7 28.5 2.341 5.14
1979 6,219,800 218,161 37,201 180,960 35.1 6.0 29.1 2.517 4.92
1980 6,392,300 225,165 36,445 188,720 35.2 5.7 29.5 2.773 4.51
1981 6,565,500 226,425 36,989 189,436 34.5 5.6 28.9 2.710
1982 6,703,600 219,393 36,069 183,324 32.7 5.4 27.3 2.103
1983 6,839,500 216,365 35,054 181,311 31.6 5.1 26.5 2.027 4.88
1984 7,033,900 227,052 33,740 193,312 32.3 4.8 27.5 2.842 4.66
1985 7,261,100 227,188 35,963 191,225 31.3 5.0 26.3 3.230 4.42
1986 7,464,900 234,736 35,467 199,269 31.4 4.8 26.6 2.807 4.39
1987 7,639,000 224,169 35,632 188,537 29.3 4.7 24.6 2.332 4.07
1988 7,769,900 215,069 34,984 180,085 27.7 4.5 23.2 1.714 3.78
1989 7,909,600 199,459 34,921 164,538 25.2 4.4 20.8 1.798 3.36
1990 8,154,400 205,315 45,700 159,615 25.2 5.6 19.6 3.095 3.35
1991 8,318,200 207,455 46,500 160,955 24.9 5.6 19.3 2.009 3.28
1992 8,489,900 211,649 46,300 165,349 24.9 5.5 19.5 2.064 3.25
1993 8,657,400 207,786 49,400 158,386 24.0 5.7 18.3 1.973 3.09
1994 8,815,300 200,223 50,300 149,923 22.7 5.7 17.0 1.824 2.90
1995 8,957,500 186,416 52,000 134,416 20.8 5.8 15.0 1.613 2.67
1996 9,089,300 178,801 49,800 129,001 19.7 5.5 14.2 1.471 2.51
1997 9,214,900 173,757 51,700 122,057 18.9 5.6 13.2 1.382 2.38
1998 9,333,300 166,718 52,300 114,818 17.9 5.6 12.3 1.285 2.23
1999 9,455,900 160,169 54,400 105,769 16.9 5.7 11.2 1.314 2.09
2000 9,552,500 163,089 53,700 109,389 17.1 5.6 11.4 1.022 2.08
2001 9,650,600 163,300 53,200 110,100 16.9 5.6 11.4 1.027 2.05
2002 9,748,900 163,011 56,870 106,141 16.7 5.8 10.8 1.019 2.00
2003 9,839,841 168,022 59,781 108,241 17.1 6.1 11.0 0.933 2.06
2004 9,932,431 166,551 59,269 107,282 16.8 6.0 10.8 0.941 2.02
2005 10,029,100 170,999 58,673 112,326 17.1 5.9 11.2 0.973 2.04
2006 10,127,900 173,390 57,000 116,390 17.1 5.6 11.5 0.985 2.03
2007 10,225,200 177,503 56,741 120,762 17.4 5.5 11.8 0.961 2.04
2008 10,328,700 182,990 59,975 123,015 17.7 5.8 11.9 1.012 2.06
2009 10,458,095 184,282 59,499 124,783 17.7 5.7 12.0 1.253 2.05
2010 10,565,704 196,039 60,438 135,601 18.6 5.7 12.9 1.029 2.13
2011 10,674,420 201,120 63,258 137,862 18.8 5.9 12.9 1.029 2.15
2012 10,784,255 217,738 63,257 154,481 20.2 5.9 14.3 1.029 2.38
2013 10,895,219 222,962 61,730 161,232 20.5 5.7 14.8 1.029 2.40
2014 11,012,486 225,887 62,785 163,102 20.5 5.7 14.8 1.076 2.42
2015 11,162,666 222,530 69,644 152,886 19.9 6.2 13.7 1.364 2.37
2016 11,304,483 219,013 66,298 152,715 19.4 5.9 13.5 1.270 2.40
2017 11,434,994 208,081 74,002 134,079 18.2 6.5 11.7 1.155 2.29
2018 11,532,078 202,694 72,716 129,978 17.5 6.3 11.2 0.849 2.23
2019 11,638,066 195,822 76,091 119,731 16.8 6.5 10.3 0.919 2.17
2020 11,726,178 174,116 79,891 94,225 14.8 6.8 8.0 0.757 1.96
2021 11,783,722 160,268 107,006 53,262 13.6 9.1 4.5 0.491 1.82
2022 11,826,900 147,242 77,292 69,950 12.4 6.5 5.9 0.366 1.57(e)

Current vital statistics

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - November 2022 136,113 70,401 +65,712
January - November 2023 123,840 65,525 +58,315
Difference Demographics Of Tunisia  -12,273 (-9.02%) Demographics Of Tunisia  -4,876 (-6.93%) Demographics Of Tunisia  -7,397

Regional data

Demographic of different governorates
Rang governorate Population (2023) Density (2014)
(hab./km)
1 Tunis 1,078,412 3,053
2 Sfax 1,028,364 127
3 Nabeul 873,824 283
4 Sousse 753,670 253
5 Ben Arous 721,956 830
6 Ariana 674,025 1,195
7 Monastir 611,118 539
8 Kairouan 601,915 85
9 Bizerte 600,012 154
10 Médenine 522,294 56
11 Kasserine 465,832 54
12 Sidi Bouzid 459,891 61
13 Mahdia 448,273 139
14 Manouba 426,525 334
15 Gabès 407,078 52
16 Jendouba 405,167 129
17 Gafsa 355,341 38
18 Béja 308,710 85
19 Kef 247,741 49
20 Siliana 229,153 48
21 Zaghouan 191,066 64
22 Kébili 171,478 7
23 Tataouine 152,069 4
24 Tozeur 116,316 23
Source : Institut national de la statistique

Structure of the population

Structure of the population (Census 23.IV.2014):
Age Group Male Female Total Percent
Total 5 472 333 5 510 420 10 982 753 100
0–4 505 509 466 662 972 171 8.85
5–9 440 644 408 362 849 006 7.73
10–14 407 938 381 684 789 622 7.19
15–19 421 716 405 792 827 508 7.53
20–24 459 814 465 595 925 409 8.43
25–29 449 932 484 685 934 617 8.51
30–34 477 322 506 459 983 781 8.96
35–39 397 594 419 392 816 986 7.44
40–44 357 353 370 495 727 848 6.63
45–49 331 283 351 673 682 956 6.22
50–54 324 423 326 185 650 608 5.92
55–59 268 380 266 788 535 168 4.87
60–64 212 900 212 524 425 424 3.87
65–69 127 168 135 135 262 303 2.39
70–74 107 097 113 584 220 681 2.01
75–79 81 732 85 164 166 896 1.52
80+ 101 528 110 241 211 769 1.93
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 1 354 091 1 256 708 2 610 799 23.77
15–64 3 700 717 3 809 588 7 510 305 68.38
65+ 417 525 444 124 861 649 7.85
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021):
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 5 845 771 5 937 951 11 783 722 100
0–4 926 069 7.86
5–9 1 070 239 9.08
10–14 944 533 8.02
15–19 805 973 6.84
20–24 769 307 6.53
25–29 845 867 7.18
30–34 862 847 7.32
35–39 900 584 7.64
40–44 858 461 7.29
45–49 780 961 6.63
50–54 680 158 5.77
55–59 665 392 5.65
60–64 544 471 4.62
65-69 461 708 3.92
70-74 286 317 2.43
75-79 181 675 1.54
80+ 199 161 1.69
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 2 940 841 24.96
15–64 7 714 020 65.46
65+ 1 128 861 9.58

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in Tunisia

  Arabs (98%)
  Berbers (1%)
  Others (1%)

The majority of the population of Tunisia is made up of Arabs (98% of the population). The first people known to history in what is now Tunisia were the Berbers, who currently make up 1% of the population, and were ultimately conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century. There was a continuing inflow of nomadic Arab tribes to the Maghreb from the Arabian Peninsula since the 7th century with a major wave in the 11th century.

Whilst the Ottoman influence has been particularly significant in forming the Turco-Tunisian community, other peoples have also migrated to Tunisia during different periods of time, including Sub-Saharan Africans, Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians (Punics), Jews, and French settlers. The Tunisian, by 1870 the distinction between the Arabic-speaking mass and the Turkish elite had blurred. There is also a small Berber (1% at most) population located in the Dahar mountains and on the island of Djerba in the south-east and in the Khroumire mountainous region in the north-west.

From the late 19th century to after World War II, Tunisia was home to large populations of French and Italians (255,000 Europeans in 1956), although nearly all of them, along with the Jewish population, left after Tunisia became independent. The history of the Jews in Tunisia goes back some 2,000 years. In 1948 the Jewish population was an estimated 105,000, but by 2013 only about 900 remained.

After the Reconquista and expulsion of non-Christians and Moriscos from Spain, many Spanish Muslims and Jews also arrived. According to Matthew Carr, "As many as eighty thousand Moriscos settled in Tunisia, most of them in and around the capital, Tunis, which still contains a quarter known as Zuqaq al-Andalus, or Andalusia Alley."

Genetics

Demographics Of Tunisia 
Geographical frequency distribution of Haplogroup J1.

Tunisians mainly carry haplogroup J1 (34.2%) and haplogroup E (55%).

"In fact, the Tunisian genetic distances to European samples are smaller than those to North African groups. (...) This could be explained by the history of the Tunisian population, reflecting the influence of the ancient Punic settlers of Carthage followed, among others, by Roman, Byzantine, Arab and French occupations, according to historical records. Notwithstanding, other explanations cannot be discarded, such as the relative heterogeneity within current Tunisian populations, and/or the limited sub-Saharan genetic influence in this region as compared with other North African areas, without excluding the possibility of the genetic drift, whose effect might be particularly amplified on the X chromosome.",

However, later research has suggested instead that Tunisians exhibit a mostly indigenous North African ancestral component similar to other Northwest African populations; characterized by a high amount of native Northwest African genes, but with higher Middle Eastern input than in Algeria or Morocco.

Y-Chromosome

Listed here are the human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroups in Tunisia.

Haplogroup n B E1a E1b1a E1b1b1 E1b1b1a3 E1b1b1a4 E1b1b1b E1b1b1c F G I J1 J2 K P,R R1a1 R1b1a R1b1b T
Marker M33 M2 M35 V22 V65 M81 M34 M89 M201 V88 M269 M70
Tunisia 601 0.17 0.5 0.67 1.66 3 3.16 62.73 1.16 2.66 0.17 0.17 16.64 2.83 0.33 0.33 0.5 1.83 0.33 1.16

Migration

Detailed article : Tunisian diaspora

Main countries of origin of international migrants in Tunisia
Country of origin 2020
Demographics Of Tunisia  Algeria 11,060
Demographics Of Tunisia  Libya 9,688
Demographics Of Tunisia  France 9,151
Demographics Of Tunisia  Morocco 6,146
Demographics Of Tunisia  Italy 2,345
Demographics Of Tunisia  Germany 1,537
Demographics Of Tunisia  Syria 1,382
Demographics Of Tunisia  Egypt 1,206
Demographics Of Tunisia  Mali 1,058
Total 60,415'

Other demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics of Tunisia in 2022 are from the World Population Review.

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

11,896,972 (2022 est.)

Religions

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%

Age structure

Demographics Of Tunisia 
Population pyramid in 2020
    0-14 years: 25.28% (male 1,529,834/female 1,433,357)
    15-24 years: 12.9% (male 766,331/female 745,888)
    25-54 years: 42.85% (male 2,445,751/female 2,576,335)
    55-64 years: 10.12% (male 587,481/female 598,140)
    65 years and over: 8.86% (male 491,602/female 546,458) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

    14.62 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 119th

Death rate

    6.36 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 143rd

Total Fertility Rates

    1.96 children born/woman (2023 est.) Country comparison to the world: 113th
    2 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 108th
    2.03 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

    50.7% (2018 est.)

Population growth rate

    0.69% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 129th
    0.75% (2021 est.)

Median age

    total: 32.7 years. Country comparison to the world: 107th
    male: 32 years
    female: 33.3 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

    -1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 154th
    -1.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
    -1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)
    -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Urbanization

    urban population: 70.2% of total population (2022)
    rate of urbanization: 1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
    Urban population: 69.9% of total population (2021)
    Rate of urbanization: 1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

    7.3% of GDP (2016) Country comparison to the world: 18th

Sex ratio

    At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
    0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
    15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
    25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
    55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
    65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
    total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

    Total: 12.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
    Male: 13.67 deaths/1,000 live births
    Female: 10.57 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

    Total population: 76.57 years (2021 est.)
    Male: 74.88 years
    Female: 78.36 years

Nationality

    noun: Tunisian(s)
    adjective: Tunisian

Ethnic groups

Languages

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 74.2% (2015 est.)

The literacy rate among the Tunisian population increased greatly after its independence from France. According to the 1996 census data, the literacy rate of the last generation of Tunisian men educated under the French rule (those born 1945–49) was less than 65%. For the first generation educated after independence (born 1950–1954), literacy in Arabic among males had increased to nearly 80%. (Sixty-two percent were also literate in French and 15 percent literate in English). Among the youngest generation included in the census (those born 1980–1984), 96.6% were literate in Arabic.

Among Tunisian women, the increase in literacy was even greater. The literacy rate among the last generation of women educated under the French was less than 30%. In the first generation educated after independence, this increased to just over 40%. For the youngest generation of women cited (born 1980–1984), literacy in Arabic had increased to slightly over 90%; over 70% of women were also literate in French.

Life expectancy

Demographics Of Tunisia 
Life expectancy in Tunisia since 1923
Demographics Of Tunisia 
Life expectancy in Tunisia since 1960 by gender
    total population: 76.82 years. Country comparison to the world: 99th
    male: 75.14 years
    female: 78.6 years (2022 est.)
Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 38.8 1985–1990 67.1
1955–1960 40.7 1990–1995 70.3
1960–1965 43.7 1995–2000 72.4
1965–1970 48.3 2000–2005 73.7
1970–1975 54.1 2005–2010 74.6
1975–1980 59.4 2010–2015 75.0
1980–1985 64.3

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

    total population: 81.8%
    male: 89.6%
    female: 74.2% (2015)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

    total: 15 years
    male: 14 years
    female: 16 years (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

    total: 34.9%
    male: 33.8%
    female: 37.2% (2017 est.)

References

Tags:

Demographics Of Tunisia Population HistoryDemographics Of Tunisia Regional dataDemographics Of Tunisia Ethnic groupsDemographics Of Tunisia GeneticsDemographics Of Tunisia MigrationDemographics Of Tunisia Other demographic statisticsDemographics Of Tunisia

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