Full Breakdown
Young Tunisians Weigh Emigration Amid Economic and Political Uncertainty
By Drooid · · How we work
Rising Desire to Leave
A recent Afrobarometer survey found that roughly two-thirds of Tunisian youth have contemplated emigrating. The share who say they think about leaving “a lot” rose from 38 % in 2018 to 51 % in 2024. Respondents most frequently cite better job opportunities (59 %) as the primary motivation.
Economic Pressures and Labor Market
The National Institute of Statistics reports that the overall unemployment rate stood at 14.9 % in the second quarter of 2026, with about 622,000 people out of work. Among those aged 15-24, unemployment reached 35.4 %; university graduates faced a 26.6 % rate, while female graduates experienced 35.6 % unemployment compared with 14.2 % for men. Individual accounts echo these macro-level trends. Maher Qassem, a media professional, says almost his entire salary goes to loan repayments, rent and his son’s education, leaving little capacity to support his sick mother. Taxi driver Mohamed Amine, who voted for President Kais Saied, acknowledges the obstacles to reform but argues the president remains “sincere in his intentions” and deserves more time.
Skilled-Worker Exodus
The Tunisian Order of Engineers, represented by its head Kamel Sahnoun, disclosed that about 6,500 engineers left Tunisia in 2022—more than double the annual average of roughly 3,000 in 2013-2014. The Tunisian Agency for Technical Cooperation recorded that 1,839 healthcare and paramedical professionals were recruited abroad in 2023, followed by 1,022 in the first nine months of 2024 and 1,244 in 2025. These figures illustrate a broader loss of qualified professionals beyond entry-level job seekers.
Divergent Views on President Kais Saied
Seven years into Saied’s presidency, opinions remain split. Maher Qassem worries that the country cannot offer his son a stable future, while Mohamed Amine maintains confidence in the president’s reform agenda, describing current setbacks as temporary. Ghaith, who was 19 during the 2019 election, reports that cost-of-living pressures have persisted unchanged, fueling frustration with government communication and a demand for clearer policy outcomes.
Potential Consequences for Tunisia
Researcher Ramadan Ben Omar notes that emigration is increasingly viewed as a life project rather than a short-term economic fix, driven by desires for greater freedom and participation in public life. The combined outflow of young workers and skilled professionals threatens to deepen Tunisia’s brain drain, raising questions about the nation’s capacity to retain talent and sustain economic growth. The country’s future hinges on whether reforms can translate into tangible improvements that persuade its youth to stay.