Magharebia

According to a survey conducted by the Office of Foreign Tunisians (OTE), expatriate remittances to families back home increased 14.1 per cent to 1.522 billion dinars from 2001 to 2002. In 2003, remittances grew 4.1 per cent to 1.584 billion dinars.

The survey noted that the remittances were "very important" to the Tunisian economy as an extra source of income to make households more financially secure. The survey indicated Tunisian expatriate investments are concentrated in real estate development and small- and medium-size business creation in sectors such as construction, housing and transport. (Middle East Online)