Empty shelves and pockets: a harsh summer for Tunisians

Montasser Al-Riahi stands before empty shelves at a shopping centre in Tunisia, looking for bottles of mineral water and sugar, before moving to another shop to find what he needs.

Al-Riahi, 45, a father of a family of four, says his life over the past few weeks is spent rushing around searching for the basic necessities, and sometimes fail. 

"I look for water first, along with some vegetables and chicken or eggs. Then I calculate how much money is left to buy the remaining fruit, which has become a luxury food on our tables," Al-Riahi told The New Arab.

He stressed that the problem is no longer just about prices but also about products disappearing from markets. 

A complex cost-of-living crisis

According to al-Riahi, a broad section of Tunisians are experiencing a complex cost-of-living crisis, with almost empty shelves and increasingly empty pockets.

He described summer of 2026 as the "hardest period" he has experienced in years.

For months, Tunisian markets have witnessed recurring shortages of basic goods, while empty pockets have become a permanent struggle for most citizens.

This is despite authorities approving a 5% salary increase in May for more than 2.5 million public- and private-sector employees, as well as increases in pension payments and the guaranteed minimum wage.

Despite producers' assurances that the situation is temporary and that supplies are expected to gradually improve, disruptions are continuing.

There are expectations that other products could be added to the list of missing goods in the coming months, most notably eggs and poultry.

Asaad Mezah, head of the Chamber of Non-Alcoholic Beverages (Water and Drinks), expects the market to gradually return to its normal supply levels.

The process is expected to begin this month, September, as temperatures and demand decline.

Mezah told TNA that bottled water production has been affected by power cuts coinciding with a shortage of equipment at bottling plants.

A long list of expenses

Tunisian families' challenges this period also involves a stream of expenses to cover summer necessities, such as transport, food, energy and water bills, before preparing for back-to-school costs.

Meanwhile, income levels are not increasing at the same pace as expenses.

The latest data from the National Institute of Statistics, a government body, show that inflation reached 5.1% in July 2026, after 5.3% in June and 5.5% in May.

However, a decline in the inflation rate does not mean that prices have fallen. It only means that prices are continuing to rise at a slower pace, observers say.

Food remains a major pressure point for household budgets, with prices rising 6.6% year-on-year in July. Lamb prices jumped 16.7%, fresh fruit prices rose 13.8%, beef prices increased 13.7%, poultry prices rose 12.5%, and fresh fish prices increased 11.6%.

Clothing and footwear prices also rose 9.1%, while accommodation services increased 16.6%.

Years of eroding purchasing power

These issues come after years of declining purchasing power.

In an assessment of price developments between May 2015 and May 2026, economist Ridha Chkondali said prices had risen by an average of about 96% over the period, with larger increases for some food products.

Chkondali told TNA that the price of a kilogram of lamb, for example, rose from about 27 dinars in 2015 to 65 dinars in 2026 (US$1 is abot 2.92 dinars).

Chkondali warned that the problem does not lie solely in the monthly inflation figure but in the cumulative increase in prices over several years.

The economist said prolonged inflation above 5% threatens further erosion of purchasing power, particularly because increases are concentrated in expenses that households find difficult to do without, such as food, housing, transport and healthcare.

He said  that a decline in inflation from high levels should not be interpreted as an actual improvement in Tunisians' living standards.

Prices have already reached high levels, meaning that a slowdown in increases does not return them to their previous levels.

The economist said tackling inflation requires, above all, supporting local production and investment and strengthening supply, rather than relying solely on monetary policies.

"When citizens find the goods they are looking for, that does not necessarily mean they can afford to buy them," he added.

He also stressed that families that used to buy their monthly necessities all at once are now more likely to purchase smaller quantities, postpone some purchases, do without others and search for cheaper options.

Meanwhile, successive occasions and seasons are consuming what remains of their income.

Tunisian trade unions have held the administration of public affairs responsible for what they described as an inability to deal with power and water cuts, the high cost of living and shortages of some basic goods.

They have criticised what they described as a lack of solutions and the concentration of decision-making.

Calls for action and protests

Regional trade unions said in more than one statement that "unions will assume their militant responsibilities in defending the livelihoods and dignity of Tunisians and will not allow the people alone to pay the price of failure, inability and the lack of prospects."

On 29 August 2026, the deputy secretary-general of the Tunisian General Labour Union, Salah Eddine Salmi, also announced the launch of dialogue and consultations with civil society groups and national organisations.

This is part of preparations for a national mobilisation to defend the country's gains, according to his description.

The call follows a series of statements issued recently by several regional trade unions condemning the deterioration of conditions and the worsening hardship faced by Tunisians this summer and rejecting the normalisation of marginalisation.

"Tunisia is currently experiencing growing disruptions in access to the most necessities of daily life, including repeated water and power cuts and shortages of bottled mineral water amid heatwaves, at a time when families are preparing for the return to school and the additional financial burdens that come with it," said the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, an independent organisation.

The forum held "the political authorities responsible for the deterioration of social and economic conditions and the absence of serious responses commensurate with the scale of the crisis".

It also condemned "the growing gap between the reality experienced by citizens and the official discourse of the authorities", adding that the official response remains characterised by denial and evasion of responsibility.

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.