Tunisia’s location at the tip of Africa makes it a springboard for migrants looking to set off toward the Mediterranean and Europe.  The country, however, is not necessarily a major transit country as only 0.5% of irregular migrants who arrived in Europe via the Central Mediterranean Route in 2016 came from Tunisia.  The President of Tunisia, Beji Caid Essebsi, also said that no more than 1000 Tunisian irregular migrants went to Italy from Tunisia in 2016.

The country has been severely affected by the Libyan Civil War, where according to the Borgen Project, 990,900 people entered Tunisia from Libya. Seventy seven percent later returned to Libya. Many of the Libyan refugees were middle class, lived on their own, and did not necessarily need the help of NGOs or aid organizations. Tunisia also has some Syrian refugees, around 600 according to the UNHCR as of 2016.

In 2011, Tunisia established the Choucha refugee camp, which is near the Libyan border. The camp saw 300,000 refugees of 22 different nationalities take refuge there due to the civil war in Libya. In 2013, the camp was closed by the United Nations and the inhabitants were relocated to other parts of Tunisia.    

According to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, there exist networks between Tunisia and Sub Saharan Africa, "where young women are smuggled into to Tunisia to work as domestic workers for wealthy families, mainly in Tunis and Sfax." The Foundation claims "they are left with no rights and are at the mercy of their employers."

In 2011, Tunisians revolted against dictator Zine Abidine Ben Ali, after a fruit vendor in the southern city of Sidi Bouzid set himself on fire due to a police officer demanding a bribe from him he could not pay. This highlighted the endemic corruption in Tunisia under Ben Ali, leading citizens to demand he leave. During this time, a gap in security existed on Tunisia’s borders and caused a temporary hike in migration out of the country. 28,000 Tunisians arrived on Italy’s sea borders in early 2011, according to the Italian authorities.

Due to Tunisia’s underdeveloped economy, some Tunisian migrants head off for Europe to find work. This year so-called "ghost boats" from Tunisia came to Italy’s southern islands to drop off Tunisian migrants. In the past two months, some 3,000 Tunisian migrants have arrived on the islands of Sicily, Lampedusa or Linosa.

Agreement between Tunisia and the EU

The EU has set up agreements with Tunisia to deal with migration. The most notable is the Mobility Partnership, signed in 2014. According to the agreement, the EU would offer more legal migration opportunities to countries like Tunisia, such as the chance for Tunisian nationals to have an easier time getting a visa to the EU. In exchange, Tunisia would do more to combat irregular migration.

In 2016, the EU started a 11.5-million-euro program to create economic opportunities in Tunisia and fight irregular migration. It also was intended to support the integration of migrants in the country into the Tunisian economy.