TUNIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Tunisia's central bank on Wednesday held its key interest rate unchanged at 8%, the bank said.

       The bank said that the current account deficit declined significantly to 3.461 billion dinars ($1.09 billion), or 2.2% of GDP at the end of September 2023, compared to a deficit of 10.387 billion dinars or 7.2% of GDP a year ago.

       It added in a statement that the trade deficit fell to 11.6 billion dinars at the end of September 2023, compared to 17 billion dinars at the end of the same month the previous year.

       Tourism revenues and labour incomes boosted the balance of foreign exchange reserves which reached 26.6 billion dinars equivalent to 119 days of imports on October 16.

       ($1 = 3.1798 Tunisian dinars)

       Reporting by Tarek Amara Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Elaine Hardcastle

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