Tunisia, situated in North Africa, is a country of departure, destination and transit. It experiences complex movement patterns involving refugees and migrants along the central Mediterranean route. Individuals from Central, West, East, and the Horn of Africa, as well as the Middle East, undertake perilous journeys to reach Tunisia, often encountering significant risks and rights violations along the route. Among those arriving are particularly vulnerable individuals in need of international protection, including victims of torture, survivors of gender-based violence, as well as unaccompanied children. Tunisia is host for refugees and asylum-seekers, many arriving mostly from countries affected by armed conflict and widespread violence, particularly from Sudan, Syria, Côte d'Ivoire, Somalia, Cameroon, and South Sudan. Refugees and asylum-seekers in Tunisia are settled across the country within various urban and peri-urban areas, mainly along its coastline, and Tunisia does not host any refugee camps.

Tunisia is party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems. Tunisia's 2014 Constitution guarantees the right to political asylum. Despite these commitments, Tunisia lacks a national legal framework governing the issue of asylum, which raises multiple obstacles for refugees and asylum-seekers in the enjoyment of their rights. Nevertheless, Tunisia has taken a series of measures aiming to lift barriers to the socio-economic inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers, such as expanding access to public health services, inclusion in national vaccination campaigns, inclusion in the national education system, access to the national social security schemes and the issuance of work permits to recognized refugees.