TUNIS- Tunisia's debt repayments will rise to a record level of more than 9 billion dinars ($3.24 billion) next year, the finance minister said on Monday.

The North African country’s economy has been in crisis since the toppling of autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, with unemployment and inflation shooting up.

Last year, the debt service was about 7.9 billion dinars.

"Debt service will exceed 9 bln dinar next year compared with about 5.1 in 2016," finance minister Ridha Chalgoum said, giving no other details.

Tunisia needs about 7 billion dinars in external financing in 2019, a senior official told Reuters last week.

The government aims to reduce its budget deficit to 3.9 percent next year from the 4.9 percent it forecasts for 2018. ($1 = 2.7739 Tunisian dinars)

(Reporting by Tarek Amara Editing by Louise Ireland) ((tarek.amara@thomsonreuters.com;))