Georgia's exports up 19.6% in January-September 2026 as imports pick up

What was published

Geostat, the National Statistics Office of Georgia, published its express release on external merchandise trade for January-September 2026 on 13 October 2026. All 2026 figures in the release are marked as preliminary data.

The numbers

External merchandise trade, excluding non-declared trade, amounted to USD 20,534.7 million in January-September 2026, 9.2% higher year on year. Exports rose 19.6% to USD 6,153.0 million, and imports rose 5.3% to USD 14,381.7 million. The trade deficit was USD 8,228.8 million, or 40.1% of turnover.

The direction changed slightly from a month earlier. In Geostat's January-August release, exports were up 22.1% and imports up 3.4%, turnover was up 8.4%, and the deficit made up 39.5% of turnover. With September added, export growth slowed and import growth picked up.

September accounts for much of that shift, but not all of it: the September release also shows revised figures for earlier months of 2026, with July imports, for example, higher than in the January-August release. Exports were USD 731.2 million, against USD 703.3 million in September 2025. Imports were USD 1,805.6 million, against USD 1,565.8 million a year earlier and above every other month of 2026 in Geostat's table, including July at USD 1,769.8 million. The monthly trade balance was -USD 1,074.4 million, compared with -USD 862.5 million in September 2025.

For scale, Georgia's exports for the whole of 2025 were USD 7,287.8 million, according to the same release.

What drives exports

The September release does not yet break exports down by product. The January-August data show how the mix has changed this year: motor cars remained the largest export item at USD 1,347.7 million, or 24.9% of exports, but were down 22.0% year on year. Petroleum and petroleum oils followed at USD 688.9 million (12.7%), and precious metal ores and concentrates at USD 403.1 million (7.4%). This year's export growth has therefore come from goods other than motor cars.

What it means for investors

For returns-focused investors, the release shows cumulative export growth still close to a fifth year on year after nine months, on preliminary data, although September exports were only modestly above September 2025 and below July and August 2026. For business setup and trade, the January-August data point to growth concentrated in fuels, metal ores and ferro-alloys rather than in motor cars. Importers and distributors face a market where September imports were the highest of the year so far.

What remains uncertain

The figures are preliminary and Geostat may revise them. One month of high imports does not establish a trend, and the express release does not say which goods or partners drove the September increase.

What to watch next

Geostat publishes detailed external merchandise trade data on 19 October 2026.

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