Domestic Exports Up 63.5%: Georgia's Exports Move Away from the Auto Trade

Georgia's exports rose by 63.5% to $3.29 billion from January through August 2026. This was reported by the national statistics agency Geostat on September 21. Their share of total exports reached 60.6%, compared to 45.2% a year earlier.

Total exports grew by 22.1% to $5.42 billion. Imports rose by only 3.4% to 12.50 billion U.S. dollars. The trade deficit fell to 7.08 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to 39.5% of total foreign trade volume.

Refinery Products Overtake Used Cars

A single item is driving this surge. Crude oil and petroleum products accounted for $649.1 million in domestic exports. In the same period last year, the figure was $14.6 million. This item now represents 19.8% of domestic exports.

This is followed by precious metal ores at 403.1 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 68.6%. Ferroalloys reached 219.0 million US dollars, an increase of 59.7%. Copper ores rose by 242.5% to 163.4 million US dollars.

Geostat defines the term narrowly. Domestic exports include goods “that were produced in the country or imported from abroad and whose value has changed significantly as a result of domestic processing,” according to the Statistics Office’s report dated September 21.

At the same time, the old business model is collapsing. Exports of passenger cars fell by 22.0% to $1.35 billion. Their share of total exports dropped from 38.9% to 24.9%.

The car trade was routed through the Black Sea ports to Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan imported Georgian goods worth $577.6 million, 38.8% less than in the previous year. Kazakhstan imported goods worth US$388.5 million, a decrease of 32.2%.

China Gains Ground, Germany Loses Market Share

China purchased Georgian goods worth $543.7 million, 177.3% more than in the same period the previous year. The main exports were precious metal ores, worth $311.7 million. Russia remained the third-largest buyer at 500.7 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 4.1%.

On the import side, Turkey leads with $1.92 billion. Russia follows with $1.53 billion, an increase of 24.9%. Germany ranks fifth. German shipments fell by 9.9% to $762.3 million, and their share of Georgian imports dropped to 6.1%.

For German exporters, the country’s role is shifting. For years, Georgia served as the hub for used cars from Europe bound for Central Asia. This channel is shrinking. Suppliers to the market will increasingly sell to Georgian processors and for domestic consumption in the future. Imports are growing only slowly, while Turkish and Russian suppliers are gaining market share. Machinery and plant manufacturers should examine the refinery and mining projects driving the surge in exports.

Sources: Geostat, Foreign Trade January–August 2026 and Domestic Exports January–August 2026, both September 21, 2026 (EN/GE).

SK, Frankfurt