BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21.
Georgia’s trade deficit reached $1.07 billion in September 2026,
according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia
(Geostat).


According to Trend’s calculations based on Geostat’s monthly data,
September’s gap was the largest of any month so far in 2026. It
exceeded August’s $841.2 million deficit by 27.7% and ran 20.1%
above the average monthly deficit of $894.3 million recorded over
the first eight months of the year.


Imports rose to $1.8 billion in September, the
highest monthly import figure of 2026 to date, while exports of
$731.2 million came in below the July and August levels. Trend’s calculations show
that the trade turnover of $2.53 billion in September was the
second-highest monthly figure in the 2023-2026 period, after July
2026’s $2.56 billion.


The September result stands in contrast to the
broader nine-month trend. Over January-September as a whole,
Georgia’s trade deficit narrowed by 3.3% year-on-year to $8.23
billion, even as total trade turnover expanded 9.2%. Exports grew
19.6% over the nine months, significantly outpacing the 5.3% rise
in imports. As a result, the deficit’s share of overall turnover
fell to 40.1% - the lowest ratio recorded in the four years covered
by Geostat’s data.







Monthly figures throughout 2026 show that export
growth consistently outpaced import growth in most months. July
remains the strongest month for exports, when shipments reached
$793.9 million - the highest monthly total in the 2023-2026 series.
September’s export figure, while solid, did not match that peak,
and the sharp rise in imports produced the year’s largest
single-month deficit.


More detailed statistics available for the first
eight months of the year indicate that the overall export expansion
has been accompanied by a structural shift. Domestic exports
(excluding re-exports) rose 63.5% and already accounted for more
than 60% of total exports. Motor cars remained the largest single
export category but declined in volume, while petroleum products
and precious metal ores and concentrates expanded sharply.


On the geographic side, Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia
were the leading export destinations in January-August. Türkiye
continued to rank as the top source of imports, followed by Russia
and the United States. Türkiye, China and Russia remained Georgia’s
three largest trading partners by total turnover.