Georgia’s merchandise trade is expanding, with exports growing faster than imports. The aggregate increase invites a closer assessment of goods flows, domestic production and business outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Georgia’s merchandise trade turnover reached USD 17,926.9 million in January–August 2026, up 8.4% year on year. Exports totaled USD 5,422.5 million and imports USD 12,504.4 million.

Export value rose by 22.1%, compared with 3.4% for imports. Overseas sales were growing faster, but the value of goods entering Georgia still substantially exceeded that of goods leaving the country.

These preliminary figures cover merchandise trade. They do not describe the full picture of services trade or establish changes in every exporter’s revenue or profit.

What Trade Turnover Measures

Trade turnover adds exports and imports. An increase describes higher monetary value in international goods transactions, without establishing an equivalent increase in the volume of products made in Georgia.

Both directions contribute to turnover. A company may sell goods abroad, acquire machinery or import finished products for domestic customers. Understanding the economic outcome requires identifying the activities behind those flows.

The figures are denominated in US dollars. Changes in prices, quantities and the product mix can all affect monetary value. The 8.4% turnover increase therefore cannot be read as a real production growth rate.

Exports Are Growing Faster

The difference between export and import growth rates is 18.7 percentage points. This compares two percentage rates; it does not mean the export amount exceeded imports. The initial import base is much larger.

Export growth gives businesses a reason to examine opportunities for overseas sales. The aggregate result does not establish the success of an individual manufacturer, since growth can be distributed unevenly across products and companies.

At company level, sales quantities, unit prices and destination markets should be reviewed separately. Revenue growth alone cannot show whether margins improved or repeat orders increased.

Period: January–August 2026; annual changes compare the same eight months of 2025.

Imports and Business Needs

Imports account for approximately 69.8% of turnover, calculated from the reported amounts. This illustrates the importance of inward goods flows in total trade value.

The economic role of imports depends on their use. Machinery, raw materials and finished consumer products have different effects on businesses. The aggregate amounts used here do not quantify those differences.

For one local enterprise, imports may improve access to supplies; for another, they may change competition. Assessing the outcome requires information about prices, product quality and delivery conditions in its own market.

The Trade Deficit Remains

Geostat’s trade report records a negative balance of USD 7,081.8 million. Imports exceeded exports by that amount. The deficit represented 39.5% of turnover.

The balance and turnover answer different questions. Turnover describes the overall scale of trade, while the balance measures the difference between its two directions. Rising turnover can therefore coexist with a deficit.

The merchandise deficit is one component of external economic accounts. Services, income and other international flows also matter. These goods figures alone cannot establish changes in the current account balance or the country’s financing needs.

Exports and Domestic Production

Registered exports are not identical to domestic production. Analysis should distinguish domestic exports from re-exports, which involve goods previously imported and subsequently exported.

This matters in practice. A manufacturer focuses on selling its output and creating value added; a trading company focuses on purchase and resale conditions. Both activities matter economically, but a single export total does not fully explain their results.

The 22.1% aggregate increase cannot establish equivalent growth in domestic production. That assessment requires separate domestic export, product quantity and production data.

Monetary Growth and Real Quantities

Higher dollar export value can reflect more goods sold, higher prices or a larger share of expensive products. Aggregate amounts do not separate these effects.

Analysis requires values and quantities by product, unit value measures and relevant price information. In some goods, quantities can rise while prices fall.

This distinction improves business forecasts. Higher revenue does not automatically mean higher profit when purchase, shipping or other costs also increase. Firms should assess costs and payment timing alongside sales.

Implications for Business

For exporters, aggregate growth is a reason to review their overseas sales. Order durability, customer distribution and pricing terms are useful measures. Entering a new market requires evidence about specific demand and costs.

For importers, the full cost of procurement matters. Purchase prices, transport, insurance and inventory holding affect results. Higher national turnover does not prevent an individual company’s cash flow from deteriorating.

Companies should use their own sales distribution to assess dependence on a small group of customers or suppliers. Additional partners may reduce exposure, but quality and delivery performance must inform their selection.

Assessing the Durability of Growth

An eight-month cumulative result covers a broader period than one month, but it does not establish uninterrupted monthly growth. Monthly observations and seasonal patterns are needed to assess that question.

Further analysis should examine how widely growth is distributed across products and markets. A result dependent on a few transactions has a different outlook from an increase supported by many companies and recurring orders.

Assessing the economic quality of growth also requires value added, employment and profitability data. These questions complement trade totals and explain how goods flows translate into business outcomes.

BTU Researchers’ Assessment

The figures show expanding merchandise trade, with export value increasing faster than imports. The large import base and negative balance also make the structure of trade relevant to the assessment.

Further research should identify what supports export growth and whether it can persist. Product quantities, domestic production participation and benefits to firms would provide a fuller answer.

Conclusion

The 8.4% turnover increase shows expansion in international merchandise trade. Export growth of 22.1% and import growth of 3.4% describe different trends, while export value remains below imports.

Businesses need to connect the aggregate picture with their own results. Sales quantities, costs, market distribution and durable demand are better guides to how trade expansion benefits an individual enterprise.

Data and Main Sources

Geostat – Preliminary Estimate of Economic Growth, August 2026, published September 30, 2026; supplied by the user. This is the source of the turnover, export and import amounts and growth rates used in the article.

Geostat – External Merchandise Trade of Georgia, January–August 2026, preliminary, September 21, 2026. Used to confirm the reference period and the official deficit amount and share. Available at: https://geostat.ge/media/82971/External-Merchandise-Trade-of-Georgia—January-August-2026.pdf

Source reconciliation: the supplied growth release labels its trade table January–July, although the chart includes August. The separate official trade report assigns the same aggregate amounts and growth rates to January–August. The article follows that verified period. Values are monetary, services are outside this merchandise scope, and rounding can create small arithmetic differences.

Editorial draft prepared for the BTUAI format, Tbilisi, Georgia. Institutional authorship and assessment should be agreed before publication.