Georgia's Car Exports Fell 21%; Excluding Iran, the Decline Was 31%
In the first half of 2026, Georgia exported 38,759 passenger cars, down 21% from a year earlier. Exports recorded to Iran rose from 5 to 5,086 vehicles and offset about one-third of the decline across all other destinations.
What the official total shows
On 20 July, Geostat published its full external-trade release for January–June 2026. Motor cars under HS 8703 remained Georgia's largest single export commodity, worth $938.0 million, or 24.2% of total goods exports. Georgia's total goods exports rose 20.1% year on year, but car exports moved in the opposite direction.
Georgia exported 38,759 cars in H1 2026, compared with 49,122 in H1 2025 — a decline of 21%. Their declared export value fell by 23%, from $1,217.1 million to $938.0 million. The commodity ranking therefore does not mean that car exports themselves were stable.
Car exports recorded to Iran, monthly
HS 8703, vehicle units, January–June 2026. Iran is the recorded partner country; the data do not establish final destination.
Iran changed the aggregate
In H1 2025, only five cars were recorded as exports to Iran. The full-year 2024 figure was 33.
In H1 2026, the recorded flow rose to 5,086 cars, worth $89.3 million. The monthly figures were 68 in January, 160 in February, 80 in March, 517 in April, 1,694 in May and 2,567 in June. June alone exceeded the January–May total of 2,519.
In the June data used for this report, Iran was the second-largest recorded partner country for car exports on both measures — by unit count behind Kazakhstan, and by declared value behind Kyrgyzstan. This is a customs-partner ranking; it does not establish where the vehicles ultimately ended up.
Iran changed the aggregate
In H1 2025, only five cars were recorded as exports to Iran. The full-year 2024 figure was 33.
In H1 2026, the recorded flow rose to 5,086 cars, worth $89.3 million. The monthly figures were 68 in January, 160 in February, 80 in March, 517 in April, 1,694 in May and 2,567 in June. June alone exceeded the January–May total of 2,519.
In the June data used for this report, Iran was the second-largest recorded partner country for car exports on both measures — by unit count behind Kazakhstan, and by declared value behind Kyrgyzstan. This is a customs-partner ranking; it does not establish where the vehicles ultimately ended up.
Car exports recorded to Iran, monthly
HS 8703, vehicle units, January–June 2026. Iran is the recorded partner country; the data do not establish final destination.
Monthly passenger-car exports: 2025, 2026, and 2026 excluding Iran
HS 8703, vehicle units. The gap between the two 2026 lines is the flow recorded to Iran.
What excluding Iran means
The official aggregate decline is 21%. Excluding Iran is not a correction to that figure; it is a decomposition of the total.
After removing Iran from both periods, exports fell from 49,117 cars in H1 2025 to 33,673 in H1 2026, a decline of 31%. In June alone, the equivalent comparison was 10,395 against 6,895 vehicles, a decline of 34%.
Across all destinations other than Iran, exports fell by 15,444 vehicles. The increase recorded to Iran was 5,081 vehicles. It therefore offset 32.9% of the decline elsewhere. This is the precise claim: Iran softened the aggregate fall, but it did not change the direction of the trend — total exports still fell.
What excluding Iran means
The official aggregate decline is 21%. Excluding Iran is not a correction to that figure; it is a decomposition of the total.
After removing Iran from both periods, exports fell from 49,117 cars in H1 2025 to 33,673 in H1 2026, a decline of 31%. In June alone, the equivalent comparison was 10,395 against 6,895 vehicles, a decline of 34%.
Across all destinations other than Iran, exports fell by 15,444 vehicles. The increase recorded to Iran was 5,081 vehicles. It therefore offset 32.9% of the decline elsewhere. This is the precise claim: Iran softened the aggregate fall, but it did not change the direction of the trend — total exports still fell.
Monthly passenger-car exports: 2025, 2026, and 2026 excluding Iran
HS 8703, vehicle units. The gap between the two 2026 lines is the flow recorded to Iran.
Passenger-car exports by recorded partner country, first half of the year
HS 8703, vehicle units, H1 2025 against H1 2026. Iran's H1 2025 figure was five vehicles.
Large established destinations contracted
Three large established destinations recorded sharp declines:
- Kyrgyzstan: 10,701 cars, down 46% from 19,664.
- Kazakhstan: 13,068 cars, down 35% from 20,215.
- Azerbaijan: 2,456 cars, down 45% from 4,432.
Several smaller destinations grew. Tajikistan rose 95% to 2,966 vehicles, Uzbekistan 89% to 1,065, Turkmenistan 151% to 513 and Armenia 27% to 1,431. These increases are real, but they started from much smaller bases and replaced only a fraction of the losses in the three larger destinations.
The destinations should not be treated as interchangeable. The trade data show how many vehicles and how much declared value were recorded for each partner country; they do not describe the model, age, condition, trim or buyer profile within each flow.
Large established destinations contracted
Three large established destinations recorded sharp declines:
- Kyrgyzstan: 10,701 cars, down 46% from 19,664.
- Kazakhstan: 13,068 cars, down 35% from 20,215.
- Azerbaijan: 2,456 cars, down 45% from 4,432.
Several smaller destinations grew. Tajikistan rose 95% to 2,966 vehicles, Uzbekistan 89% to 1,065, Turkmenistan 151% to 513 and Armenia 27% to 1,431. These increases are real, but they started from much smaller bases and replaced only a fraction of the losses in the three larger destinations.
The destinations should not be treated as interchangeable. The trade data show how many vehicles and how much declared value were recorded for each partner country; they do not describe the model, age, condition, trim or buyer profile within each flow.
Passenger-car exports by recorded partner country, first half of the year
HS 8703, vehicle units, H1 2025 against H1 2026. Iran's H1 2025 figure was five vehicles.
Average value per vehicle is not a price index
Dividing declared export value by the number of cars gives about $24,777 per vehicle in H1 2025 and $24,202 in H1 2026.
This is an aggregate unit value, not the price of a comparable car. It can change because the mix of models, model years, condition, trim and destinations changes. The safe conclusion is limited: total declared value and unit count fell at broadly similar rates. The data do not show whether like-for-like cars became cheaper or more expensive.
In this series, recorded exports are re-exports
Geostat reports total exports and domestic exports separately. Its domestic-export series records zero exports under HS 8703 in every month from January 2024 through June 2026.
For the period covered here, exports recorded under HS 8703 were therefore re-exports of previously imported vehicles. This is a statement about the statistical series; it is not proof that no vehicle manufacturing of any kind exists in Georgia. Vehicles merely passing through Georgia under transit procedures are not part of this re-export measure.
Correction to our 6 July report
Our 6 July report described its 2026 data window as covering approximately the first three months. The extract in fact covered January–May.
The absolute figures in that report were correct; the period label and the interpretation of the pace were not. Reaching roughly 26% of the 2025 full-year total after three months would suggest a broadly steady pace. Reaching the same share after five months indicates a materially lower run rate.
This report records the correction explicitly. The original article should carry the same dated note rather than be silently rewritten.
What the data do not show
Trade statistics record a border crossing and a declared partner country. They do not identify the final owner, prove the ultimate destination, explain why the Iranian flow appeared or show whether it will last.
The January–June 2026 figures are preliminary and may be revised. The next detailed release, covering July, is scheduled for 19 August 2026. One more month will not settle the question, but it will show whether June's increase continued.
All trade figures are from Geostat's external-trade database for HS 8703, queried on 20 July 2026. January–June 2026 data are preliminary. Percentages are calculated from unrounded values.
Methodology
Geostat external merchandise trade database, commodity code HS 8703. Values are in current US dollars and quantities in vehicle units. Data were queried on 20 July 2026.
All HS 8703 export flows recorded by Geostat for Georgia by partner country, monthly from January 2024 through June 2026.
January 2024 — June 2026. January–June 2026 data are preliminary and may be revised.