**Georgia’s Foreign Trade Surges in January**
On February 19, the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat) released preliminary data showing that Georgia’s foreign trade increased by 39.3% year-on-year in January 2025.
**Trade Value and Balance**
The total value of Georgia’s external merchandise trade was USD 2 008.1 million in January, with a negative trade balance of USD 1 200.4 million. This represents 59.8 percent of the country’s external trade turnover.
**Imports Rise Sharply**
Imports rose by 45.5% to USD 1 604.2 million in January. The top import commodities were paintings, drawings, and pastels (executed entirely by hand), worth USD 481.1 million. Motor cars came second with imports of USD 151.0 million.
**Large Art Purchases**
A surge in art purchases is believed to have contributed to the increase in imports. Three batches of artworks valued at a total of USD 480.6 million were imported from the United States and the United Kingdom.
**Exports Rise, But Remain Lower Than Imports**
Exports rose by 19.3% to USD 403.9 million in January. Motor cars were the top export item, with exports worth USD 130.0 million. The shares of Georgia’s top ten trading partners by imports and exports are shown below:
* Imports: USA (35.7%), UK (26.6%), Turkey (8.6%)
* Exports: Kyrgyzstan (18.5%), Azerbaijan (11.4%), Kazakhstan (11.3%)
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