Re-exports of passenger cars rose 13.7% from January to September 2025 as compared to the same period last year, reaching USD 2 billion. Kyrgyzstan remains the top destination, followed by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Exports to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan surged 550% and 1,830%, respectively. Overall, the share of Central Asian countries in car exports increased from 80% to 88% over nine months.
Passenger cars have accounted for a significant share of exports over the past 16 years and occasionally led export destinations even before the Russia-Ukraine war. Their already high share has grown even further since the war began. Passenger cars constituted an average of 15.1% of exports between 2010 and 2021, rising to 31.8% from 2022 through September 2025. Nearly USD 2 of every USD 5 earned from exports in the first three quarters of 2025 came from passenger cars.
Graph 1: Export of Passenger Cars
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia
The structure of export partner countries has also changed beyond growth in value and share. Azerbaijan was the main market, with Armenia often in second place, before the war. Azerbaijan and Armenia together accounted for 74% of car exports in 2013 (USD 704 million in total – USD 401 million to Azerbaijan, USD 121 million to Armenia). Their combined share fell to 67% by 2019 (USD 733 million total – USD 259 million to Azerbaijan, USD 235 million to Armenia). Azerbaijan remained the top destination with USD 248 million in 2021 whilst Armenia dropped to tenth place with USD 6 million and Ukraine took the second place at USD 88 million.
Exports to Central Asian countries began to rise from 2022 and by 2023 the region became dominant in passenger car exports. Whilst Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan accounted for 9% of car exports in 2021, their share had grown to 80% by 2024.
Graph 2: Export of Passenger Cars (USD Million)
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia
Three more Central Asian countries became active export destinations from 2025. Re-exports of passenger cars rose 5.9 times year-on-year over nine months in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – from USD 27 million to USD 159 million. Their combined share of car exports increased from 1.5% in January-September of the previous year to 7.9% in the same period of 2025. Growth in these new markets is concentrated in the third quarter. Exports to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan surged 690% from July to September alone as compared to the same period last year – rising from USD 13 million to USD 105 million.
Graph 3: Export of Passenger Cars (USD Million)
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia
Car exports to Kyrgyzstan rose further by 21% from January to September whilst Kazakhstan recorded a modest 3% increase. Traditional markets experienced declines – exports to Azerbaijan fell by 24% from USD 223 million o USD 170 million and to Armenia they halved to USD 42 million. Overall, the combined share of the five Central Asian countries in car exports grew from 80% to 88% over nine months.
Although FactCheck does not make definitive claims, the volume, the growth rate and the unit value of car exports to Central Asia raise reasonable suspicion that the final destination may be Russia. Even if cars purchased from Georgia do end up in Russia, Georgia is not considered a sanctions-violating country as exports to Russia are prohibited, not to Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.
Following the tightening of sanctions, direct car exports to Russia have practically disappeared. Only eight cars worth USD 158,000 were sold there in 2024 and seven cars worth USD 138,000 were exported from January to September 2025. Russia has never been a leading destination for Georgian car exports, peaking at USD 76 million and raking fifth in 2022. Russia was sixth with USD 17 million in 2021 and seventh with USD 8 million in 2019.
Re-exports have exceeded local exports for the third consecutive year, mainly due to passenger cars. Local exports accounted for 45.6% of total car exports as of January-September 2025 whilst re-exports constituted up to 54.5%.
