Georgia Ranks 48th in World for Export Dependence, With 47.4% of GDP Tied to Trade

Georgia's Export Dependency: 48th in World Rankings

In 2025, goods and services exported from Georgia were worth $18 billion, equivalent to 47.4% of the country's gross domestic product, according to World Bank rankings. That placed Georgia 48th among 166 countries for export dependence, a measure showing how closely overall economic growth is tied to foreign sales.

The $18 billion total split roughly evenly: $9.7 billion in goods and $8.3 billion in services. Within services, tourism dominated with $4.7 billion, followed by computer and information services at $1.1 billion. Among goods, re-exports—products shipped through Georgia rather than produced locally—accounted for $3.9 billion, underscoring the country's role as a regional transit corridor.

Georgia's ranking improved from 50th in 2024, but it has not yet returned to its pre-COVID-19 position. In 2019, exports were 54.3% of GDP and the country sat at 36th in the world. Among neighboring economies, Armenia's ratio was 48.1% (45th), Azerbaijan's 43% (58th), Turkey's 24.8% (112th), and Russia's 18.2% (136th). By contrast, the most export-reliant countries included Luxembourg (191% of GDP) and Singapore (178%), while the United States posted a low ratio of 11.1% despite exporting over $3.4 trillion in absolute terms.

Breaking Down the Numbers: Services, Re-Exports, and Regional Context

The Services Engine: Tourism and IT Grow in Importance

The numbers show a marked shift toward services. Tourism alone brought in $4.7 billion—more than half of all services exports and over a quarter of total exports. That gives the economy a strong seasonal pattern and leaves it exposed to global travel disruptions, as demonstrated during the pandemic. The bright spot is IT and information services, which reached $1.1 billion. While still modest, this segment is growing quickly and hints at a more stable, high-value export path that is less weather- and cycle-dependent.

The Re-Export Factor: A Transit Hub Sensitive to Region

Nearly 40% of goods exports ($3.9 billion) were re-exports, highlighting Georgia's role as a conduit for trade between larger neighbours and global markets. This transit function makes the economy sensitive to regional political stability and the health of trading-partner economies. Any disruption to corridors linking the Caspian, Turkey or Russia could shrink re-export volumes significantly, even if domestic production remains unchanged.

A Comparison with Neighbouring Economies

Armenia shows a very similar reliance (48.1%), driven by its own IT and service exports. Azerbaijan's lower ratio (43%) reflects its oil-and-gas base, where export values are large but GDP is even larger, while Turkey's low 24.8% is typical of a diversified, large domestic market. Russia's even lower figure (18.2%) underlines the insulating effect of a vast internal economy. For Georgia, the comparison illustrates that while absolute export values are modest, the economy punches above its weight in trade integration—a double-edged sword that amplifies both boom-time gains and downturn losses.

What This Means for Georgia's Economic Strategy

• Reduce seasonal tourism volatility: With $4.7 billion in tourism receipts—over half of services exports—Georgia should expand off-season and business tourism products, smoothing cash flows and lowering exposure to unexpected travel restrictions.
• Build on IT export momentum: IT and information services, at $1.1 billion, are the fastest-growing export category. Expanding tech education, start-up incentives and digital infrastructure could raise this share and reduce dependence on weather-sensitive sectors.
• Mitigate re-export transit risks: With 40% of goods exports being re-exports, policymakers and logistics operators should prioritise maintaining open trade corridors and investing in alternative routes to avoid bottlenecks during regional tensions.