Kyrgyzstan's Energy Imports: The Persistence of Barter

Kyrgyzstan's oil and gas imports for the first half of 2026 reached 97.8 million, a slight increase from the 94.7 million recorded during the same period last year. While the total volume shows minimal movement, the internal structure of these transactions reveals a heavy reliance on non-cash settlements. Barter operations accounted for 97% of all energy imports. In absolute terms, traditional cash-based imports totaled only 2.4 million. The remaining volume—roughly 630 thousand—was settled via netting and other non-monetary exchange mechanisms.