GE EN
Economics
Agricultural production prices increase by 15% y-oy

Compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the unit cost index of agricultural production increased by 15%.The increase in the index was mainly due to an 11.5% increase in the cost of live animals and animal products, which contributed 6.8 pp to the change in the total index.During the same period, the value of annual crops increased by 23.2 percent, and the value of perennial crops by 14.4%, which contributed 3.92 and 4.27 percentage points to the change in the total index, respectively.

1779709512

The absolute poverty level in Georgia decreased to 7.1%

In 2025, the absolute poverty rate in urban areas decreased by 1.8 percentage points, amounting to 6 percent, while in rural areas it decreased by 3.0 percentage points, amounting to 9 percent.In 2025, the absolute poverty rate decreased compared to the previous year across all age groups of the population. Specifically, the indicator was 9.2 percent in the age group under 18 years (-2.9 percentage points), in the 18-64 age group – 7.0 percent (-2.3 percentage points), and in the population aged 65 and older – 5.2 percent (-1.5 percentage points).The absolute poverty rate for women decreased by 2 percentage points, while for men it decreased by 2.6 percentage points and amounted to 7.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.In 2025, the share of the population under 60 percent of the median consumption decreased by 1.6 percentage points, amounting to 17.3 percent, while the share of the population under 40 percent of the median consumption decreased by 1.5 percentage points, amounting to 5.2 percent.In 2025, compared to the previous year, the value of the Gini coefficient decreased by 0.01 based on both total incomes and total consumption expenditures, amounting to 0.34.

1779708974

Average monthly household incomes up by 12.4%, while expenses - by 11....

The main source of household income is cash incomes and transfers. In 2025, this share increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous year, amounting to 90.5%. The figure was 94.2% in urban areas and 83.2% in rural areas.The average monthly income per household in urban areas increased by 12.9 percent, amounting to 2 233 GEL, while in rural areas it increased by 11.3 percent, equaling 1 954 GEL.In the structure of cash incomes and transfers, the largest share is held by wages and salaries, which increased by 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 49.3 percent. The share of self-employment income increased by 0.7 percentage points, amounting to 13.3 percent. The share of income from pensions, scholarships, and social assistance decreased by 0.3 percentage points, reaching 21.9 percent. The structure of cash incomes and transfers differs between urban and rural settlements.In 2025, the average monthly expenditures in Georgia increased by 11.6 percent compared to the previous year and amounted to 1 936 GEL per household and 603 GEL per capita.According to the survey results, in 2025, the share of household cash consumption expenditure in total expenditures decreased by 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous year, amounting to 69.3 percent.The average monthly expenditures per household in urban areas increased by 11.1 percent and amounted to 2 015 GEL, while in rural areas it increased by 12.2 percent and equaled 1 799 GEL.In the structure of cash consumption expenditure, expenditure on food, beverages and tobacco was the highest, increasing by 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous year and amounting to 38.7 percent. The structure of cash consumption expenditure differs between urban and rural settlements.

1779708654

Kobakhidze Considers Completion of Anaklia Port’s First Phase By 2029...

According to the head of government, negotiations with the Chinese-Singaporean consortium are currently ongoing and there are no plans to start a new process. He noted that since the project is underway, the state has the opportunity not to artificially accelerate the processes, but the final decision will not be made later than the end of the year.“A decision should be made soon, in the coming months, regarding the specific model of continuing cooperation,” the Prime Minister said.Kobakhidze also spoke about the ongoing work directly on the port territory and confirmed that there was a small pause in the process, which was caused by the revision of the financial terms of the contract.“The terms of the contract, the financial side, have been significantly reduced. The state will have to spend much less on deepening works. This took a little time, although the work continues with the appropriate intensity,” he noted.According to the Prime Minister, in parallel with the construction of the port, the state is actively working on the arrangement of the surrounding road and railway infrastructure, so that all related projects can be implemented within the appropriate timeframe.

1779708405

Georgian wine production stabilizes from record high - OIV report

According to preliminary data from the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), the decline in production is due to an unusually abundant harvest in 2024, while favorable weather in 2025 allowed the country to maintain production close to the high level of recent years.Regional trendsResults in the Northern Hemisphere (outside the European Union) are mixed.Russian wine production is around 5.1 million hectoliters, which is at the same level as in 2024 and 9% above the five-year average. Moldova, after droughts and frosts in 2024, showed an 18% increase in production (1.4 million hectolitres), driven by abundant spring rainfall.Production in the European Union is 140 million hectolitres, up 2.1 million hectolitres (+2%) compared to 2024, but 8% below the five-year average. Italy (47.4 million hectolitres) has regained its position as the world’s largest producer, while France (35.9 million hectolitres) and Spain (29.4 million hectolitres) are experiencing historically low yields due to climate stress, drought and disease.Global outlookGlobal wine production is forecast to reach 232 million hectolitres in 2025. This is 3% higher than the historical low of 2024, but still 7% below the average of the last five years.USA: Production increased to 21.7 million tons (+3%), but still below the historical peak.Southern Hemisphere: Production increased by 7% (49 million tons). Australia (11.6 million tons) and New Zealand (3.7 million tons) showed increases, while Chile’s production decreased by 10% due to water shortages.Market balanceAccording to the OIV, production has been below average for the third consecutive year, reducing pressure on stocks amid falling global demand. Climate change remains a major factor determining global production levels.

1779363629

Hydropower generation down nearly 20% in April due to weak hydrology,...

For comparison, hydropower supplied 93% of total supply on average in April from 2021-24. This year, late warming delayed snowmelt, causing water levels to rise only in late April, while in previous years high hydropower generation was recorded from early April. As a result, April saw an unusually high demand for thermal power (16.5% of total supply) and imports (4.3% of total supply).In April, 3 power plants were commissioned: 2 hydropower plants were launched in test mode - Chiora HPP and Bakhvi 2B HPP, with a total installed capacity of up to 40 MW; and the 18.7 MW “Upper Wind Station” was put into operation.In April 2026, electricity imports amounted to 51 GWh (4.3% of total supply), although only half of this was commercial imports, 24.8 GWh from Turkey. Of the remaining volume, 9 GWh came from Russia for the Abkhazian region, while the 17 GWh import from Azerbaijan was fully balanced by exports of the same volume and value to Azerbaijan in the same day slot. The identical volumes of imports and exports indicate that these transactions were not commercial trade and were related to the technical needs of synchronous operation.Imports from Turkey were carried out on April 16-22, during the shutdown period of thermal power plants. Its value was $0.7 million, and the average price was 2.9 US cents per kWh. It is noteworthy that in 2026, except for February, imports from Turkey were carried out in all months, which is associated with historically low prices on the Turkish market. The price decrease, in turn, was associated with increased renewable generation due to favorable climatic conditions.As for the average price of balancing electricity, it decreased by 5% year-on-year in April and amounted to 5.8 US cents per kWh.In addition, the balancing capacity increased by 21.7% and was 0.4 TWh, which accounts for 32.6% of the total supply.

1779363379

Power consumption up by 2.1% in April, hydropower down by 19.3%

Galt & Taggart analysts note that this once again demonstrates the vulnerability caused by dependence on hydropower and the need for accelerated development of new generation sources.In the first four months of 2026, electricity consumption increased by 6.6% year-on-year to 5.1 TWh. According to Galt & Taggart, the increase is associated with a particularly cold winter and the activation of the ferroalloys sectors.In the first four months of 2026, the share of thermal generation and imports in total supply amounted to 44.3%, which exceeds the similar indicator of the previous year (39.2%). The increase was mainly associated with weak hydrology in April and low water levels in the Enguri reservoir at the beginning of the year.In addition, Turkey was among the main sources of imports for 3 out of 4 months of 2026, which indicates increased competition in imports and possible structural changes.Overall, the high share of imports and thermal generation once again emphasizes the need for accelerated development of new generation.Domestic consumption was 1.1 TWh in April 2026, up 2.1% year-on-year. This growth was driven by retail customers (+5.1% y/y) and Abkhazia (+7.3% y/y). Direct customer consumption decreased by 8.5% year-on-year, mainly due to lower activity in crypto mining and data center companies.

1779363209

GEL 21.8 MLN to be spent on construction of 6 power transmission lines...

According to Government Decree No. 945, the funds will be used to co-finance projects funded by donor organizations. These include the 500-kilovolt power transmission lines (PTLs) “Tskaltubo-Akhaltsikhe-Tortumi” and “Jvari-Tskaltubo”, “Northern Ring” (Namakhvani-Tskaltubo-Lajanuri), “Kheledula-Lajanuri-Oni”, as well as projects to strengthen the power transmission infrastructure of Guria and Kakheti.According to GSE, the 500 kV Jvari-Tskaltubo overhead line project is being implemented by the Turkish company Bozlar Yapi. Work on the project began in 2021 and is scheduled for completion in 4Q27. As for the 220 kV Khledula-Lajanuri and Oni-Lajanuri power transmission lines, a €25.6 million contract has been signed with India’s KEC International Limited for their construction, and the works are scheduled to be completed in January 2029.The aforementioned infrastructure works are being implemented within the framework of the “Large-scale Investment Program for the Improvement of the Electricity Network” (ENIP), which is being implemented in partnership with the European Union, GSE, and the German Development Bank (KfW).The total budget of the program is €270 million, which includes funding from the German government (through KfW) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as a grant of $9.9 million from the European Union Neighborhood Investment Platform (EU NIP).The program, which began in 2021 and will be completed in 2028, includes the construction and expansion of 7 substations and more than 540 kilometers of power transmission lines in the regions of Imereti, Guria, Racha, Svaneti and Kakheti.

1779363141

Cargo turnover in Georgian ports increased by 19.7%, passenger traffic...

In the I quarter of 2026, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, the ports and terminals of Georgia received 23.0 percent less liquid bulk, 8.7 percent less – specialized carriers, 8.4 percent less general cargo carriers, 6.1 percent less – container ships, and 5.0 percent less – dry bulk.In the I quarter of 2026, 18.2 percent of the ships arriving at the ports and terminals of Georgia sailed under the flag of Panama, 13.7 percent – under the flag of Turkey, 10.0 percent – under the flag of Liberia, 7.5 percent – under the flag of Malta, and the rest of 50.6 percent were distributed among other countries.In the I quarter of 2026, Georgian seaports served 3.2 thousand passengers, which is 53.6 percen more compared to the corresponding figure of the previous year. Note, the share of passengers departed was higher than the share of passengers entered and stood at 55.3 percent.In the I quarter of 2026, ports and terminals of Georgia processed 4 316.9 thousand tons of cargo, 19.7 percent more compared to the corresponding figure of the previous year. 49.1 percent of freight carried was general cargo, 30.4 percent was liquid bulk, and 20.4 percent – dry bulk.

1779279247

Producer prices of industrial products increased by 6.7%

In the same period, the prices for manufactured products increased by 0.7 percent, contributing 0.54 percentage points to the monthly index change.Within the group, a noteworthy price increase was registered for chemicals and chemical products (8.4 percent) and coke and refined petroleum products (7.9 percent). Besides, the prices increased for electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning by 1.1 percent, contributing 0.11 percentage points to the monthly index change.The annual PPI rate was mainly affected by price changes for the following products: Mining and quarrying: the prices were 27.6 percent higher, contributing 1.8 percentage points to the overall annual index change. Within the group, the prices were higher for the subgroup of metal ores (34.3 percent); Manufactured products: the prices increased by 5.3 percent, contributing 4.28 percentage points to the overall annual index increase. There was a notable increase in the prices for food products (6.3 percent) and beverages (5.6 percent); Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning: the annual price increase amounted to 3.7 percent, which contributed 0.39 percentage points to the annual index change; Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation services: the annual price increase amounted to 6.8 percent, which contributed 0.21 percentage points to the annual index growth.

1779279177