The trade deficit equaled USD 9 327.5 MLN in 9M26

By signing the declaration, Georgia, alongside the other participating states, reaffirmed its support for the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of internationally recognised borders. The document also recognises every state’s right to determine its own foreign relations and choose whether to join treaties, alliances, or international organisations.Ukraine occupies a prominent place in the text. The signatories, including Georgia, reiterated their firm support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The declaration states that “the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided with Ukraine” and that “any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans”.The document further commits signatories to strengthening cooperation against hybrid threats, cyberattacks, foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, and migrant smuggling.Meanwhile, NATO member states among the signatories reaffirmed that the Alliance remains the cornerstone of their collective defence, while underscoring the importance of the transatlantic bond with the United States and Canada.Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze led Georgia’s delegation to the Dublin summit.Notably, the declaration does not establish a new military alliance or impose automatic collective defence obligations on its signatories; rather, it is designed to reinforce existing principles of international law and European security mechanisms.

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During the call, the ministers focused on prospects for deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Georgia and the UAE. They welcomed the momentum in high-level exchange visits and highlighted Botchorishvili’s participation in the Sir Bani Yas Forum, scheduled for 13–15 November 2026.The two sides also discussed the recent incident in Abu Dhabi involving Georgian athletes.Georgian fighters Merab Dvalishvili and Saba Lazishvili have reportedly been fined 50,000 dirhams each for sharing video footage of the incident. Unofficial sources indicate that the promotion Real American Freestyle (RAF) will cover the fines. Earlier, Saba Lazishvili’s brother, Zviad Lazishvili, posted a video on social media stating that Saba and Merab are due to be released today at 17:00.

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According to forecasts presented by TAV Georgia—the operator of both airports—passenger traffic at Tbilisi International Airport is expected to grow by approximately by 1% compared to the previous year, while traffic at Batumi Airport is projected to increase by 10%.The number of flights is set to rise by 3% in Tbilisi and by 12% in Batumi.Tbilisi Airport currently serves 80 destinations, comprising 62 passenger routes and 12 cargo routes. Batumi Airport serves 41 destinations.Daily Passenger Traffic RecordsIn 2026, a record number of daily flights—206—was recorded at Tbilisi International Airport on August 9. The maximum number of passengers, reaching 23,483, was recorded on August 16.At Batumi Airport, the highest number of flights—118—took place on September 3, while the daily passenger traffic record was set on August 13, with 11,005 passengers.Expansion of Tbilisi Airport – An Investment Exceeding $150 MillionTAV Georgia’s investment in the ongoing expansion project at Tbilisi International Airport exceeds $150 million. The project is scheduled for completion by 2028, which will double the airport's annual capacity.These data were presented by TAV Georgia during a meeting of the Airport Operations Committee and at an event summarizing the summer aviation season.

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In 2025 the real GDP increased by 8.4%. In 2025 GDP deflator percentage change equaled 7.5% YoY.The largest shares of GDP by activity are held by Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (14.9 percent), Manufacturing (9.3 percent) and Real estate activities (9.2 percent), followed by Construction (8.8 percent), Information and communication (8.0 percent), Public administration and defence; compulsory social security (6.6 percent), Transportation and storage (6.2 percent), Education (5.8 percent), Agriculture, forestry and fishing (5.7 percent).According to Geostat, in 2025, compared to the previous year, the real growth in following activities contributed significantly: Information and communication (28.9 percent), Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (7.5 percent), Education (16.8 percent), Financial and insurance activities (15.9 percent), Transportation and storage (10.8 percent).Decline was registered in Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (7.6 percent) as well as in Mining and quarrying activities (3.7 percent).Following the recalculation of population estimates and key demographic statistics for 2015-2025 based on the 2024 Population Census results, the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) has recalculated per capita national accounts indicators from 2015 onwards.

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According to him, membership in the Council of Europe entails a commitment to upholding certain values.“I am closely following developments. I know that there is currently a discussion concerning the examination of a certain issue at the Constitutional Court. We are monitoring this process and, as always, will remind everyone that membership in the Council of Europe also means a commitment to upholding certain values. All 46 Council of Europe member states have undertaken to uphold the European Convention on Human Rights and recognize the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. We have a framework within which we can develop relations and cooperation. I firmly believe that these principles must be constantly reaffirmed and that we must continue dialogue and joint discussions. We will certainly continue this dialogue and cooperation, including with Georgia,” Alain Berset stated.

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As the first stage of the revision, Geostat assessed the consistency of the main components of population change – births, deaths and migration – with the results of the 2014 and 2024 censuses. The analysis showed that existing data on natural population movements were based on sufficiently robust and reliable administrative sources. Accordingly, birth and death figures remained unchanged during the recalculation of the intercensal period, while discrepancies identified between the censuses were adjusted through a revision of the migration component.The need to revise migration figures was driven by several methodological and practical factors.First, different time criteria are used to determine usual residence and migrant status in population censuses and current migration statistics. The population census applies a 12-month residence criterion, whereas current migration statistics use a six-month threshold. This difference means that the same individual's movement may not always be classified in the same way under census and current migration statistics.The second important factor relates to the country's territorial specifics. Comprehensive administrative information on population movements between occupied territories and territories controlled by the Georgian authorities is unavailable, and such movements are therefore not reflected in current international migration statistics.The third factor concerns the methodology used to produce current migration statistics. The main administrative source for migration data consists of individual records of state border crossings. However, crossing the state border does not in itself mean that a person has changed their usual place of residence. Therefore, classifying administrative border-crossing records as migration events requires the application of time-based criteria, algorithms and estimation methods. In addition, some estimation coefficients and distribution parameters used in current migration statistics were based on migration structures and behavioural patterns established during the previous census period.It should also be noted that migration is one of the most volatile components of demographic processes and responds significantly to economic, political, social and external factors. Particularly substantial changes were recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and following subsequent developments in the region. Both the intensity of international movements and the duration of stays, frequency of repeated movements and behaviour of different migrant groups changed.Methodology Used to Revise the Historical Data SeriesThe recalculation of demographic indicators was based on a combination of internationally recognised and scientifically grounded statistical methods, including:- Cohort-Component Method, used to recalculate population figures across successive age and sex groups.- Demographic Balancing Method, applied to reconcile population changes with births, deaths, immigration and emigration.- Multi-source Data Integration Method, used to combine population census data, civil registration records, administrative data and other supplementary sources within a unified analytical framework, according to their respective purposes and quality.- Geographic Harmonisation/Reclassification Adjustment Method, used to account for changes in administrative boundaries and settlement classifications to ensure comparability over time.The population recalculation was not limited to the country's overall figures. Revisions were also carried out at the regional, municipal, urban and rural settlement levels, as well as for cities and towns.It should be noted that the revisions covered population figures for 2016–2024 and migration data for 2015–2024.Population Growth Between 2015 and 2025Between 2015 and 2025, Georgia's population increased by 5.6%, or 208,500 people, from 3,721,900 to 3,930,400.At the national level, population growth remained relatively moderate between 2015 and 2021, increasing by 63,500 people, or 1.7%, over this period. As of January 1, 2022, the population had declined by 25,000 compared with the previous year. The trend subsequently changed significantly: between 2022 and 2025, Georgia's population increased by 169,900 people, or 4.5%.An analysis of the components of the demographic balance provides a more accurate explanation of annual population changes. Population figures as of January 1 reflect the combined results of natural increase and net migration during the preceding calendar year. Between 2015 and 2019, natural population growth remained positive, although it gradually declined, while net migration generally remained moderate.From 2020, natural population growth turned negative. In 2020, negative natural growth (-4,000 people) and positive net migration (+19,100 people) resulted in an increase of approximately 15,000 in the population as of January 1, 2021. In 2021, negative natural growth (-14,000 people) combined with negative net migration (-11,000 people), resulting in a population decline of 25,000 as of January 1, 2022.Between 2022 and 2024, Georgia recorded negative natural population growth, totalling 13,800 people. Nevertheless, the country's overall population continued to increase, rising by 169,900 between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2025. This population change reflects the combined impact of demographic processes.It is noteworthy that between 2015 and 2025, population growth was concentrated mainly in several regions – Tbilisi, the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and Kvemo Kartli. Population numbers declined in the remaining regions, while the population of Mtskheta-Mtianeti remained virtually unchanged.Urbanisation TrendsBetween 2015 and 2025, Georgia also recorded an increase in urbanisation.As of January 1, 2015, 2,135,600 people lived in urban settlements, accounting for 57.4% of the country's population. By 2025, the urban population had increased to 2,445,400, representing 62.2% of the total population. Accordingly, the urbanisation rate increased by 4.8 percentage points over the 2015–2025 period.During the same period, the population living in urban settlements increased by 309,800 people, or 14.5%, while the rural population declined by 101,300 people, or 6.4%.Thus, Georgia's overall population growth between 2015 and 2025 was entirely driven by an increase in the urban population, while rural settlements experienced a downward trend.Population Structure by Sex and AgeAlongside population growth, Georgia's age and sex structure also changed between 2015 and 2025.The male population increased from 1,777,100 to 1,881,400, while the female population grew from 1,944,800 to 2,049,000. Growth was almost equal for both sexes. As a result, the share of men increased from 47.7% to 47.9%, while the share of women declined from 52.3% to 52.1%. The number of men per 100 women increased from 91.4 to 91.8, indicating a slight reduction in the gender imbalance.The most notable change in the age structure was the increase in the elderly population. The number of people aged 65 and over rose from 531,300 to 690,400, an increase of 159,100, or 29.9%. Their share of the total population increased from 14.3% to 17.6%.The population aged 0–14 increased from 702,800 to 773,300, with its share rising from 18.9% to 19.7%. Meanwhile, despite overall population growth, the population aged 15–64 declined from 2,487,800 to 2,466,700, a decrease of 21,100 people. Its share of the total population fell from 66.8% to 62.8%.International MigrationAccording to Geostat, Georgia recorded a cumulative positive net migration balance of 212,700 people between 2015 and 2024.Between 2015 and 2019, migration flows remained relatively stable. The number of immigrants ranged from 84,300 to 94,100, while the number of emigrants fluctuated between 75,700 and 90,800. Consequently, net migration remained relatively low but consistently positive, ranging from 1,100 to 8,600 people.Migration flows changed significantly in 2020–2021. In 2020, the number of emigrants declined to 58,000, resulting in positive net migration of 19,100 people. In 2021, however, the country recorded a negative net migration balance of 11,000, an unprecedented development during the reporting period.A sharp increase in migration activity and a significant positive net migration balance were recorded in 2022–2024. In 2022, the number of immigrants reached 200,200, while net migration stood at 89,000, the highest figure recorded during the reporting period.In 2023 and 2024, net migration amounted to 54,800 and 40,000 people, respectively. Combined, the 2022–2024 period accounted for approximately 86% of Georgia's cumulative positive net migration balance recorded between 2015 and 2024.

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According to the Minister, Georgia’s stable economic development, sustainable public debt, fiscal consolidation and improved reserve adequacy have strengthened international investor confidence. This was reflected in the successful issuance of $500 million in Eurobonds in January this year. Khutsishvili noted that a new international bond issuance serves both as an indicator of a country's risk level and as a measure of international investors' interest and confidence in its economy.“Significant progress was achieved on both fronts. First, the country's risk indicator declined by more than 50 basis points, representing an improvement of over 25%. At the same time, we saw record-high demand for Georgia's Eurobonds. Demand from more than 100 international investors exceeded the amount offered on the market by 5.5 times, meaning investors were prepared to invest up to $2.8 billion in Georgian securities. In terms of yield, this was the best result achieved globally over the past four years by a sovereign issuer without an investment-grade credit rating,” Khutsishvili said.The Minister also highlighted the Treasury securities issuance conducted in May, when the Ministry of Finance used the syndication method for the first time, issuing GEL 400 million worth of securities. He described this as an important step towards developing Georgia’s domestic capital market. Investor demand reached GEL 1.8 billion, exceeding the issued amount by 4.5 times.

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According to Khutsishvili, Georgia’s real economic growth forecast for 2027 is based on conservative assumptions and stands at 5%. Over the medium term, economic growth is projected at 5.2–5.3%. He noted that these forecasts are fully in line with projections by international financial institutions.Nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow by 8.9% in 2027, reaching GEL 126.4 billion. In subsequent years, nominal growth is projected to average 8.5%, with Georgia’s economy expected to exceed GEL 161 billion by 2030. GDP per capita is forecast to exceed $12,000 by the end of 2027 and $15,000 by 2030.Inflation is expected to follow a downward trend next year and approach its target level by the end of 2027.According to the Finance Minister, one of the major structural challenges facing Georgia’s economy – the current account deficit – has improved significantly in recent years. Last year, it stood at a historically low level of around 2.9% of GDP. The indicator is projected to improve further to 2.4% in the current year, while the current account deficit forecast for 2027 stands at 2.6%.The budget deficit is planned at 2.5% of GDP in 2027, with a slight downward trend in subsequent years, declining to 2.2%.Government debt is projected to remain at 31.1% of GDP throughout 2027–2030, which represents a safe level.Total consolidated budget revenues for 2027 are planned at GEL 38.363 billion, while consolidated budget expenditures are projected at GEL 38.243 billion.

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