PMCG publishes economic outlook on Emigration and Effest of Remittances On Georgian Economy. According to the report, from 2010 to 2020, the number of stock emigrants from Georgia increased by 7% and amounted to 861 thousand – (23% of the country’s population).
Russia remains the main destination country for Georgian emigrants (450 thousand), followed by Greece, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan with 85 thousand, 65 thousand and 49 thousand persons, respectively. Among leading destination countries, the highest increases in stock emigrants over the analyzed period were indicated in the USA (77%), Italy (60%), and Armenia (47%).
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the emigration flow decreased to 74 thousand, making it the only year of the covered period in which there was positive net migration (16 thousand). However, in 2021 it rebounded again and amounted to 100 thousand persons, giving us the lowest annual net migration figure over the analyzed period.
"Georgia is a country of emigration1. Since the mid-1990s, Georgian migration patterns have been characterized as labor emigration driven by socio-economic challenges (high unemployment, poverty, and low salaries). As different studies have indicated, the significant proportion of Georgian labor emigrants reside and work illegally in their host country. The primary motivation for Georgian emigrants is to be able to send money back to their families in Georgia to support them", - the report reads.
