Population of Georgia: current status

Ethnic population of Georgia is very diverse. It is based on Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Ossetians, Russians, Abkhazians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Assyrians.

Ethnic consolidation of the Georgian nation did not end even during the Soviet period, and the beginning of the 21st century brought only a significant aggravation of ethnic, cultural, linguistic and economic differences.

The population of Georgia can be divided into the following ethnographic groups:

- kartveli;

- Kartlis, Kakheti (Eastern Georgia);

- Javi, Meskhi (Southern Georgia);

- Adzharians, Imeretins, Lechkhumians (Western Georgia);

- Megrely (Hobi river basin);

- Svans (live in the highland Svaneti);

- lazy (inhabitants of several villages in the south-west of the country).

More than half of the country's population lives in cities, the largest of them are Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, Sukhumi. In the years of Soviet power, several new industrial centers have grown in the country: Zestafoni, Rustavi (ferrous metallurgy, chemistry), Tkibuli and Tkvarcheli (coal mining), Chiatura (non-ferrous metallurgy), and others.

The population of Georgia in recent years has begun to increase slightly. As of January 1, 2013, it is 4,498 thousand people. This is already 0.6 percent higher than the previous year.

The population of Georgia and migration processes

During the Soviet era, the Pontic Greeks and Meskhetian Turks were deported. In the late 1980s, the Meskhetians fled Uzbekistan because of ethnic conflicts , but they were not allowed to go to Georgia, and they temporarily settled in the Krasnodar Territory, waiting to decide their fate. However, the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory eventually also refused to accept them. And only in 2004 the US government invited all the Meskhetians to themselves.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Russians, Jews, Greeks left Georgia. The population of Ossetia as a result of emigration to Russia also decreased, and from Abkhazia ethnic Georgians fled to the internal regions of Georgia. In addition, a large number of them live outside of Georgia, mainly in Russia.

The political and serious socioeconomic upheavals that have taken place in the country in recent years have led to a significant increase in external and internal migration . In 2009, Georgia took one of the first places by the number of citizens who asked for shelter abroad. Basically, residents of this country want to settle and live in Europe, most often seek to move to Poland, Greece, Austria, Germany.

According to experts, the population of Georgia migrates from the country due to the difficult social and economic situation, which was further aggravated by the global economic crisis and military events in August 2008. Today, the scale of emigration from the country is very disturbing to the government of Georgia. In addition, many citizens leave the state and work there mostly illegally, which leads to serious problems.

The demographic situation in the country is also very serious, at present almost half as many children are born than is necessary for the simple reproduction of a generation of parents. The ratio of young people and people over 60 years old changes in favor of the latter. Even a significant improvement in economic conditions is unlikely to change the situation for the better.