{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
The region of present day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D., and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1921 and regained its independence when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
Mounting public discontent over rampant corruption and ineffective government services, followed by an attempt by the incumbent Georgian Government to manipulate parliamentary elections in November 2003, touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. In the aftermath of that popular movement, which became known as the \"Rose Revolution,\" new elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his United National Movement (UNM) party. SAAKASHVILI made progress on market reforms and good governance during his time in power but also faced accusations of abuse of office. Progress was also complicated by Russian assistance and support to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that led to periodic flare-ups in tension and violence and that culminated in a five-day conflict in August 2008 between Russia and Georgia, including the invasion of large portions of Georgian territory. Russian troops pledged to pull back from most occupied Georgian territory, but in late August 2008 Russia unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Russian military forces remain in those regions.
Billionaire Bidzina IVANISHVILI's unexpected entry into politics in October 2011 brought the divided opposition together under his Georgian Dream coalition, which won a majority of seats in the October 2012 parliamentary elections and removed UNM from power. Conceding defeat, SAAKASHVILI named IVANISHVILI as prime minister and allowed Georgian Dream to create a new government before leaving the country after his presidential term ended in 2013. At the time, these changes in leadership represented unique examples of a former Soviet state that emerged to conduct democratic and peaceful government transitions of power. IVANISHVILI voluntarily resigned from office after the presidential succession, and in the following years, the prime minister position has seen frequent turnover. Most recently, Irakli GARIBASHVILI became prime minister in February 2021. In October 2021, SAAKASHVILI returned to Georgia, where he was immediately arrested to serve six years in prison on outstanding abuse of office convictions. Popular support for integration with the West is high in Georgia. Joining the EU and NATO are among the country's top foreign policy goals and Georgia applied for EU membership in March 2022. The EU and Georgia signed an Association Agreement in June 2014 and it fully entered into force in July 2016. Georgia and the EU have a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and Georgian citizens since 2017 can travel to the Schengen area without a visa.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia, with a sliver of land north of the Caucasus extending into Europe; note - Georgia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "42 00 N, 43 30 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Asia" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "69,700 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "69,700 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "0 sq km" }, "note": "note: approximately 12,560 sq km, or about 18% of Georgia's area, is Russian occupied; the seized area includes all of Abkhazia and the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli, eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti" }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly smaller than South Carolina; slightly larger than West Virginia" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "1,814 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Armenia 219 km; Azerbaijan 428 km; Russia 894 km; Turkey 273 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "310 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast" }, "Terrain": { "text": "largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; fertile soils in river valley flood plains and foothills of Kolkhida Lowland" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Mt'a Shkhara 5,193 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Black Sea 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "1,432 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "timber, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "35.5% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 5.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 1.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "39.4% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "25.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "4,330 sq km (2012)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "settlement concentrated in the central valley, particularly in the capital city of Tbilisi in the east; smaller urban agglomerations dot the Black Sea coast, with Bat'umi being the largest" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "earthquakes" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "note 1: strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through themAnalyzing population trends in Georgia since independence in 1991 has proven difficult due to a lack of reliable demographic statistics. Censuses were fairly accurately and regularly updated through a vital statistics system during Georgia’s period of Soviet rule, but from independence until about 2010, the system broke down as a result of institutional and economic change, social unrest, and large-scale outmigration. The 2002 census is believed to have significantly overestimated the size of Georgia’s population, in part because respondents continued to include relatives living abroad as part of their household count. The 2014 census indicates that Georgia’s population is decreasing and aging. Census data shows that the median age increased from 34.5 years in 2002 to 37.7 years in 2014. The working-age population (ages 15-65 years) was fairly high in 2002 and rose between 2005 and 2011. Nonetheless, Georgia did not reap economic benefits from this age structure, since the working-age population increase seems to have stimulated labor outmigration to Russia, Ukraine, and other neighboring countries.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Georgia has seen its economy grow to its highest level in years due to the influx of Russian businesses, information and communications technology specialists, and money transfers. This growth may only be temporary and conditions could still easily change depending on future events. Meanwhile, the Russian inflow is also a source of concern, as some Georgians fear it could prompt Putin to target their country next. In addition, Ukrainian refugees use Georgia not just as a transit country but also as a destination. Some 25,000 Ukrainians remain in the country as of November 2022; they pose an additional strain on resources in Georgia, which has a significant population of its own displaced citizens – from the 2008 Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia – who continue to need government support.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "18.41% (male 468,459/female 440,195)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "63.65% (male 1,543,748/female 1,598,047)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "17.95% (2023 est.) (male 348,822/female 537,119)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "55.4" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "32.8" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "22.6" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "4.4 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "38.6 years" }, "male": { "text": "35.9 years" }, "female": { "text": "41.4 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "0.01% (2023 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "10.79 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "0.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "settlement concentrated in the central valley, particularly in the capital city of Tbilisi in the east; smaller urban agglomerations dot the Black Sea coast, with Bat'umi being the largest" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "60.7% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" }, "note": "note: data include Abkhazia and South Ossetia" }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "1.082 million TBILISI (capital) (2023)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.06 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "0.97 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.65 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.92 male(s)/female (2023 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "25.9 years (2019 est.)", "note": "note: data does not cover Abkhazia and South Ossetia" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "28 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "14.45 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "16.55 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "12.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "77.74 years" }, "male": { "text": "73.72 years" }, "female": { "text": "81.96 years (2023 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "0.85 (2023 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "40.6% (2018)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99.4% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 94.3% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 97.3% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.6% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 5.7% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 2.7% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "7.6% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "5.11 physicians/1,000 population (2020)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "2.9 beds/1,000 population (2014)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 96.3% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 72.7% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 86.7% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 3.7% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 27.3% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 13.3% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "21.7% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "7.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "1.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "3.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "2.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Tobacco use": { "total": { "text": "31.7% (2020 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "56.3% (2020 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "7.1% (2020 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "2.1% (2018)" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "67.1% (2023 est.)" }, "Child marriage": { "women married by age 15": { "text": "0.3%" }, "women married by age 18": { "text": "13.9%" }, "men married by age 18": { "text": "0.5% (2018 est.)" } }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "3.6% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "99.6%" }, "male": { "text": "99.7%" }, "female": { "text": "99.5% (2019)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "16 years" }, "male": { "text": "16 years" }, "female": { "text": "16 years (2021)" } }, "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": { "total": { "text": "28.3%" }, "male": { "text": "27.4%" }, "female": { "text": "29.9% (2021 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy water pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals; land and forest degradation; biodiversity loss; waste management" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Climate": { "text": "warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "35.5% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 5.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 1.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "39.4% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "25.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "60.7% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" }, "note": "note: data include Abkhazia and South Ossetia" }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0.07% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "21.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "10.13 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "6.05 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "800,000 tons (2015 est.)" } }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "610 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "340 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "710 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "63.33 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "none" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Georgia" }, "local long form": { "text": "none" }, "local short form": { "text": "Sak'art'velo" }, "former": { "text": "Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic" }, "etymology": { "text": "the Western name may derive from the Persian designation \"gurgan\" meaning \"Land of the Wolves\"; the native name \"Sak'art'velo\" means \"Land of the Kartvelians\" and refers to the core central Georgian region of Kartli" } }, "Government type": { "text": "semi-presidential republic" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Tbilisi" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "41 41 N, 44 50 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "the name in Georgian means \"warm place,\" referring to the numerous sulfuric hot springs in the area" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (kalaki), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)
regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli; note - the breakaway region of South Ossetia consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli, eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti
city: Tbilisi
autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi)
", "note": "note 1: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parenthesesRussia's military support and subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence in 2008 continue to sour relations with Georgia
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "24,180 (Ukraine) (as of 9 May 2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "305,000 (displaced in the 1990s as a result of armed conflict in the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; displaced in 2008 by fighting between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia) (2021)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "530 (2022)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "a transit country for opiates produced in Asia trafficked into Ukraine or Moldova via the Black Sea for other European destinations; not a major corridor for synthetic drug smuggling operations; domestic synthetic market for ecstasy/MDMA, amphetamines, and cannabis with ecstasy laced with fentanyl the drug of choice
" } } }