Georgia’s economy grows 7.5% while protests enter second year
Tourist visits hit a record 5.5 million in 2025, doubling the number from two decades ago, even as the government faces two years of street demonstrations.
By Jason Wood ·
5.5 million international visitors entered Georgia in 2025, according to data from the Georgian National Tourism Administration.
The figure represents an 8.4% increase over 2024 and is nearly ten times higher than the approximately 560,000 visitors recorded twenty years ago.
This surge in tourism coincides with a deepening political standoff. On Monday, the country marked two years since the contested parliamentary elections of October 26, 2024.
Protests began two days after the vote and have continued every Saturday in Tbilisi’s Armenian quarter. Crowds gather at Avlabari Square, march toward the Bridge of Love, and head to Freedom Square before reaching parliament.
Demonstrators chant against the government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. They accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, of authoritarianism and of moving the country closer to Moscow by suspending EU accession talks.
The crisis peaked on November 28, 2024, when the government announced it would not place the opening of EU negotiations on its agenda before the end of 2028. Georgia had previously been granted EU candidate status in 2023.
Despite the political tension, the economy expanded by 7.5% in 2025. This marks five consecutive years of growth. The increase is driven partly by tourists from Europe, the Middle East, and Russia.
Tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They brought capital and opened businesses, but their home purchases have strained the property market.
Locals remain wary of Russian influence, citing the early 1990s wars and the August 2008 conflict. Moscow maintains military control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, regions that account for approximately 20% of Georgian territory.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed after the 2008 conflict. Yet economic ties remain strong. Russian trade, tourism, remittances, and energy imports continue to prop up the Georgian economy.
The country faces challenges including unemployment, low wages, and widespread poverty. Many rural areas are experiencing depopulation.
The Georgian Dream party was founded in 2012 by Bidzina Ivanishvili. Now in his 70s, he served as prime minister from 2012 to 2013 and made his fortune in Russia during the 1990s. He also funded the renovation of the Rustaveli theatre, a key symbol of national independence.
Source: The Guardian
