Georgia's Economy Grows 7.5% While Protests Enter Second Year

Monday marks the two-year anniversary of the contested parliamentary elections in Georgia that triggered a sustained political crisis.

The unrest began two days after the vote on October 26, 2024, and reached its peak on November 28 of that year.

At that time, the government announced it would not place the opening of EU accession negotiations on its agenda before the end of 2028.

Georgian Dream, the ruling ultraconservative party, has been in power since 2012.

Critics accuse the party of growing authoritarianism and steering the nation closer to Moscow by suspending EU talks.

Georgia received EU candidate status in 2023, but Brussels has recently criticized the government’s record on the rule of law and political repression.

Despite the political tension, the country recorded a high of more than 5.5 million international tourist visits in 2025.

This figure represents an 8.4% increase compared to 2024 and is nearly ten times the approximately 560,000 visitors recorded two decades ago.

The Georgian National Tourism Administration provided the data showing this surge in arrivals.

Tourists come from Europe, the Middle East, and large numbers from Russia.

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia.

These residents brought capital and opened businesses, creating strong pressure on the property market by purchasing homes across the country. This influx has fueled discontent among locals who view Russia as an occupying power due to conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The country has a population of fewer than 4 million and covers roughly the size of Ireland. Georgia’s gross domestic product rose by 7.5% in 2025, marking five consecutive years of expansion. However, the economy still faces challenges including unemployment, low wages, widespread poverty, and depopulation in rural areas. Moscow remains a key economic partner through trade, tourism, remittances, and energy imports. Diplomatic relations were severed after the 2008 conflict, which resulted in Russian military control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These regions account for approximately 20% of Georgian territory. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded Georgian Dream in 2012, serves as a key figure in the current administration. He previously served as prime minister between 2012 and 2013 and made his fortune in Russia during the 1990s. Ivanishvili renovated the Rustaveli theatre, a symbol of national independence, twenty years ago. Protests continue every weekend in Tbilisi’s Armenian quarter, with crowds marching from Avlabari Square toward parliament. The future of Georgia remains tied to wider geopolitical tensions, particularly the fate of Ukraine.