Today Georgia is facing an increasing risk of brain drain. In recent years, Georgia has been experiencing a brain drain, with an increasing number of skilled professionals, young workers, and students leaving the country in search of better economic opportunities and stability. Since independence, the outmigration of Georgians has been mostly driven by economic factors – jobs, higher wages, better working conditions, and career advancement opportunities abroad.

According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates in the second quarter of 2024, Georgia’s nominal GDP reached GEL 24,855.7 million, with a year-over-year real GDP growth of 11.0% and a GDP deflator change of 4.3%. The growth was driven by significant increases in value-added across various sectors: Education activities rose by 35.6%, Information and communication rose by 32.8%, Construction by 30.9%, Financial and insurance activities by 22.9%, Public administration and defense, including social security by 14.7% and Wholesale and retail trade, including repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles by 11%. Conversely, there was a decline in value-added in electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply by 13.6% and in Real estate activities by 4.9%.

Georgia is committed to various international agreements on climate change, notably the Paris Agreement and the Association Agreement with the European Union. Recently, in 2021, Georgia announced a new Nationally Determined Contribution, pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% compared to 1990 levels.

In the third and fourth quarters of 2022, Georgian power plants generated 4,193 mln. and 3,359 mln. kWh of electricity, respectively (Figure 1). This represents a +11.4% and -3.5% change in total generation compared to the corresponding periods of the previous year (in 2021, the total generation in Q3 was 3,766 mln. kWh and 3,479 mln. kWh in Q4).

In the first and the second quarters of 2022, Georgian power plants generated 3,107 mln. and 3,663 mln. kWh of electricity, respectively. This represents a 27.9% and 35.3% increase in total generation compared to the corresponding periods of the previous year (in 2021, the total generation in Q1 was 2,429 mln. kWh and 2,708 mln. kWh in Q2).