21
September
2015
According to the population projections of the United Nations (constant fertility scenario), by the end of this century, the Georgian people will count only 2.8 million. In 2013, Georgia has been among only 19 countries in the world with a population that decreased year on year. An aggravating factor is the sex ratio of babies, which in Georgia is heavily skewed towards males. While globally about 107 boys are born per 100 girls, in Georgia 111 boys are born per 100 girls, the fourth-highest ratio in the world.
18
September
2015
Georgian consumer confidence suffered a major blow at the end of 2014, in the wake of the sharp Lari depreciation. Around February 2015, the Index found some support at the very low level of -35-30 points and has been slightly improving since then. In July 2015, this mildly positive trend was reversed, and in August, the Index dropped another 4.1 points to reach a new historical minimum of -38.4 points. Interestingly, this entire drop was driven by older respondents, those aged over 35. We will come back to this point later in the article.
17
September
2015
In July 2015, domestic production in Georgia increased by 3% annually, maintaining a stable and positive trend. Consumer price inflation reached the highest value (4.9%) in two years. The 1 August 2015 increase in electricity tariffs is likely to put some additional upward pressure on consumer price inflation in the coming months.
17
September
2015
The growth forecast for the third quarter of 2015 has not changed since last month and remains at 2.6%. The first forecast for the fourth quarter growth of 2015 has been targeted at 3.8%.
16
September
2015
ISET Policy Institute is the only member think tank of Asian Think Tanks Network from Georgia. The network involves cooperation among key think tanks in Asia and the Pacific to share knowledge on development experiences and policy lessons. Its members are Asian think tanks working on sustainable development and inclusive growth.
