
According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates in the fourth quarter of 2024, Georgia’s nominal GDP reached GEL 25,309.6 million, with a year-over-year real GDP growth of 8.3% and a GDP deflator change of 4.0%. The economic expansion was largely driven by strong growth in several key sectors. The most notable increases were observed in Education (+36.2%), Information and communication (+29.7%), Human health and social work activities (23.6%), Mining and quarrying (22.5%).

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.

In February 2025, the average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri stood at 7.04 GEL, marking a 0.3% increase compared to the previous month. However, on a year-on-year basis, the price of khachapuri rose by 3% compared to February 2024.

This policy brief examines the role of business confidence as a predictor of economic development. It focuses on the impact of recent political instability and economic uncertainty, drawing insights from both Georgian data and international experience.

Giorgi Papava, Lead Economist and Practice Head for private sector development policy at ISET Policy Institute, represented Georgia at the prestigious International Scientific Conference "Distributed Profit Taxation – Polish and worldwide perspective" on December 9, 2024, at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Poland.