Similar to the year 2022, Georgia stayed on the path of economic recovery from COVID-19 in 2023 as well. According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates, the real GDP continues to show a relatively high growth rate, measuring at 7.5% y/y in 2023 – which is remarkably higher than the NBG’s real GDP growth expectation of 6% from October 2023.

In June 2023, responding to appeals from the Georgian Flour Producers Association, the Georgian government imposed a temporary import duty on wheat flour imported from Russia. This advocacy by the Association began after Russia implemented a “floating tariff” on wheat in 2021, making wheat imports more expensive compared to wheat flour.

Geostat has released its rapid estimate of real GDP growth for January 2024. The estimated growth stands at 5.8%, while the estimated growth of 2023 reached 7.5%.

Geostat has released its rapid estimate of real GDP growth for December 2023. The estimated growth stands at 8.3%, while the average annual real GDP growth reached 7%.

For the first quarter of 2024, business confidence in Georgia decreased slightly (by 0.4 index points) and reached 17.7. The highest decrease in business confidence is observed in the trade (-15.1) sector. The negative change in BCI for Q1 2024 was driven by decreased past performance as well as less optimistic expectations.