The interviewed sample in early May, of around 350 Georgians (Table 1 below summarizes the demographic background of the sampled population), reveals that Georgian Consumer Confidence rose in May compared to the prior month, by 8.1 index points, from -48.3 in April to -40.2 in May. This follows rapid declines in the index in March and April.

The estimated real GDP declined by 16.6% in April 2020 yearly and by 3.6 percent in the first four months of 2020. In April, the estimated real growth compared to the same period of the previous year posted negative in almost all activities, except mining and quarrying. Moreover, VAT payers’ turnover, used in rapid estimations of economic growth, dropped by 32.8% annually over the same period.

The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in May 2020 stood at 4.18 GEL; 6.8% lower month-on-month compared to April. However, the Khachapuri Index did increase by 24.9% year-on-year (compared to May 2019). At this time of the year, the monthly downward trend in the Index is typically driven by a seasonal decline in cheese prices (due to the increased supply of fresh milk and a resulting lower demand for imported milk powder).

In April 2020, Georgian power plants generated 944 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 2% decrease in total generation, compared to the previous year (April 2019, the total generation was 966 mln. kWh). The decrease in generation on a yearly basis comes from the decrease of 6% in thermal and 2% in hydro power generation. Interestingly, on a yearly basis, wind power generation increased by remarkable 23% compared to April 2019.

In comparison to Q4 2019, the GEO real property market contracted by 21.2% in Q1 2020 (from 34,602 units sold in Q4 2019 to 27,273 in Q1 2020) while the annual decrease was observed at 4.3% (YoY) compared to Q1 2019.