TBILISI, September 9 – Georgia’s pension fund now counts 1.67 million participants, according to figures released at the end of August. The Pension Agency reported that by August 31, 2025, a total of 22,843 people had already tapped into their accumulated pensions, with payouts exceeding 100.3 million lari (around USD 37 million). The fund’s assets … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s government has revived talks on introducing unemployment insurance, a social safety net that is standard across much of the West but has never been implemented in the country. The idea has circulated for years without concrete steps, but parliament is now working on a draft law and consulting with business … Read more
TBILISI, September 1 – Tourism in Georgia is thriving, but locals are feeling the pinch. According to the National Statistics Office, domestic visitors spent an average of 166.9 lari ($62) per trip in the second quarter of 2025, up 7.4% from last year. While seaside resorts and mountain getaways are packed, many Georgians complain that … Read more
TBILISI, September 1 – Georgia has introduced new residency rules that could affect expats and freelancers in Georgia’s growing IT community. From now on, IT specialists must prove they earned at least USD 25,000 (or the equivalent in lari) in the past year to qualify. Applicants also need to show at least two years of … Read more
TBILISI, August 31 – Private health insurance now covers about 21% of Georgia’s population, according to new figures from the country’s insurance regulator. The latest market review shows steady growth over the past three years. As of June 30, 2025, there were 765,812 active health insurance policies in Georgia, up from 735,061 in mid-2024 and … Read more
TBILISI, August 12 – A late-night operation to collect stray dogs under Georgia’s new animal control program has triggered protests from local activists, who claim the animals were already cared for. Animal rights activists claim the stray dogs had already been vaccinated, sterilized, and were under community care, warning that repeated vaccination could be harmful. … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–New analyses reveal that prosperity remains unevenly distributed across the country. Experts and local economists say Georgia’s rapid economic growth—often in double digits in recent years—has not been felt equally across regions. Tbilisi and Batumi are economic outliers, enjoying significantly higher wages, employment opportunities, and quality of life than most other regions. “Compared to … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s official statistics agency has reported a continued decline in poverty, with the national absolute poverty rate dropping to 9.4% in 2024, down from 11.8% in 2023. The improvements span every demographic. Child poverty fell the most sharply (by 4.0 percentage points), and rural areas saw a notable 3.7-point decrease. Urban and gender gaps … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A video allegedly depicting the forced engagement of an underage girl has sparked public outrage in Georgia and even in neighboring Azerbaijan, where the ombudsman asked her Georgian counterpart to get involved. The case gained country-wide recognition after a video was posted on social media February 8 allegedly depicting the engagement party of a … Read more
Two commissioners visiting Tbilisi urge the government of Georgia to go ahead with bold reform of drug policies, insisting that ending punishment does not mean encouraging or condoning the use of drugs, but rather it empowers individuals and communities