TBILISI, September 25 – One in five Georgians is now officially dependent on social assistance, opposition politician Tazo Datunashvili said Wednesday.
The Lelo politician blasted Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s government for boasting about “unprecedented economic growth” while poverty deepens.
He pointed to fresh welfare statistics showing 708,764 people receiving subsistence aid in August 2025, up by nearly 1,000 from the previous period. Of those, around 243,000 are also enrolled in a state-run “special employment program.”
The program, launched in 2021 under then–Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, places people in low-paid public service jobs, often at a nominal level. Datunashvili argued it has had “zero effect” in lifting families out of poverty. Instead, he accused the government of using the system to keep vulnerable citizens dependent and under political pressure.
According to official data, the state spent 71.5 million lari (about $27 million) on social aid in August alone. That translates into 18 percent of Georgia’s population relying on welfare—“a catastrophic figure,” Datunashvili said.
He accused ruling party leaders of enriching oligarchs, corrupt officials, and fraudulent businesses, while leaving ordinary families stuck “in the spiral of poverty.”
