TBILISI, September 16 – Georgia is facing a family crisis: official statistics show that two out of every three newly formed marriages end in divorce. Experts warn the trend is worsening year by year, hitting not only family stability but also the country’s economy and demographics.
According to the national statistics office, Sakstat, 9,925 marriages and 6,256 divorces were registered in the first half of 2025. Demographers say the numbers highlight a social problem with serious ripple effects: divorce drives up housing demand, increases household costs, and reduces birth rates at a time when Georgia’s population is already shrinking.
Demographer Anzor Sakhvadze told Rezonansi that the situation calls for a rethinking of family policy. He noted that divorces force couples to maintain two households, making housing one of the biggest challenges. He added that family breakdown directly reduces fertility rates and worsens demographic decline.
Another demographer, Tamar Chiburdanzde, argued that the rise in divorce is tied to modern lifestyles and liberal values. She said more young couples prefer to live together without marrying, delaying childbirth and ignoring traditional family structures. She also cited migration, which has drained Georgia’s population since the 1990s, as another factor pushing marriage to later ages.
The cultural impact, she said, is profound: “Divorce numbers show how much family values have degraded among the youth. In our generation, family was central. Today it is lost.”
Sakstat data also show that Georgia’s natural population growth is in steep decline. In the first half of 2025, deaths exceeded births by 4,999. Only Tbilisi and the Autonomous Republic of Adjara recorded positive natural growth.
