Georgia’s total population has decreased noticeably since the end of the Soviet Union for various reasons. In the 1990s Georgians emigrated on a mass scale, losing approximately 2.5-3% of its population each year from 1990-1992. Most experts agree that the number of people who have migrated abroad from Georgia by 2007 ranges between 1 – 1.5 million.
Demography: Vital Statistics (State Department of Statistics)*
|
|
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Resident Population (in thousands) |
4315.2 |
4321.5 |
4401.3 |
4394.7 |
|
Births (in thousands) |
49.572 |
46.512 |
47.795 |
|
|
Deaths (in thousands) |
48.793 |
42.984 |
42.255 |
|
|
Marriages (in thousands) |
14.866 |
18.012 |
21.845 |
|
|
Divorces (in thousands) |
1.793 |
1.928 |
2.060 |
|
*Population on the territories controlled by the central government of Georgia; Population on January 1
Although external migration is the main reason for the population decrease, a significant drop in birthrate since 1989 also has been a contributing factor. From 1989-2000 the birthrate decreased from 17 to 11 per thousand of population, while the mortality rate increased gradually. Since 2000, both indicators have been stable at 11. Both emigration and the drop in the birthrate from 1989-2003 have led to a sharp decrease in Georgia’s population, currently estimated at 4.3 million down from 5.4 million in 1989.
This downward trend has affected the structure of the population as well. Between 1970 and 2007, the share of children under 15 in the total population decreased by almost a half (from 31 to 17%), while the share of elderly people increased from 8 to 15%.
Ethnic Composition of the Population: Census 2002*
|
|
Georgians |
Armenians |
Azerbaijanis |
Russians |
Abkhazians |
Ossetians |
Other |
|
Person |
3.661.173 |
248.929 |
284.761 |
67.671 |
3.527 |
38.028 |
47.644 |
|
% |
84.8 |
5.7 |
6.5 |
1.5 |
0.08 |
0.8 |
1.1 |
* Conducted on the territories controlled by the central government of Georgia
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