Demographics of Georgia (country) 

Georgia: Total population with (top blue curve) and without (bottom red curve) Abkhazia and South Osetia, in millions. Data from statistical yearbooks of Georgian SSR (before 1990) and Republic of Georgia (after 1990), various years.

The demographics of Georgia is characterized by two prominent features since independence: decline in total population and significant "Georgeanization" of the ethnic composition. The proportion of ethnic Georgians increased by full 10 percentage points between 1989 and 2002, rising from 73.7% to 83.7% of the population.1 The population grew steadily during the Soviet period and the first years of independence, rising from less than 4 million in the 1950s to a peak of 5.5 million in 1992.2 Then the trend changed and the population began to decline, dropping to 4.5 million in 2005 according to the estimates by the Georgian Department of Statistics.3 This figure represents the total population, including the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Osetia, whose population in 2005 was estimated at 178,000 and 49,200, respectively. Without Abkhazia and South Osetia, the population in the regions controlled by the central government of Georgia was 4,321,500 in 2005 and 4,382,100 in 20084 (compare the 2008 figure with the CIA estimate of 4,630,841 for all of Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Osetia5).

Contents

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook5

Population: 4,630,841 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

Median age:

Population growth rate: -0.325% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 10.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.36 migrants/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

Infant mortality rate:

Life expectancy at birth:

Total fertility rate: 1.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Nationality:

Ethnic groups: Georgians 83.8%, Azeris 6.5%, Armenians 5.7%, Russians 1.5%, other 2.5%

Religions: Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Roman Catholics 0.8%, Jews 0.1%, other 1.4% (2002 census)6

Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%

Note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Literacy:, age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Major nationalities of Georgia according to population censuses of 1979, 1989, and 2002
(in percent; 1989 and 2002 excluding Abkhazia and South Osetia)
Nationality 19797 19891 20021
Georgians 68.8 73.7 83.7
Abkhazians 1.7 – –
Azerbaijanis 5.1 6.4 6.5
Armenians 9.0 7.5 5.7
Russians 7.4 5.5 1.5
Ossetians 3.2 2.1 0.9
Kurds and Yezids 0.5 0.7 0.5
Greeks 1.9 1.8 0.3
Ukrainians 0.9 0.8 0.2
Other 1.5 1.5 0.7
Total population 5,014,800 4,789,326 4,369,579

Population growth rate by province

Source: Statistics Georgia: Population by region
Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 Change in Births 2003 2004 2005 2006 2003 2004 2005 2006 2003 2004 2005 2006 2003 2004 2005 2006
Region Births Births Births Births Births BR 03 BR 04 BR 05 BR 06 Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths DR 03 DR 04 DR 05 DR 06 PGR 03 PGR 04 PGR 05 PGR 06
GEORGIA 46,194 49,572 46,512 47,795 3.47% 10.64 11.49 10.76 10.86 46,055 48,793 40,721 42,255 10.61 11.31 9.42 9.6 0.00% 0.02% 0.13% 0.13%
Tbilisi 16,808 12,317 12,794 13,773 (-18.06%) 15.58 11.42 11.85 12.48 12,597 12,424 11,164 12,454 11.67 11.52 10.34 11.29 0.39% (-0.01%) 0.15% 0.12%
Autonomous Republic Abkhazia NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Autonomous Republic Adjara 4,092 5,716 4,711 4,637 13.32% 10.96 15.44 12.63 12.29 2,405 3,017 3,020 2,609 6.44 8.15 8.1 6.92 0.45% 0.73% 0.45% 0.54%
Guria 1,165 1,431 1,432 1,343 15.28% 8.2 10.28 10.32 9.64 1,923 1,963 1,746 1,479 13.53 14.1 12.59 10.62 (-0.53%) (-0.38%) (-0.23%) (-0.10%)
Imereti 6,348 7,717 6,717 7,131 12.33% 9.14 11.18 9.75 10.19 8,143 9,756 6,490 7,797 11.72 14.14 9.42 11.14 (-0.26%) (-0.30%) (0.03%) (-0.10%)
Kakheti 2,787 3,655 3,366 3,840 37.78% 6.9 9.11 8.42 9.49 4,652 5,527 4,005 4,189 11.52 13.77 10.02 10.35 (-0.46%) (-0.47%) (-0.16%) (-0.09%)
Mtskheta-Mtianeti 903 1,514 1,298 1,165 29.01% 7.25 12.36 10.6 9.36 1,480 1,701 1,332 1,237 11.88 13.89 10.87 9.94 (-0.46%) (-0.15%) (-0.03%) (-0.06%)
Racha-Lechkumi and Kvemo Svaneti 202 327 376 235 16.34% 4.02 6.58 7.66 4.79 798 991 700 632 15.9 19.94 14.26 12.87 (-1.19%) (-1.34%) (-0.66%) (-0.81%)
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti 3,652 3,817 4,408 4,421 21.06% 7.86 8.27 9.53 9.35 4,803 3,682 4,193 3,892 10.34 7.98 9.07 8.23 (-0.25%) 0.03% 0.05% 0.11%
Samtskhe-Javakheti 2,142 2,836 2,303 2,113 (-1.35%) 10.39 14 11.32 10.13 2,143 2,208 1,706 1,604 10.39 10.9 8.38 7.69 0.00% 0.31% 0.29% 0.24%
Kvemo Kartli 3,568 6,407 5,148 5,856 64.13% 7.23 13.05 10.41 11.54 3,424 3,561 3,086 3,354 6.94 7.25 6.24 6.61 0.03% 0.58% 0.42% 0.49%
Shida Kartli 4,527 3,835 3,959 3,281 (-27.52%) 14.58 12.42 12.81 10.45 3,687 3,963 3,279 3,008 11.87 12.83 10.61 9.58 0.27% (-0.04%) 0.22% 0.09%

References

  1. ^ a b c Richard H. Rowland, "National and regional population trends in Georgia, 1989-2002: Results from the 2002 census," Eurasian Geography and Economics, 47(2): 221-242, 2006 (excluding Abkhazia and South Osetia).
  2. ^ Statistical yearbooks of Georgian SSR, State Committee of Statistics, Tbilisi, various years (Russian).
  3. ^ Statistical Yearbook of Georgia 2005: Population, Table 2.1, p. 33, Department for Statistics, Tbilisi (2005)
  4. ^ Statistics Georgia: Population by region
  5. ^ a b Georgia in CIS World Factbook 2008.
  6. ^ Population Census 2002: Religious beliefs, Statistics Georgia, Tbilisi.
  7. ^ Georgian SSR, Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, Tbilisi, 1981, p. 35 (data for 1979 including Abkhazia and South Osetia) (Russian)

See also

v • d • e
Demographics of Asia
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country.  1 Sometimes included in Europe, depending on the border definitions.  2 Also known as Myanmar.  3 Sometimes included in Oceania, and also known as Timor-Leste.  4 Transcontinental country.  5 Commonly known as Taiwan. 
v • d • e
Demographics of Europe
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country.  1 / 7 Entirely in Asia / on the African Plate, but historically considered European.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 Has part of its territory in Asia.
v • d • e
Ethnic groups in Asia
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country.  1 Sometimes included in Europe, depending on the border definitions.  2 Also known as Myanmar.  3 Sometimes included in Oceania, and also known as Timor-Leste.  4 Transcontinental country.  5 Commonly known as Taiwan. 
v • d • e
Ethnic groups in Europe
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country.  1 / 7 Entirely in Asia / on the African Plate, but historically considered European.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 Has part of its territory in Asia.