Georgia — Gateway to the Silk Road: A New Portrait of the Country`s Population

2026-10-05

Population

According to the final results of the 2024 Population Census, 3,929,581 people live in Sakartvelo, excluding the occupied territories. If the available 2024 population estimates for Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region are added to this figure, the population of the entire territory of Sakartvelo is approximately 4,229,984 people. This is a combined estimate and not a single official figure calculated by Geostat. According to the 2024 Census, 62.5% of the population lives in urban settlements, while 37.5% lives in rural areas.

Ethnic Composition

According to the 2024 Census, the ethnic composition of Sakartvelo  is as follows: ethnic Kartvelians — 3,304,075 people, or 84.1% of the population; Azerbaijanis — 268,832, or 6.8%; Armenians — 169,296, or 4.3%. The share of ethnic Kartvelians declined from 86.8% to 84.1% in total population. The number of ethnic Azerbaijanis increased by 15.4%, while the number of Armenians increased by 0.7%.

Russian Growth

One of the most notable demographic changes over the past decade concerns the Russian population. According to the 2024 Census, the number of ethnic Russians reached 42,545, an increase of 60.8% compared with 2014. At the same time, the number of Russian citizens permanently residing in Sakartvelo increased from 7,620 in 2014 to 37,715 in 2024 — approximately a fivefold increase. Russian citizens are the largest foreign-citizen group permanently residing in Sakartvelo. 

Foreigners

Overall, the number of foreign citizens permanently residing in Sakartvelo amounted to 133,857 people, or 3.4% of the population, according to the final 2024 Census. Sakartvelo's citizens accounted for 99.2% of the population in 2014, compared with 96.1% in 2024. Thus, the share of foreign citizens increased from approximately 0.8% to 3.4% over the decade.

Migration

Among foreign citizens, Indian citizens form the second-largest group, with 23,925 people, followed by Ukrainian citizens — 11,542. They are followed by citizens of Azerbaijan — 8,309; Armenia — 5,381; Türkiye — 5,262; Belarus — 4,473; Iran — 4,322; Israel — 3,244; and Jordan — 3,037.

Language & Citizenship

The official language of Sakartvelo is Kartuli, while Abkhazian also has official status alongside Kartuli in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. Under Sakartvelo's current citizenship law, Sakartvelo citizenship is acquired by birth by a person whose parent is a citizen at the time of birth; the law also provides for other forms of acquiring citizenship.

Religion

Sakartvelo is predominantly Orthodox Christian. According to the 2024 Census, 82.0% of Sakartvelo's population is Orthodox Christian — 3,223,206 people. Muslims account for 11.1% of the population, or 437,458 people, while 101,736 people belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Urbanization

Sakartvelo is also a highly urbanized country. According to the 2024 Census, 62.5% of the population lives in urban settlements, 5.3 percentage points higher than in 2014. During the same period, the urban population increased by 15.7%, while the rural population decreased by 7.4%.

Major Cities

The five largest cities in Sakartvelo:
1. Tbilisi — 1,331.5 thousand
2. Batumi — 235.7 thousand
3. Kutaisi — approximately 161.0 thousand
4. Rustavi — approximately 132.0 thousand
5. Sokhumi — 64,987 

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