The population of Georgia is ethnically very diverse. It is based on Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Ossetians, Russians, Abkhazians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Assyrians.
The ethnic consolidation of the Georgian nation did not end even during the Soviet period, and the beginning of the 21st century brought only a significant aggravation of ethnic, cultural, linguistic and economic differences.
The population of Georgia can be divided into the following ethnographic groups:
- kartvels;
- Kartlians, Kakhetians (Eastern Georgia);
- Javavs, Meskhi (Southern Georgia);
- Adjarians, Imeretins, Lechkhumians (Western Georgia);
- Mingrelians (Khobi river basin);
- Svans (they live in highland Svaneti);
- Lazy (inhabitants of several villages in the south-west of the country).
More than half of the country's population lives in cities, the largest of them are Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, Sukhumi. During the years of Soviet power, several new industrial centers grew up in the country: Zestaponi, Rustavi (ferrous metallurgy, chemistry), Tkibuli and Tkvarcheli (coal mining), Chiatura (non-ferrous metallurgy) and others.
NumberGeorgia's population has begun to increase somewhat in recent years. As of January 1, 2013, it is 4498 thousand people. This is already 0.6 percent higher than the same period last year.
Population of Georgia and migration processes
In Soviet times, Pontic Greeks and Meskhetian Turks were deported. In the late 1980s, the Meskhetians fled Uzbekistan because of ethnic conflicts, but they were not allowed into Georgia, and they temporarily settled in the Krasnodar Territory, waiting for their fate to be decided. However, the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory eventually also refused to accept them. And only in 2004 the US government invited all the Meskhetians.
After the collapse of the USSR, many Russians, Jews, Greeks left Georgia. The population of Ossetia also decreased as a result of emigration to Russia, and ethnic Georgians fled from Abkhazia to the interior regions of Georgia. In addition, a large number of them live outside of Georgia, mainly in Russia.
The political and serious socio-economic upheavals that have taken place in the country in recent years have led to a significant increase in external and internal migration. In 2009, Georgia took one of the first places in terms of the number of citizens who asked for shelter abroad. Basically, the inhabitants of this country want to settle down and live in Europe, most often they seek to move to Poland, Greece, Austria, Germany.
According to experts, the population of Georgia is migrating from the country due to the difficult socio-economic situation, which was further worsened by the globaleconomic crisis and military events in August 2008. Today, the scale of emigration from the country is of great concern to the Georgian government. In addition, many citizens travel outside the state and work there mostly illegally, which leads to serious problems.
The demographic situation in the country is also very serious, at present, almost half as many children are born as it is necessary for the simple reproduction of the generation of parents. The ratio of young people and people over 60 changes in favor of the latter. Even a significant improvement in economic conditions is unlikely to change the situation for the better.
