Urban, rural poverty declined across Georgia in 2023 - Statistics Office

The share of the population living below the absolute poverty line in Georgia decreased by 3.8 percentage points in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 11.8 percent, the National Statistics Office of the country said on Wednesday.

The body added, the absolute poverty rate in urban areas decreased by 2.9 percentage points to 9.4 percent, while in rural areas it decreased by five percentage points to 15.6 percent.

Vakhtang Tsintsadze, the Deputy Minister of Economy, said poverty levels had reached “historic lows” in the country.

In just one year, [the figures] decreased by 3.8 percentage points, lifting approximately 140,000 people out of poverty. Looking at the data over a three-year period, more than 350,000 people have been lifted out of poverty”, he said.

The Deputy Minister attributed the reduction in poverty to the Government's “correct and consistent” economic policies and said it was driven by “robust economic growth” and “targeted social initiatives”.

Last year, the absolute poverty rate decreased across all age groups:

• For individuals aged under 18 it stood at 16 percent (-4.3 percentage points)
• For 18-64 age group - 11.5 percent (-3.8 percentage points)
• For 65 and above - eight percent (-2.5 percentage points)

The Office said the absolute poverty rates for women decreased by 3.9 percentage points to 11.5 percent, while for men it went down by 3.7 percentage points to 12.2 percent.

The Gini coefficient - which measures inequality among values such as levels of income - remained unchanged at 0.36 and 0.37 for total income and total inflows, respectively. However, it increased by 0.02 for total consumption expenditures, reaching 0.36, and by 0.01 for total expenditures, reaching 0.40.

Tsintsadze added the domestic economy was expected to continue to grow “in the years ahead”, which he said would further contribute to decline of poverty and enhance the purchasing power of the population.