Former Georgian ambassador to Germany and economist Elguja Khokrishvili says Georgia’s official poverty statistics significantly underestimate the real scale of economic hardship. Speaking to BM.GE, he argued that under EU measurement standards, the country’s true poverty rate could reach 30–35%, meaning roughly one in three citizens would fall below the poverty threshold.
Khokrishvili explained the difference between absolute and relative poverty, noting that absolute poverty reflects extreme deprivation, while relative poverty measures how far households are below the median standard of living. He said Georgia’s relative poverty rate has remained largely unchanged since 2017, at around 18–22%, which he interprets as evidence that economic growth has not translated into improved conditions for the average citizen.
He also criticized Georgia’s methodology for measuring poverty based on consumption rather than income, arguing that this approach can mask real deprivation. According to him, individuals who rely on loans or remittances may appear non-poor in consumption-based statistics, even if their financial situation remains fragile. In contrast, EU countries primarily use income-based indicators, which he says provide a more accurate picture.
Khokrishvili added that high household spending on food (about 43% of budgets compared to 14.8% in the EU) and the large number of children receiving social assistance point to persistent structural hardship. He concluded that weak social mobility, reliance on remittances, and rising inequality suggest that official growth figures do not fully reflect living standards, warning that economic deprivation can also become a structural and political issue.
