Who Is Replacing Georgia’s People?
Migration doesn’t always arrive by boat, sometimes it comes with contracts.
Giorgi Labadze
Dec 15, 2025 - 11:47 AM
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Georgia, one of the world’s oldest Christian nations, is losing its people, fast.
For years, we have been hearing about the migration crisis in Western Europe and the United States. As a Georgian, I have followed these developments with both concern and curiosity, wondering when national governments would adopt concrete measures to change it. Some countries are addressing the situation accordingly, while many still are not. However, I could never have imagined that my own country would come so close to a deterioration of this kind.
Exodus of Georgians
Georgia has long faced the challenge of emigration, especially after Western countries opened up to us following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, our country had never been particularly attractive or easy for foreigners to settle in. It is no secret that we lost about one million people over roughly a decade, but this trend has changed according to the latest census data. For example, while the population stood at 3,688,600 in 2022, by 2025 it had increased to 3,704,500. The problem here is that the source of our population growth wasn’t Georgians, but foreigners.
Specifically, official statistics indicate that in 2024, around 65,000 Georgian citizens left the country, while approximately 70,000 foreigners arrived. If we add the fact I mentioned in my previous article - that the drop in the fertility rate from 51,158 in 2018 to just 39,443 in 2024 - makes the catastrophic picture even clearer.
Migration’s Economic Toll
Anyone who has visited Georgia over the past few years can clearly see the impact of Russian migration, driven by people fleeing Putin’s war. This movement has reshaped the country’s economic landscape, contributing to higher inflation, rising property prices, and a growing exodus of native Georgians. Many businesses now report shortages of local workers and are increasingly forced to recruit labor from abroad.
As a lecturer, I witness the youth exodus firsthand: each year, fewer Georgian students remain in the country to attend classes.
Selling the Future
This alleged mismanagement of Georgia’s demographics is now compounded by efforts to replace the native population with foreigners, as seen in the announced Eagle Hills (UAE developer) projects in Tbilisi and near Batumi, which critics have dubbed plans for "two Arab cities."
According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Eagle Hills founder Mohamed Alabbar expects that roughly 60% of the 16,000 planned apartments will be sold to international buyers, leveraging the company’s extensive global marketing network. From an investor’s perspective, this approach is entirely natural and expected, given the limited number of Georgian citizens able to afford such high-value properties.
When Capital Meets Weak Power
Eagle Hills previously planned a massive, controversial "Grand Budapest" (or "Mini-Dubai") project on a former railway yard in Budapest, featuring skyscrapers and a green district. However, the deal collapsed in early 2025 due to local opposition and infrastructure issues.
The company’s major investment in Montenegro also stalled dramatically this year amid significant local resistance and political controversy. Now, Eagle Hills is turning to Georgia, a country facing a precarious political situation.
With the government no longer receiving donations from the US and Europe for the public and private sectors, and with the DFI smaller than in previous years, authorities have little choice but to push through harsh agreements. These contracts impose heavy burdens at the expense of ordinary Georgians.
Exodus Continues
Of course, we are no different from the Hungarians or the people of Montenegro in this matter. Several groups in Tbilisi have already protested, and demonstrations continue to be announced in cities across the country. Despite significant differences in political views, Georgians from diverse backgrounds are standing together against mass migration.
Over the years, in conversations with my European friends, I have observed that the one thing we were doing better was avoiding mass migration policies, something that, unfortunately, is now fading. These new waves of migration, including arrivals from Russia and Middle Eastern countries, provide little comfort for the average Georgian.
They represent not only a demographic shift but also an economic burden, prompting more Georgians to leave rather than return home. For an authoritarian government, this is convenient, as there is little resistance to such policies. For the average Georgian, however, it becomes yet another reason to seek a life far from home. If this trend continues, Georgia may no longer be a country for Georgians.
