Population and Demographics

Georgia's demographics is characterised by a high degree of ethnic diversity. Ethnic Georgians form a majority, about 83.8%, of Georgia's current population of 4,661,473 (July 2006 est.). Other major ethnic groups include Azeris, who form 6.5% of the population, Armenians (5.7%), Russians (1.5%), Abkhazians and Ossetians. Numerous smaller groups also live in the country, including Assyrians, Chechens, Chinese, Georgian Jews, Greeks, Kabardins, Kurds, Tatars, Turks and Ukrainians. Notably, Georgia's Jewish community is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.

In the early 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a violent separatist conflicts broke out in the autonomous regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which resulted in ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia, where ethnic Georgians previously had constituted the largest single ethnic group (46% of population in 1989). Many Ossetians living in Georgia also left the country, mainly to Russia's North Ossetia. Of the Meskhetian Turks who were forcibly relocated in 1944 only a tiny fraction returned to Georgia as of 2007.

Georgia's net migration rate is -4.45, excluding Georgian nationals who live abroad. Georgia has nonetheless been inhabited by immigrants from all over the world throughout its independence. According to 2006 statistics, most of Georgia's immigrants Georgia are from Turkey and China.

Today, most of the population practices Orthodox Christianity of the Georgian Orthodox Church (83.9%). The religious minorities are: Muslim (9.9%); Armenian Apostolic (3.9%); Roman Catholic (0.8%). 0.8% of those recorded in the 2002 census declared themselves to be adherents of other religions and 0.7% declared no religion at all.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 4,661,473
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 413,506/female 364,407)
  • 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,489,081/female 1,605,021)
  • 65 years and over: 16.7% (male 311,098/female 462,890)
• Median Age:
• Total: 38 years
  • Male: 35.5 years
  • Female: 40.4 years
• Population Growth Rate: -0.329%
• Birth Rate: 10.54 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 9.37 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -4.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.135 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.928 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.672 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.91 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 17.36 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 19.42 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 76.3 years
  • Male: 73 years
  • Female: 80.07 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 1.42 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Georgian 83.8%
  • Azeri 6.5%
  • Armenian 5.7%
  • Russian 1.5%
  • Other 2.5%
• Religions:
  • Orthodox Christian 83.9%
  • Muslim 9.9%
  • Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%
  • Catholic 0.8%
  • Other 0.8%
  • None 0.7%
• Languages:
  • Georgian 71% (official)
  • Russian 9%
  • Armenian 7%
  • Azeri 6%
  • Other 7%
    Note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 100%
  • Male: 100%
  • Female: 100%