The share of economically active Georgians aged 15 and over fell from 63.7 percent in 2014 to 55.6 percent in 2024, while the employment rate dropped from 53.4 percent to 48.3 percent, the Social Justice Center said after reviewing 2024 census results. The National Statistics Office counted 3,158,758 people in that age group.
Unemployment among them also eased, from 16.1 percent to 13 percent. Yet the inactive share rose. The pattern tracks a thinner working-age base shaped by long-running emigration and faster aging, not a simple jobs story.
Census Puts 3.16 Million Adults on the Books
Geostat’s main results of the 2024 census put the total population at 3,929,581 on 14 November 2024, up 5.8 percent from 2014. The gain concentrated in Tbilisi and Adjara. Most other regions shrank.
The working-age share (15-64) fell 4.3 percentage points to 62.8 percent. People 65 and older rose to 17.6 percent. That age shift alone lifts the inactive share even when more people hold jobs.
- Economically active share: 63.7% (2014) to 55.6% (2024)
- Employment rate: 53.4% to 48.3%
- Unemployment rate: 16.1% to 13%
- Adults 15+: 3,158,758 in the census
Separate annual labour force surveys show a similar picture. The 2024 labour force indicators report recorded a 54.8 percent participation rate and 47.1 percent employment rate, with unemployment at 13.9 percent. Census and survey methods differ slightly, yet both point the same direction over the decade.
Emigration Carved Space Out of the Labor Pool
Georgia’s population stabilized after earlier declines, but the working-age group still contracted about 5 percent from 2014 to 2023. An IMF analysis of emigration impacts ties most of that loss to net outward migration of younger adults.
Historical net emigration reached roughly 1.3 million people, about 30 percent of today’s population. Recent flows favor Europe for jobs. Roughly half of first residence permits issued to Georgians in Europe between 2010 and 2023 were employment-related.
Businesses feel the squeeze. Two-thirds of firms in a 2024 EU Business Climate Survey named high emigration as the top reason they skip new projects or branches. Labor shortages now rank as a primary expansion barrier.
At the same time, remittances cushion households. Net money transfers hit about $3 billion in 2024, or 9 percent of GDP, after averaging over 12 percent in the prior decade. Returning migrants have numbered about two-thirds of those who left in recent years, bringing skills and capital. The short-term income help coexists with a smaller domestic workforce.
Men Hold Higher Employment Rates Than Women
The census employment rate stood at 53.2 percent for men and 44.1 percent for women. Women account for a larger slice of the unemployed and inactive groups. Labour force surveys show the same gap: male participation near 66 percent and female near 45 percent in 2024.
| Indicator (ages 15+) | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Economically active share | 63.7% | 55.6% |
| Employment rate | 53.4% | 48.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 16.1% | 13% |
| Male employment rate | – | 53.2% |
| Female employment rate | – | 44.1% |
Sixteen municipalities posted employment rates between 39 and 43 percent. Unemployment exceeded 17 percent in 13 municipalities. Rural and smaller urban areas outside the Tbilisi-Adjara growth corridor carry heavier loads of inactivity and thin job markets.
One Hour of Work Counts as Employed
The Social Justice Center stressed the census definition. A person counts as employed if they worked at least one hour in the prior week for pay or profit. The 48.3 percent employment rate therefore includes people with one or two hours of work and says nothing about hours, pay adequacy, or job quality.
Hired employees made up 68.5 percent of the employed in the 2024 survey, slightly lower than the year before. Self-employment remains large. Youth unemployment stays high; the 15-19 group reached 36.3 percent unemployed in survey data, while the 65+ rate sits near 4 percent because few remain active.
Lower official unemployment can therefore sit beside widespread underemployment and rising inactivity. The inactive group grows when prime-age people leave the country or leave the labor force altogether.
Georgia Trails the EU Employment Average by a Wide Margin
For people aged 20-64, the Social Justice Center put Georgia’s employment rate at 59.6 percent against an EU average of 75.7 percent. Recent Eurostat figures place the EU rate still higher, near 76 percent in 2025. The gap is large on the exact metric used for EU monitoring.
EU employment rate annual statistics show steady gains toward the bloc’s targets. Georgia’s census and survey numbers remain far below even the lower-performing EU members.
That distance matters for integration aims. A smaller active share and thinner working-age cohort limit the tax base, slow potential output, and make labor-intensive growth harder. The IMF estimated that continued working-age emigration trends could drag annual output by around 2 percent if preferences and policies stay unchanged.
Remittances Soften the Blow While Shortages Persist
Remittance inflows have more than doubled since 2012. The United States, Italy and Russia rank among the largest sources. The EU share has grown since visa liberalization. Households rely on the money for consumption, education and health. Some returning migrants invest or start businesses.
Yet the same flows signal that many of the most mobile workers found better options abroad. Domestic firms report they cannot fill posts. The combination produces mixed outcomes: higher living standards for some families, weaker labor supply for employers, and rising pressure on remaining workers and older cohorts.
The Social Justice Center said the figures point to the need for policies focused on employment and the population to move closer to EU averages. Practical levers already identified in the IMF note include stronger vocational training and talent retention, support for returnees and entrepreneurship, productive use of remittances, and targeted attraction of foreign skills.
Without shifts that keep more prime-age people active inside the country, the inactive share can keep climbing even if unemployment ticks lower. The 2024 census simply made the arithmetic plain: more adults overall, fewer of them in the labor force relative to a decade earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does economically active mean in the Georgian census?
It covers employed people plus the unemployed who looked for work in the previous four weeks and could start within two weeks. Everyone else aged 15 and over is economically inactive, including students, retirees, caregivers and discouraged workers.
Why can the employment rate include people who work only one hour?
International statistical practice treats any paid or profit work of at least one hour in the reference week as employment. The measure captures attachment to the labor market but does not show full-time status, earnings or job security; separate hours and underemployment data are needed for those questions.
How did Georgia’s total population change between the two censuses?
It rose 5.8 percent to 3,929,581. Urban population grew 15.7 percent while rural fell 7.4 percent. Tbilisi and Adjara drove most of the increase; several western and mountainous regions lost residents.
What is the gender gap in employment rates from the census?
Men’s employment rate reached 53.2 percent and women’s 44.1 percent. Women form a larger part of both the unemployed and the inactive groups, a pattern also visible in annual labour force surveys.
Why compare Georgia’s rate for ages 20-64 with the EU average?
The 20-64 band is the standard EU employment target age group, stripping out most full-time students and many retirees. Georgia’s 59.6 percent against the EU’s mid-70s percent shows the scale of the convergence challenge on the metric Brussels itself tracks.
