What nationalities are there in Georgia? Georgia in numbers – the latest population census

03.10.2023

Georgia, one of the most interesting countries. The basis of its population are Georgians - representatives of one of the most ancient peoples of Transcaucasia. Now the population in it is about 3.5 million people, and 86.8% of them are of Georgian nationality.

Quite a few Georgians also live in Russia; according to the 2010 census, there were about 158 thousand people. They began to settle in the Russian capital, Moscow, at the end of the 17th century, as a result of the intensification of cultural, trade and diplomatic relations between Georgia and the Moscow state.

After joining the Russian Empire, the Georgian nobility received equal rights with the Russians, Georgians served in the Russian army, worked in industry and settled in all regions of the vast country.

Some experts predict that the number of Georgians in Europe is expected to actively increase in the near future, because on March 28, 2017, the Schengen countries opened their borders to them. This forecast raises a lot of doubts - everyone who wanted to leave had long ago issued visas and left. The rest do not have the desire or money to resettle. Moreover, “visa-free” is an opportunity to travel around Europe. To study, work, and especially to obtain a residence permit, you will still have to draw up special documents.

History of the origin of the Georgian people

The history of the origin of the population of Georgia evolved like a mosaic from many sources. These are archaeological excavations, painstaking study of chronicles, language and genetic research. Together they showed that the ancient ancestors of the Georgians were indigenous. The basis of this people is the local Karvelian tribes, which gradually united, became larger, were partially supplemented by alien peoples, and again disintegrated into new communities.

The Pro-Carvelian language, for example, began to disappear in the 2nd millennium BC. e., when Svan began to stand out from it. In the 8th century BC e., the same fate befell the Mingrelo-Chan languages, which means that something divided the peoples, and everyone began to live and develop their own language independently.

For example, the East Georgian tribes, which descended to the Black Sea, wedged themselves into the West Georgian tribes, dividing them into two parts. They gradually formed the Mingrelian and Lazochan groups, which can be clearly seen now.

Gamarjoba! Please do not take the text below as the ultimate truth and treat this post with humor, but there is a certain amount of truth in my words! So, why should you never go to ?

You'll get fat

The fact that I gained 3 kg in a month and a half in Georgia is not Georgia’s fault, but my lack of willpower, but a similar effect in the form of additional kilograms is observed not only in me.

Georgia has very tasty food. Juicy, fresh, and most importantly - fatty! Khachapuri with margarine, cheeses, khinkali, lavash and huge cakes will tempt even the most strong-willed person at every turn.

Impossible to resist!

You'll start drinking

There is a cult of wine in Georgia. Literally in every village and in every house you will be treated to chacha and homemade wine. When I first got to Georgia, I had not drunk alcohol in any form for a long time, but three days later I drank my first glass of wine when I found myself in Georgia.

Behind him was the second, third and fourth. We were given wine as a greeting in the apartments we rented, they poured chacha for the meeting with the words that chacha was good for digestion.

Over time, I developed the habit of carrying a bottle of pomegranate or apple juice with me so that I could add a soft drink to a glass under the table without offending the Georgians. At the same time, she poured the wine into the bushes. Ugly, but what can you do?

You order a glass of wine at a restaurant, and you get a whole decanter!

You will eat animals

Even if you are a convinced vegetarian, you won’t get far in Georgia with such a lifestyle. You either need to sit at home and not communicate with anyone, or be prepared for the fact that they will feed you delicious kebab, slip you khinkali with meat, or treat you to fried chicken.

Of course, in Georgia you can eat vegetables, fruits and side dishes, but the basis of Georgian cuisine is meat dishes and in order to experience Georgia, you will have to eat them!))

Offtop. I get asked from time to time about vegetarianism, so I’ll answer here. During my first trip to Georgia in 2013, I still somehow held on, but this year I let go of the situation and ate whatever I wanted. Over the past couple of years, my perception of this world has changed, and any extreme no longer fits into the concept of normality.

Long-term communication in Asia with vegans, people who practice dry fasting, home-grown yogis and lovers of celibacy in order to conserve energy made it possible to become convinced that happiness is not in what you eat and whether you do specific exercises, but in not throwing yourself into extremes, turning into a fanatic of teachings often imposed from outside.

The main thing is to listen to yourself, your body and do what is comfortable for you personally. My path is running (not yoga) and delicious food (including Brunswick sausage and chicken with cheese). Thus, although I rarely eat meat.

If it is more pleasant for someone to starve, eat plant roots, engage in philosophy and conserve sexual energy - this is your right, just do not judge others, lest you be judged.

You will start talking to strangers on the street

My first trip to Georgia

You will fall in love with a Georgian and your heart will break!

I am writing this point for girls. If you can take the previous lines as a joke, then I ask you to take what is written below seriously.

Don't fall in love with Georgians! Georgian men are handsome, passionate, sexy. They may pay you compliments, give you flowers and give you generous courtship. Unfortunately, as practice shows, most beautiful words remain words and deeds that are not supported in any way.

Georgians light up very quickly and burn out just as quickly, so do not rush to sell off your property and move to a Georgian village to live with your newly found loved one. Look at actions, not words. The concept of marital fidelity among Georgian men is also very vague.

I made similar conclusions based on personal experience, as well as experience in communicating with dozens of people. She asked her questions about relationships, about affairs with foreigners and about marital fidelity to Georgian men, Georgian women and girls who had relationships with Georgians.

Based on people’s responses, I formed the following rule for myself: “You can have a holiday romance with a Georgian without deep feelings for fun if you really want to, but it’s better not to have a serious relationship.”

Of course, dividing someone based on nationality and looking at a group of people from the bell tower of one’s own stereotypes is an imprudent matter. Everyone has their own unique qualities, everyone has gone their own way, which has nothing to do with the country in which a person was born, however, the environment, upbringing and example of other people have a certain influence on the formation of personality, which is why there is such a thing as mentality.

I’m used to writing on my blog only the truth and my personal opinion, don’t blame me if you didn’t like it. With my last point I don't want to offend anyone. I have Georgian friends whom I sincerely love with all my heart. These are wonderful, sympathetic, kind people who treat guests of their country with respect, but if we talk about the love between a Georgian man and a woman from another country, then a number of questions already arise.

About my new friend and dentistry in Georgia

How a Georgian scammed me out of $2000

I will be sincerely glad if, in the comments to this post, you want to shatter my skeptical attitude and give examples from life in which you or your friends have developed long-term relationships with Georgians, or simply share your knowledge and thoughts on this matter.

Flights to Georgia

If after all this you still decide to fly to Georgia, you can compare ticket prices in the sign. Here are the lowest prices for tickets Moscow Tbilisi Moscow (round trip) by month. You can select your city in the search terms, adjust the number of days and buy tickets online at the lowest price.

See you in Georgia! Sincerely,

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GEORGIANS are the people who make up the main population of Georgia. They call themselves Kartvelebi. The total number is over 4 million people, possibly up to 5. At the same time, 3.6 million live in Georgia. They also inhabit Turkey (up to 300 thousand), Russia (150 thousand), Iran, Abkhazia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. The language is part of the Caucasian family (Kartvelian language group). Contains a number of dialects.

Each of the subethnic groups of Georgians uses its own dialect. The alphabet is of Eastern Aramaic origin. According to religious views, they are Orthodox Christians; there are a few Catholics. Adjarians, Meskhians, and Ingiloys also include a number of Sunni Muslims.

The tribes of ancient Georgians are mentioned in written sources dating back to ancient times. The formation of this people took place in the 2nd-1st millennium BC, when tribal unions arose and the first kingdoms (Colchis, Kartli) were founded. During the 4th-6th centuries AD, Georgians adopted Christianity and writing arose. By the 10th-11th century, Georgians formed a single state. However, later it turned out to be weakened. This began with the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars in the 13th century and continued with clashes with Turkey and Iran. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, part of the Georgian lands was occupied by Turkey. Turkish culture and the Islamic religion spread in the occupied territories.

Since 1783, Georgia found itself under the protectorate of Russia, and at the beginning of the 19th century it joined the Russian Empire. In connection with the unification of Georgians within Russia, the consolidation of this people and the development of culture began. Soon after the October Revolution, the Georgian SSR was proclaimed. It existed without changes until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Georgia's acquisition of independence was overshadowed by the Abkhazian military conflict, which caused active migration of Georgians (including to Russia).

Traditionally, Georgians were engaged in cattle breeding (residents of the mountains) and agriculture (in the foothills). Crops such as wheat, barley, rye, and lentils were grown. In western Georgia, the basis of the economy was millet and corn. Later, the cultivation of citrus fruits and tea developed. A significant branch of agriculture is viticulture and wine production, sericulture, and beekeeping. Among the crafts, weaving and pottery, working with metal and natural materials, and the production of jewelry and carpets are developed. Now there is a modern industry, which includes a number of branches. The degree of mechanization of agriculture is high, and the service sector is developed.

Traditional dwellings have different appearances in different regions of Georgia. In the west, villages are freely planned and spread over a large area. In the eastern regions the layout is crowded. This is especially true in the mountains, where there is often not enough space, and villages rise in ledges up the slopes. Darbazi stone houses were usually built on the eastern plains. In the west, houses were built of wood and had one or two floors. In the 19th century, two-story stone houses became widespread. Such dwellings included several rooms, had windows, and wooden floors. The open hearth in the center of the house was replaced by a fireplace.

Georgians in different regions wore similar clothes. The traditional costume for men consisted of a shirt, pants, chokha and a short akhalukha underneath. In winter they wore a sheepskin coat and a warm burka. Georgian women wore a shirt, long pants and an equally long dress with an insert on the chest. The head was covered with a veil and a velvet bandage. When going outside, they covered themselves with a bagdadi scarf.

TBILISI, April 29 - Sputnik. The Georgian National Statistical Service "Sakstat" on Thursday published the main results of the general population census, which was carried out in November 2014.

The population census showed who and how lives in sunny Georgia. These data are incomplete - the census covered 87% of the territory of the entire country, except for Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).

In two weeks, about 10 thousand specially trained “scribes” visited every apartment and every house in 3,726 cities and villages. Tons of completed questionnaires were processed over the course of two years and now you can get complete information about what Georgia is like.

Georgia is

Georgia is a country of 3,713,804 people, of which almost 30% live in Tbilisi. There are 168 thousand more women than men in Georgia. At the same time, among children under the age of 14 there are 35.4 thousand more boys than girls.

The bulk of the population consists of residents aged 15 to 64 years - 67.1% of the total population. Pensioners - 14.3%, and children - 18.6%.

The vast majority of Georgia's population are Georgians. They make up 86.8% of the population. The rest represents multinational Georgia. Among the peoples who live in Georgia, most of all are representatives of the closest neighboring countries - Azerbaijanis (233 thousand) and Armenians (168.1 thousand).

There are only 26.5 thousand Russians in Georgia, which is only 0.7% of the total population. Also living in the country are 14.4 thousand Ossetians, 6 thousand Ukrainians, 12.2 thousand Yezidis, 5.7 thousand Kists, 5.5 thousand Greeks and 2.4 thousand Assyrians.

It should be noted that 1.1 thousand respondents either refused to answer the question about nationality or did not indicate their nationality.
Georgia is a country where 26.7% of the population has higher education, and 17.4% have professional education. At the same time, 78% of those with higher education live in cities.

Georgia and religion

The population census showed that atheists in Georgia make up only 0.5% of the population. Mostly Orthodox Christians live in the country - 83.4%. In addition, 10.7% of Muslims live in Georgia, 2.9% of followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The remaining residents of Georgia are representatives of other religions - Catholicism (0.5%), Jehovah's Witnesses (0.3%), Yezidis (0.2%), Protestants (0.1%) and Jews (0.03%)

0.9% of respondents refused to indicate their religion or did not answer.

Georgia and migration
Since January 1, 2002, more than 88.5 thousand people have left Georgia abroad for a period of one year, most of whom are women.
At the same time, the census showed that residents of Tbilisi and the region in Western Georgia - Imereti - often go abroad for long periods of time.
The most attractive country for departure for residents of Georgia was Russia - 21.7% of emigrants went there. It is followed by Greece, Türkiye and Italy.

Only 7.1% of emigrants left for Germany. Georgian residents also leave for the USA, Spain, France, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

The census showed that there were 97.5 thousand more people who came to Georgia for permanent residence than those who left Georgia. Moreover, the largest part came from Russia.

People also come to Georgia from Greece, Ukraine, Germany, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries.

How the census was conducted

Four questionnaire forms were prepared for the general census.

The first form of the questionnaire concerned housing. The second questionnaire is an individual form designed for each family member; questions related to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, employment, and education.

The third is a form for migrants; it was filled out for family members of Georgian citizens who permanently reside outside the country after 2002. The fourth form concerned the agricultural part.

In total, 13 million lari (about $5.8 million) were allocated for the census.

To facilitate the general census of Georgia and the collection of quality data, a co-financing agreement was drawn up between the Swedish government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), according to which the Swedish government allocated an additional more than 1.1 million dollars, and the UNFPA contribution amounted to 200 thousand dollars.

There are few red-haired people on Earth, they are only about 2% of the Earth's population. Many observers actually claim that among Georgians there are fair and red-haired people, and that in Georgia there is a myth that previously the local population was all tall, blue-eyed blondes. But is he true?

Was the myth created by rumor?

Red hair is rarely found among black-haired peoples. This happens for the following reason: the fact is that the mutation of the MC1R gene, which is responsible for fiery hair color, must be present in both parents. Only then will they have a red-haired child.

This gene is recessive, that is, both parents can be dark-haired and have obvious signs of Georgian nationality. Imagine the surprise of relatives when a child is born with red hair. This is not only remembered, but also spreads through towns and villages. And if paternity is undeniable, then there is only one justification - it’s all about the ancestors. They were red-haired, tall and blue-eyed.

Invasion from the North

On the other hand, it cannot be denied that in the Caucasus there are indeed people of local nationalities: Georgians, Mountain Jews, Armenians and mountaineers who have light eyes and light hair, including red ones.

Anthropologist Ivan Pentyukhov, who conducted research at the beginning of the last century, reported that indeed, in the western part of the Caucasus and on the Black Sea coast there is a type of Caucasians with a distinctly European appearance: light eyes, blond hair and round faces.

He associated the appearance of such an atypical appearance with the newcomer population, who, perhaps fleeing famine or war, came to the Caucasus from the north. In remote areas, such a population could survive for centuries, adopting the culture of local peoples, but without mixing with them.

In favor of this version, one can point to the mysterious, small people in Georgia - the Svans, who live high in the mountains of Georgia close to the Black Sea coast and often have blue eyes and blond hair.

Norman trace

There is a version that these could be the descendants of the ancient Vikings, who, even before going north to Scandinavia, lived in the Azov region. Back in 1899, the Normanist Wilhelm Thomsen noticed the etymological connection of the North Caucasian languages with Swedish and Danish.

Finally, there is an assumption that the Russians brought the features of the northern peoples with them, and literally two hundred years ago the population of the Caucasus was more homogeneous.

Slavic slaves

Another version that can explain the presence of blond hair and blue eyes among Caucasians is the slave trade. Quite often, the warlike peoples of the North Caucasus raided their northern neighbors and kidnapped captives: men and women. Men were sold to the Ottomans, and slaves were often kept as concubines.

True, this does not clarify anything about the Georgians, because they adopted Christianity quite early, in the 4th century, and did not trade in slaves.

Closed communities

Georgian Jews live in Georgia. They came here after being captured by Nebuchadnezzar, who took them to Persia. It is known that these people do not often marry outsiders, but for the most part live in closed communities in which recessive genes manifest themselves more quickly.

And if in such a closed society there is a gene for red hair, then in the end it will manifest itself in most of its members. It is known that in Georgia, red-haired Jews are more common than in other places. Perhaps the manifestation of recessive genes for red hair occurs in closed communities of Georgians living in the mountains. At the same time, anthropologically they may not differ from their relatives.

Mysterious Albanians

The state of Caucasian Albania, which, according to the authors of antiquity, was inhabited by tall, blond and light-eyed people, arose on the territory of Azerbaijan in the 2nd century AD and collapsed under the blows of Arab conquerors in the 10th century.

Albanians lived between Iberia (Georgia) and the Caspian Sea and influenced the formation of the Armenian, Georgian, Azerbaijani and some other peoples of the Caucasus. Since Albania bordered Iberia, Georgians could mix with Albanians, adopting their blond hair and eyes. Later, the people simply disappeared into the dark-haired local population, but from time to time children appear - carriers of ancient genes.

According to Professor Rolan Topchishvili, the most likely successors of the Albanians are the Udi people, among whom there are many fair-haired people.

Sarmatians

And finally, there is an assumption that the blond hair of Caucasians, including Georgians, may be associated with an unknown people, whose tombs are found in the burial grounds of the steppe regions of Dagestan and Chechnya. This anthropological type is still found in the Caucasus, and the closest related peoples are the Sarmatians.