Georgia

The 2017 Migration Profile of Georgia is the second informational and analytical document of its type elaborated in the frame of the State Commission on Migration Issues prepared according to the Medium Migration Profile (MMP) model. Its predecessor, the 2015 Migration Profile of Georgia, covered and contained statistical data and analysis of this data for the five-year period 2010-2014. The present document is the logical follow-up to the 2015 Migration Profile and is based on the past experience of Migration Profile (MP) development.

The 2017 Migration Profile primarily describes the migration-related statistical data for the period 2015- 2016, analyses this data with regard to its impact in different areas (demographic, economic and social), and consequently reveals the main trends and changes in the different migratory groups and flows. Similar to the 2015 Migration Profile, this MP is based predominantly on data obtained from Geostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), as well as administrative statistics from various Georgian state entities. This 2017 edition of the Migration Profile also takes into account the main findings of research conducted on the initiative of public institutions, and local and international organisations during the period 2015-2016. Key findings,  existing gaps and appropriate recommendations, formulated based on analysis of the abovementioned data, are presented in the conclusory part of this document.

As a rule, an MMP is prepared biannually, with a Brief Migration Profile (BMP) being developed during the period in between. The latter is elaborated twice a year by the SCMI Secretariat and provides more in-depth analysis of particular areas presented in the MMP. The Secretariat has already prepared two documents of this type: the first was dedicated to migrant remittances to Georgia, while the second focused on foreign students’ influence on the Georgian economy.

In addition, it should be mentioned that the SCMI Secretariat has also elaborated the Migration Profile Development Guidelines, which were an important subsidiary resource in development of the present document. The reader should also be informed that this 2017 version of the Migration Profile has undergone some structural changes and improvements which ease the reader’s process of working on the document. The present MMP offers persons interested in the field a comprehensive picture of the country’s migratory processes, which can be used for academic research and teaching as well as evidence-based migration policy planning and implementation.