08/03/2023
The Georgian Business Week
№1334, 20-26 February, 2023
GEORGIA'S ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA INCREASED COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS
This is stated in a study by the NGO Transparency International - Georgia (TI Georgia).
It is noted that in 2022, Georgia received about 3.6 billion USD in income from Russia through remittances, tourism, and the export of goods, which is 3 times more than the income received from Russia in 2021 from the same sources.
According to the organization, this number by 2 times exceeds the income received from Russia in 2019, before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the report, in 2022, the income from remittances, tourism, and export of goods from Russia was 14.6% of the Georgian economy (GDP), while in 2021, this figure was 6.3%, and the maximum – was 9.9% in 2018.
According to TI, this means that economic dependence on Russia has increased compared to previous years. The growth is mainly due to the soaring remittances.
“Georgia's growing economic dependence on Russia constitutes a threat to the country, as Russia has repeatedly utilized economic relations to politically leverage independent countries. Furthermore, the increased economic dependence on Russia is a threat to Georgia in terms of macroeconomics too as the Western sanctions and the war caused the economic crisis in Russia that will continue in 2023 as well,” specified in the document.
The authors of the study note that in 2022, about 15,000 Russian companies were registered in Georgia, which is 16 times more than the number in 2021. According to the report, a total of 22,400 Russian companies are registered in Georgia, and 66% of them have been registered since the start of the war in Ukraine.
In addition, TI notes that 95% of the companies registered since March are sole proprietors. This indicates that a part of Russian citizens moved to Georgia to live and do business for a long time.
According to the organization, in 2022, Georgian exports to Russia increased by 6.8% and amounted to 652 million USD. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, in March-December, the export increased by 3.2% primarily caused by a 5-fold increase in the re-export of passenger cars.
The authors of the document state that the share of the Russian market in the total exports of Georgia decreased from 14.4% to 11.7%. The Russian share decreased because Georgian exports to Russia grew at a lower rate (6.8%) than Georgia's total exports to all countries (32%).
“Traditionally, Georgia’s wine exports are highly dependent on the Russian market. In 2022, Georgia’s wine exports to Russia increased by 23% and amounted to 161 million USD. The Russian market accounts for 64% of Georgian wine exports, which is the highest figure since 2013, after the return of Georgian wine to the Russian market.
In 2022, imports from Russia increased by 79% and amounted to 1.8 billion USD. The share of imports from Russia was 13.1% of the total imports of Georgia, which is the highest in the last 16 years,” says in the study.
The TI report also states that since the beginning of the war, the import of petroleum products (fuel) from Russia increased the most – $482 million (5 times more). The share of Russian fuel in imports was 51%.
Import of food products increased by 45% and amounted to $442 million; Import of carbon steel increased 8 times and amounted to $49 million. Import of coal and coke increased by 157% and totaled $70 million.
The organization notes that, despite a 46% increase in electricity imports from Russia, Russian electricity accounts for only 2.6% of Georgia’s domestic consumption. According to the report, imports of natural gas from Russia increased by 32%. Russia's share in the domestic consumption of natural gas in Georgia is around 8%.
In addition, the organization notes Georgia's dependence on Russian wheat and wheat flour remains high. In 2022, the share of Russian wheat and wheat flour in Georgia’s total import of these products was 97%. 78% of wheat flour consumed in Georgia is imported from Russia.
It is also noted that in 2022, visitor arrivals from Russia grew exponentially, with 1.1 million visitors arriving in Georgia. In comparison to 2019, the number of visitors from Russia is still 26% less. However, 14% more Russian visitors arrived in Georgia in September-December 2022, compared to the same period in 2019.
In 2022, the share of Russian visitors in the total number of visitors to Georgia was 20% which is twice as high as in 2021. International visitor statistics is available since 2011, which indicates that the share of Russian visitors had never reached 20% before, emphasize the authors of the study.
The TI report also emphasizes that in 2022, Russian citizens opened more than 60,000 accounts in Georgian banks, and the amount of money placed in their current accounts and deposits increased almost 4 times compared to 2021 and reached ₾2.8 billion.
“A portion of Russian visitors are actually emigrants who settled in Georgia for a long period. This is indicated by the registration of companies, the opening of tens of thousands of accounts as well as the number of deposits made in Georgian banks by Russian citizens.
In 2022, remittances from Russia to Georgia increased by five times and amounted to $2.1 billion. The primary reason for such high growth is the Russian citizens who moved to Georgia, receiving money from Russia,” says in the report.
However, as the authors of the study note, in January-September of 2022, Russian foreign direct investment in Georgia amounted to $33 million, which is 51% less than the same indicator in 2021. Most of it, $29 million was invested in the real estate sector.