Georgian PM: economic growth accelerates despite regional slowdown

Economic growth has accelerated compared to last year, reflecting the reforms and changes implemented over the past year and a half, including efforts to eliminate corruption, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Monday.

Kobakhidze was responding to a question about data released by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), according to which record figures were recorded in several areas of the transport sector during the first eight months of 2026.

“Generally, we are seeing positive economic trends, but I would also like to emphasise that we have implemented a number of important changes in this particular sector, across all areas under the Ministry of Economy, which have yielded results. We have also taken very serious steps towards eliminating corruption. Overall, all of this is driving rapid development across various sectors and different areas of the economy, and this case is another reflection of that”, he said.

“Compared to last year, we are also seeing a higher rate of economic growth. We closed last year with 7.5% growth, while the average figure now stands at 7.9%, even though, by all logic, this year’s figure should have been lower than last year’s. Generally, when the base increases, the following year’s figure logically tends to decline”, Kobakhidze continued.

The Prime Minister further noted that the pace of economic growth has slowed across the region.

“In our case, on the contrary, economic growth has accelerated even compared to last year. I believe this is the result of the reforms and changes implemented over the past year and a half, including efforts to eliminate corruption”, he concluded.