Georgian Parliamentary Majority Leader Irakli Kirtskhalia Says Government Wants Pensions of Up to 3,000 Lari but Economic Growth Is Key

Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader, Irakli Kirtskhalia, has said the government would like to raise monthly pensions to as much as 2,000–3,000 Georgian lari but stressed that further increases must be supported by economic growth and fiscal sustainability.

Speaking on Imedi LIVE, Kirtskhalia welcomed the government’s decision to increase pensions, saying the ruling Georgian Dream party remained committed to improving social welfare while maintaining economic stability.

“Tell me, which government, which political team would not want pensions to reach 2,000 or 3,000 lari? Who wouldn’t want that?” Kirtskhalia said.

He emphasised that the government’s ambitions for higher pensions could not be achieved through political will alone, as Georgia remained a developing economy with financial obligations and budgetary constraints.

“I would like to thank the Prime Minister. Through our joint efforts, a decision has already been made to increase pensions, and we have announced it,” he said.

Kirtskhalia argued that Georgia’s economic development and expanding state budget were creating opportunities for higher social spending, noting that welfare programmes accounted for a substantial share of government expenditure.

“We can see how our country is developing. Our society can see the progress year after year, and we can see the state budget growing annually. The largest allocations in our budget are directed towards social priorities,” he said.

However, he cautioned that the government must carefully balance social expenditure against broader economic considerations, including public debt and fiscal indicators monitored by international financial institutions.

“We all know there is external debt, domestic debt and financial indicators that must remain within certain limits. Maintaining that balance depends on economic growth,” he said.

Kirtskhalia also pointed to Georgia’s economic performance in recent years, claiming that growth had frequently exceeded initial government projections.

“I cannot recall a year when we projected 5% growth and institutions such as the World Bank did not subsequently revise their forecasts upwards to 7% or 8%. We have often ended quarters with double-digit growth,” he said.

He maintained that sustained economic expansion would allow the government to increase budget revenues and allocate additional resources to pensions, healthcare and other social programmes.

“Believe me, we are doing everything possible. Of course, we want to do even more in social welfare and healthcare, but these challenges cannot be resolved overnight,” Kirtskhalia said.

Under the announced pension increase, monthly payments for pensioners under the age of 70 are set to rise by 45 lari from January 1, 2027.