Two million people living in hardship as Gov’t ‘manipulates figures’, opposition politician

Opposition politician Roman Gotsiridze has claimed that around two million people in Georgia were living in poverty, accusing the authorities of using statistical manipulation to mislead the public about the country’s real socio-economic situation.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Gotsiridze said that despite official claims of economic improvement, most citizens were struggling to meet even basic needs.

“In reality, we see that with the income people have, they cannot survive even at a minimum level,” he said. “There are more than one million pensioners in the country, and a pension of 350 GEL is catastrophic. If we take inflation into account, over the past 13 years the annual pension has increased by only 65 GEL. The same applies to nearly one million socially vulnerable citizens.”

He also noted official statistics failed to reflect everyday reality.

“The figures do not show the real picture. Two million people are in hardship in this country. With these manipulations, the government wants to throw dust in people’s eyes, but people feel the reality themselves,” he said.

He also warned that worsening living conditions were driving emigration.

“The real picture is that the country is being emptied - people are leaving because there are no jobs here,” Gotsiridze said.

Georgia’s National Statistics Office has reported that the average nominal monthly salary in the country has increased by 214.9 GEL, reaching 2,271.6 GEL. However, opposition figures argue that rising prices and inflation significantly undermine the real value of incomes and pensions.