One in Four Georgians Want To Move Abroad

According to a survey by IPM, one in four Georgians wants to live abroad, with Germany and the United States proving the most desirable destinations.  

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia were the countries participating in the study, with 200 people from each country asked to answer the question of whether or not they would move to another country if presented with the opportunity to do so. 60% of respondents said that they do not want to live in another country. 

Geostat’s data from the last three years (2014-2016) shows that the flow of immigrants from Georgia is increasing. Russia is home to the largest number of Georgian emigrants, despite the fact that it is not a country where Georgians would want to move to; the majority of Georgians would like to live in Germany, the US and France. 

In terms of numbers, the top countries where Georgians would like to live are: Germany (5%); USA (5%); France (4%); Russia (3%); UK (2%); other EU countries (2%); Japan (1%).   

Accordingly, this is reflected in different sources of data. The Government Commission on Migration’s data shows that the largest number of asylum applications by Georgians — 3,448, or almost half of the total number — were for Germany in 2016. Moreover, “according to UNHCR data, the number of asylum applications made by Georgian people in Germany and USA has significantly increased in the last five years (2012-2016),” the study reads.

By Máté Földi

Photo source: ipm.ge