Around 20% of Russians in Georgia recognised as residents

As of June 30, 2025, 20.1 per cent of Russian citizens residing in Georgia are official residents, according to the National Bank of Georgia.

The National Bank defines residents as individuals who have either stayed in Georgia for more than a year or intend to remain for more than a year. Under international methodology used by the World Bank, the income generated by such individuals is not counted as tourism revenue, Caliber.Az reports per Georgian media. 

As of March 30, Russian citizens made up 20.1 per cent of all residents from Russia in Georgia, while 15.3 per cent of Belarusian and 20.7 per cent of Ukrainian nationals were also classified as residents. Compared to March 31, the share of Russian residents declined by 4.3 percentage points, Belarusian by 11.6 percentage points, and Ukrainian by 3.2 percentage points.

Despite a decline in residency rates, Russian citizens continued to contribute significantly to Georgia’s tourism sector. Their spending accounted for 17.2 per cent of all tourism-related income in the first quarter of 2025.

Between January 1 and June 30, 2025, Russian nationals spent $280.8 million in Georgia — marking a 26.1 per cent drop from the same period in 2024. Belarusian and Ukrainian visitors spent $35.8 million and $69.5 million respectively over the same period, placing them among the top 10 nationalities in terms of tourist spending.

Overall, Georgia’s revenue from international travelers in the first half of 2025 reached approximately $2 billion — a 2.7 per cent increase year-on-year. The growth is largely driven by increased spending from tourists arriving from Israel and European Union countries.

By Sabina Mammadli