Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, maritime trade flows in the Black Sea were significantly reshaped. As the war continued, developments affecting the trade in the Black Sea changed, underscoring the importance of thoroughly analyzing how the region has adapted to such disruptions. This publication builds upon the previous edition, which was released shortly after the outbreak of the war. Now, three years later, our focus shifts to examining how trade dynamics, particularly maritime trade in the Black Sea region, have evolved during this period. Key insights include: Upon the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, port calls in Ukraine and Russia dropped sharply, while other Black Sea countries briefly benefited from redirected trade flows. By late 2023, port calls in Ukraine had gradually recovered, supported by new shipping routes through Romania and Bulgaria. However, serious threats to commercial shipping remained. Ukraine’s maritime exports and imports fell sharply in 2022, with a slow recovery in imports in 2023. In Russia, maritime imports declined, while exports initially increased in 2022, possibly due to sanctions being ineffective. However, as the sanctions intensified, exports also fell significantly the following year.

Our latest monthly publication, Employment Tracker, offers insights into recent developments in Georgia’s labor market. In February 2025, the annual growth in the number of salaried employees recorded its lowest rate since 2023. In February 2025, the total number of vacancies posted on jobs.ge decreased by 20% YoY. Between December 2024 and February 2025, the Sales and Procurement category saw the highest number of job postings.

In 2024, a total of 6.5 million international visits to Georgia were recorded, a 4.6% increase YoY, driven by a 9.0% rise in overnight trips, while same-day trips declined by 9.2%.  In 2024, visits from the EU and the UK totaled 438,414, a 3.8% increase YoY. However, the number of visits from the EU and the UK declined every quarter from Q1 of 2024 onwards.  In 2024, there were 2.2 million outbound visits made by Georgian residents, a marginal 0.1% increase YoY. Notably, outbound visits declined YoY in both Q3 and Q4 of 2024. 

From the beginning of the war in February 2022 up until 31 December 2024, the international community has committed a total of €399.8 billion to Ukraine, with the majority (52%) designated for financial assistance, 42% for military assistance, and 6% for humanitarian assistance. Of the committed assistance, 67% (€267.2 billion) has already been allocated. The US leads the way in terms of total commitments, with 96% of its pledged assistance already allocated.

In Q1 2025, surveyed Georgian economists negatively assess Georgia’s present economic situation, and their expectations for the next six months are also negative.  They believe that the political crisis had the most significant impact on the Georgian economy in Q1 2025. The reduction in foreign assistance, including that from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was assessed negatively by 97% of the surveyed economists in terms of its effects on Georgia’s economic and political climate. 

Our latest monthly publication, Employment Tracker, offers insights into recent developments in Georgia’s labor market. In January 2025, the number of persons receiving a monthly salary increased by 4% YoY. In January 2025, the total number of vacancies published on jobs.ge decreased by 9% YoY. In Q4 of 2024, labor market efficiency slightly increased as the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined slightly, while the job openings rate dropped significantly.

The latest issue of Economic Outlook and Indicators in Georgia, analyzes Vocational Education in Georgia (2019 – 2023): State expenditure on VET tripled between 2017 and 2024, with its share in total education spending rising from 3.1% to 4%. From 2017 to 2023, the number of registered students increased; however,  the number of admitted students has not risen correspondingly, leading to a widening gap between registered and admitted students. The transition from secondary school to VET remains challenging, with 10.6 times more students opting for higher education, albeit the number of registered VET students has grown.

Our latest monthly publication, Employment Tracker, offers insights into recent developments in Georgia’s labor market. In December 2024, the number of people receiving a monthly salary recorded the lowest YoY growth during 2023-2024. In December 2024, the total number of persons receiving a service fee decreased both YoY and MoM. In December 2024, the total number of vacancies published on jobs.ge decreased by 20% MoM and 5% YoY. Please refer to the full publication for more insights.

Our latest Georgian Economic Climate publication offers assessments of various economic developments by Georgian economists. Assessment of Georgia’s current economic situation was negative, while predictions for Georgia’s economic situation by the end of the next six months were extremely negative. Overall, their outlook was significantly more pessimistic compared to the previous reporting period. Political turmoil and exchange rate fluctuations had the greatest impact on the Georgian economy in Q4 2024. The suspension of EU membership talks was assessed negatively by all surveyed economists in terms of its effects on Georgia’s economy.

Georgia and Kazakhstan share strong ties rooted in the historic Silk Road. Today, the countries are connected by the Trans-Caspian route and the Middle Corridor, interest in which has grown in recent years. Since 2022, Georgia has strengthened its relations with Kazakhstan, with new logistics agreements and crucial advances in transport and infrastructure, making Kazakhstan a key trade partner. The second issue of the Profile of Bilateral Relations offers an in-depth exploration of key topics of the trade relationship between Kazakhstan and Georgia: Historical Background Bilateral Trade Between Georgia and Kazakhstan Identifying Profitable Products for Trade Transportation Trends Common Trade Routes Between Georgia and Central Asia The Middle Corridor Future Outlook   The full policy paper, “Facilitating Trade with Central Asia: Georgia’s Role as a Transit Corridor“, is available in Georgian.