“This money did not go into the state budget! It was transferred to specific individuals,” said Davit Matikashvili, a member of Georgian Dream, during the discussion of the new election code, which bans emigrants from voting abroad.
Matikashvili was responding to Vika Pilpani, a member of For Georgia, who stated that “in 2024 emigrants transferred 10 billion GEL, which amounts to 40% of the budget.”
“In 2024, there was talk of 11 billion dollars being transferred, if I’m not mistaken. No, 11 billion was not transferred 3.3 billion dollars were transferred by our emigrants. This is a very large and very important amount. Naturally, every family is grateful and rightly appreciates this significant contribution to their country’s and their families’ well-being. But we must also understand: did this money go into the budget?! No it went to specific individuals, to those citizens whose family members live abroad. We understand very well how much work and effort it takes for these people to send back such a significant portion of their earnings. However, the figures must still be accurate; we must not mislead the public,” said Davit Matikashvili.
From an economic perspective, Matikashvili’s claim that money from emigrants goes to family members and not to the budget is manipulative. It is true that remittances are not paid directly into the state budget and are not taxed, but Georgian citizens use these transfers from their family members abroad to purchase real estate and other property, pay university tuition fees, cover medical expenses, and more. Therefore, the money sent by emigrants circulates within the national economy and thus reaches the state budget indirectly; it influences economic growth, which Georgian Dream boasts about; it eases the state’s social burden; and, alongside foreign investment and tourism revenue, is one of the main sources of Georgia’s foreign exchange reserves.
In 2025, in just the first nine months, emigrants transferred 2.7 billion USD to Georgia; in 2024 3.4 billion USD; in 2023 4.1 billion USD.
According to World Bank data, remittances accounted for 12% of Georgia’s GDP in 2024, and over 13% in 2023.