The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led many peopleto fall back extensively on digital infrastructure–be it collaborating virtually with co-workers and clients across geographies or orderingessential goods and servicesthrough e-commerce portals. If the growth of connected devices which are predicted to nearly triple its current level by 2025, from 26+billion IoT devices to 75+…
The vast majority of Georgians approve of their government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, but how does public opinion here compare to that in other countries? Gallup International recently organized a poll in 18 countries on multiple continents, in order to compare experiences and opinions regarding the pandemic. GORBI conducted the survey here in Georgia,…
How do Georgians feel about their government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic? In short, do they approve? From 14-19 May Georgian Opinion Research Business International (GORBI) asked 1,090 residents across the country “do you think the reaction of Georgia’s government to the current coronavirus outbreak is appropriate, too extreme, or not sufficient?” This is how…
As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The virtual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development recently convened governments and…
Across the globe we’re settling into a new normal as COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape much of life and business as we know it, the way we we work, travel, shop and communicate. While many companies and industries are facing difficulty maintaining in-store sales, we see an immediate acceleration of digital shopping.…
The gap closes In April 2020, total generation and consumption nearly balanced (944 mln kWh of generation and 941 mln kWh of consumption), with power generation exceeding consumption by only 3 mln. kWh (corresponding to 0.3% of total generation: Figure 1). This occurred due to the simultaneous decrease in total consumption (7%) and total generation…
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an unprecedented surge in eCommerce transactions, with more and more consumers choosing to shop online especially as their favorite retailers have had to temporarily close their physical stores. We observed a significant increase in e-commerce. Today, the importance of online presence has increased for both business and consumers. Merchants and…
The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in May 2020 stood at 4.18 GEL; 6.8% lower month-on-month compared to April. However, the Khachapuri Index did increase by 24.9% year-on-year (compared to May 2019). At this time of the year the monthly downward trend in the Index is typically driven by a seasonal decline in cheese…
Georgia reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by immediately introducing aggressive measures. Closing international borders, declaring a state of emergency, shutting down public transportation, banning local travel and public gatherings, closing restaurants and shopping malls, and introducing a nighttime curfew—these are all instruments that were used by the country’s government and health authorities to stop the…
A nationally representative sample of around 350 Georgians, interviewed in early May, reveals that Georgian Consumer Confidence rose in May compared to the prior month, by 8.1 index points, from -48.3 in April to -40.2 in May. This follows rapid declines in the index in March and April. The increase in Consumer Confidence was driven…
COVID-19 has challenged all of us globally with an entirely new reality. Many of us are housebound and international borders and public transport systems have been heavily curtailed. People are limiting the amount of time they spend outside and are more sensitive to areas or surfaces that could be exposed to many…
Economic growth – a bird’s eye view of 2019 According to Geostat, the 2019 real GDP growth in Georgia was 5.1% year-over-year (YoY). This figure moderately surpassed NBG’s, ADB’s, EBRD’s, IMF’s and the World Bank’s latest growth projections for 2019, which range from 4.5%-4.7%. However, the real winner in this race was ISET-PI’s annual GDP…
The consumer landscape has changed dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a challenging time for many people as their home and work situations have been completely transformed.…
APRIL 2020: Georgian CCI Reaches A Historic Low, Pushed By Unemployment/Financial Fears. Do Families Have Enough Resources To Live On Until The End Of May? Sixty Percent of Responders Said No…
Ivane Machavariani, Minister of Finance: “GEL 1,200 in assistance for six months is little but the US is giving USD 1,200 to the part of the population which meets the income criteria. Taking into account the purchasing power, we are giving almost as much as the US.” Verdict: FactCheck concludes that Ivane Machavariani’s statement is a…
