Economic Outcomes, Challenges, and Opportunities of Emigration
Author : Ekaterine Gulua 24/12/2025
Article ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the economic outcomes, challenges, and opportunities associated with emigration processes globally and in Georgia. In addition to systematizing migration-related definitions and theoretical approaches, the paper focuses on three key dimensions: the positive and negative impacts of emigration; A quantitative assessment of emigration’s effects; the determinants of emigration and orientations for migration governance policies.
In preparing this paper, a secondary desk-based research approach was employed to analyze migration processes. The study involved a comprehensive review of scientific literature, examined through diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives, as well as the use of official data and analytical reports produced by authoritative international and national organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Migration Partnership Fund, the World Bank, the National Statistics Office of Georgia, the European Union, the Federal Reserve System, the International Labour Organization (ILO), among others. On this basis, both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. The research applied methods of induction and deduction, comparative analysis, dynamic table analysis, and econometric techniques.
Georgia’s negative net migration balance for the period 1960–2024 amounted to −2,060,239 persons, representing 61.3% of the total net migration of the South Caucasus. Between 1997 and 2024, Georgia accounted for 39% of the total volume of personal remittances received by South Caucasus countries. Based on the calculations employed in this study, the potential GDP loss in 2024 was estimated at USD 5,900,631,474, equivalent to 17.5% of GDP. In the same year, personal remittances amounted to USD 3,999,181,897. Over the period 2002–2024, the cumulative negative economic impact of migration amounted to USD 18,869,509,404.
The pace and outcomes of migratory processes warrant attention and require consolidation of efforts in the interest of the state, involving the government, public institutions, research and academic centers, the business sector, and active civil society groups.
Keywords: Migration processes, determinants of emigration, impact of emigration on Georgia, migration policy
Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.55367/MUFL9130