There are more Georgians than we thought

The number of marriages and births in Georgia is increasing, according to figures produced by Deputy Minister of Justice and Head of the Civil Registry Agency (CRA) Giorgi Vashadze on July 7. A 2006-2009 CRA statistical analysis has shown that more boys than girls were born during the last couple of years and registration of marriages and births has increased steadily, from 46,060 birth registrations in 2006 to 48,027 in 2007, 57,263 in 2008 and 61,839 in 2009.

The CRA says that 21,876 marriages were registered in 2006, 25,925 in 2007, 31,310 in 2008 and 31,319 in 2009. The trend has continued in 2010: 23,772 births and 11,833 marriages were registered in the first five months in 2009 and 25,153 and 12,877 respectively in the same period this year.

It is also important to mention that the number of divorces has correspondingly decreased over the last several years. There have been just 1,740 filings this year. The number of newborn boys (52%) still exceeds the number of girls.

“The number of marriages and births is still increasing in our country and this is a direct consequence of economic conditions. Georgia has overcome the economic crisis and this is reflected in demographic improvements as it encourages more couples to create families,” Vashadze stated.