Irakli Kobakhidze: “The average salary was GEL 715 in 2012 whilst today it has surpassed GEL 2,000.”
Verdict: FactCheck concludes that Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement is HALF TRUE.
Roman Gotsiridze: “The real salary has increased by only 62% measured in 2012 prices, reaching GEL 1,160.”
Verdict: FactCheck concludes that Roman Gotsiridze’s statement is MOSTLY TRUE.
The average monthly taxable salary amounted to GEL 713 in 2012. It had reached GEL 2,060 by 2024 and in the second quarter of 2025 it constituted GEL 2,212 (as compared to GEL 724 in the second quarter of 2012).
However, what matters more than nominal figures are wages calculated in constant prices adjusted for inflation. If salaries increase fourfold whilst consumer prices double, real income rises only twofold. This is because the higher wage allows the employee to buy twice as many goods and services as before – not four times as many.
Consumer prices rose by 66% between 2012 and 2024. As a result, the GEL 2,060 salary of 2024 is equivalent in purchasing power to GEL 1,240 in 2012 whilst the GEL 2,212 of 2025 equals GEL 1,285 in 2012 (quarter to quarter).
Irakli Kobakhidze cited only the nominal figures, ignoring inflation. The difference is significant: real wages increased by 74% between 2012 and 2024, not by 190%. Considering the aforementioned, FactCheck concludes that Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement is HALF TRUE.
Although Roman Gotsiridze applied the correct methodology in assessing wage growth, he adjusted for inflation based on a salary of GEL 2,000 rather than the current figure which led to a slight error. Real wages have increased by 74% since 2012 – not 62%. Considering the proper methodology but also the minor inaccuracy in his calculation, FactCheck concludes that Roman Gotsiridze’s statement is MOSTLY TRUE.
Analysis
Whilst visiting TV Imedi, Irakli Kobakhidze stated: “When the economy grows, it directly affects people’s incomes. The average salary was GEL 715 in 2012 whilst today it has surpassed GEL 2,000.”
MP of the 10th Convocation Parliament, Roman Gotsiridze responded to Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement on Facebook, writing: “Kobakhidze boasted (or rather, engaged in demagoguery) that the average salary in 2012 was GEL 715 and today it has surpassed GEL 2,000. In reality, today’s GEL 2,000 amounts to only GEL 1,160 when adjusted for inflation and expressed in 2012 prices. The real average salary has increased by just 62% over the 13 years of the Georgian Dream’s governance.”
The average monthly salary was GEL 713 in 2012; by 2024 it had risen to GEL 2,060. Growth continued into the first half of 2025 with nominal wages up by 11.7% year-over-year in the first quarter, reaching GEL 2,170 and by 10.3% in the second quarter, reaching GEL 2,212.[1] For comparison, the average salary in 2012 was GEL 676 in the first quarter and GEL 724 in the second quarter.
In general, quarters are not compared to years – thus comparisons are made either year to year or quarter to quarter. The average nominal monthly taxable salary rose by 190% – from GEL 713 in 2012 to GEL 2,060 in 2024. Furthermore, it increased by 206% from the second quarter of 2012 to 2025 – from GEL 724 to GEL 2,212.
The nominal wage is significant but it does not provide a full picture of real income. The longer the time interval, the more visible the effect of inflation becomes. The nominal wage increased 152 times over a longer time horizon – from GEL 13.5 in 1995 to GEL 2,060 in 2024. Furthermore, it rose 16 times between 2003 and 2024 – from GEL 126 to GEL 2,060. Whilst living standards have indeed improved substantially over the past 22 and 30 years, real employee incomes certainly did not grow by 16-fold or 152-fold (1,500% and 15,100%, respectively).
Nominal wages continued to rise even during economic crises – by 4.1% from GEL 534 to GEL 537 in 2009 and by 5.4% from GEL 1,130 to GEL 1,191 in 2020.
Consumer prices rose by a total of 66% between 2012 and 2024 and by June 2025 they had increased by 71%. When adjusted for inflation, the GEL 2,060 salary of 2024 is equivalent in purchasing power to GEL 1,240 in 2012 whilst the GEL 2,212 of the second quarter of 2025 corresponds to GEL 1,285 in the second quarter of 2012.
Graph 1: Average Monthly Salary of Employees (in National Currency)
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia
Real wages were 74% higher in 2024 as compared to 2012 whilst in the second quarter of 2025 they were up by 77% as compared to the second quarter of 2025. Furthermore, real wages rose by 27% between 2013 and 2018, by 36% between 2022 and 2024 and by only 1% between 2019-2021.
When discussing inflation, it is also important to note that prices of different goods rise at different rates. Whilst cumulative inflation over the past 12.5 years amounted to 71%, prices in the category of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by an average of 109% during the same period. Depending on household spending patterns, this means that for some groups the cost of living increased more than the official inflation rate suggests – whilst for others it increased less.
In conclusion, it is true that the average taxable salary was GEL 713 in 2012 and exceeded GEL 2,000 by 2024. This information when taken on its own creates the impression that real wages also tripled. However, in reality, inflation significantly reduced the pace of growth to GEL 1,240 or GEL 1,285 (Irakli Kobakhidze did not specify whether he referred to 2024 or the second quarter of 2025). The gap between GEL 2,060 and GEL 1,240, as well as between GEL 2,212 and GEL 1,285, is substantial. Considering the aforementioned, FactCheck concludes that Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement is HALF TRUE.
Although Roman Gotsiridze applied the correct methodology in assessing wage growth, he adjusted for inflation based on a salary of GEL 2,000 rather than the current figure which led to a slight error. Real wages have increased by 74% since 2012 – not 62%. Considering the proper methodology but also the minor inaccuracy in his calculation, FactCheck concludes that Roman Gotsiridze’s statement is MOSTLY TRUE.
