We have all the resources to reduce the gap with advanced European countries to a minimum by 2030, to completely eliminate poverty and become a high-income country, wrote the Chairman of Georgian Dream on his Facebook page.

"There are many measures of a country’s development and the standard of living enjoyed by its population, but the most important measure is the economy. It is sufficient to look at the list of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita and you will see exactly how people live in any given country.

According to the International Monetary Fund, today, people in Germany and Sweden live 3 times better than in Georgia, and people in France live about 2.5 better than in Georgia. People live 60 percent better in Russia and 50 percent better in Bulgaria than in Georgia. Georgia is ahead of EU membership candidate countries North Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine as well as Azerbaijan and Armenia.
It should be noted that the gap in terms of living standards between Georgia and advanced countries is gradually decreasing.
For example, according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2012, people in Germany and Sweden lived not 3 times but 4.5 times better than people in Georgia, people in France lived not 2.5 times but 4 times better than people in Georgia, and people in Russia and Bulgaria lived not 58 and 51 percent but 148 and 67 percent better than people in Georgia.
Furthermore, according to the International Monetary Fund, compared to 2012, Georgia surpassed more than 30 countries in terms of economic indicators and moved from the 110th to the 79th place in 2023.
This means that Georgia’s economy is growing not just in absolute terms but also in relation to other countries.
It is often said that joining the European Union accelerated the economic development of Eastern European countries. In fact, if we look at the countries that joined the European Union in 2003, we will see that according to the World Bank, the nominal economy of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia quadrupled, the economy of Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia tripled, and the economy of Slovenia and Hungary doubled. However, it is interesting that precisely in the same period, according to the World Bank, the Georgian economy did not double, triple, or quadruple, but grew 7.5 times. These data confirm that it is the economic policy pursued by the government, rather than membership of any union, that is the main factor for the rapid economic development of the country.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the difference between the living standards of people living in Georgia and EU member states will further decrease by 2028. In 2028, Georgia’s PPP gross domestic product per capita will exceed $32,000, and the gap with the majority of EU member states (including Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece) will become less than double. Namely, the gap between us and Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece will amount to 99 percent, 86 percent, 72 percent, and 48 percent respectively.
It should also be noted that Georgia has always exceeded the International Monetary Fund’s forecasts in recent years. Therefore, we have all the resources at our disposal to reduce the gap between us and leading European countries to a minimum by 2030, eliminate poverty completely, and become a high-income country. To this end, in addition to pursuing an effective economic policy, the main thing is to maintain peace and a calm environment in the country", - writes Irakli Kobakhidze.