Tbilisi, Georgia: The IMF team has concluded its visit to Georgia after meetings with top officials of the government and financial sector on recent economic developments and outlook, and economic policies.
IMF delegation led by Alejandro Heidenberg, during the visit, they hold a meeting with the Minister of Finance of Georgia, Lasha Khutsishvill, and the president of the National Bank of Georgia,Natia Turnava. The meeting focused on the economic growth of Georgia in 2026, medium-term economic forecast and fiscal-monetary policy.
The IMF said in a statement at the end of its visit that Georgia’s macroeconomic fundamentals and external positions are solid amidst intensifying geopolitical tensions and rising energy prices.The mission added that the fiscal and external financial buffers of Georgia have been strengthened thereby increasing its resilience.
According to the IMF, the pace of growth in Georgia’s economy was remained unchanged.The last report of the IMF predicted that the Georgia economy will grow 7.2 percent in 2026 and 5.7 percent in 2027, and at the same time, the economy “is gradually converging”to its medium-term potential of around 5 percent.The IMF projections aligned with the government’s official estimates.
And the IMF also welcomed the improvement of Georgia’s external balances.The IMF noted, for example, a decline in the current account balance and an increase in foreign reserves.Both are expected to support the stability of the country’s economy and its resistance to external shocks.
The mission also praised responsible fiscal policy of the government.According to the IMF forecast, the budget deficit is expected to decline to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2026, thus remaining below the forecasted level. Furthermore, the public debt is also expected to go down to 33 percent of gross domestic product.
Georgia’s proposed 2027 budget is forecasted to run a 2.5 percent of GDP deficit.It allocated higher amounts for social expenditure, wages in the public sector, and capital investments.
The IMF stresses that if structural reforms and economic policies are maintained, long-term economic stability and sustainable growth will be guaranteed for Georgia.
The fourth article consultations with Georgia are set for April 2027.
Attending the meeting were Deputy Finance Ministers Giorgi Kakauridze, Ekaterine Guntsadze and Tsotne Kavlashvili, high officials from the Ministry of Finance, representatives from the Macroeconomic Analysis and Fiscal policy Planning Department and the Fiscal Risk Management Department.
