How Do Representatives of The Ruling Party Manipulate World Bank Data?

On October 10, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream,” stated (1,2) that according to the World Bank, the level of international poverty in Georgia decreases to a new historical low in 2024, and with a 12-year improvement in the index, the country ranks among the top five in the world. The same claim was echoed in September by other representatives of the ruling party, including Mamuka Mdinaradze and Vladimer Bozhadze.

On September 25, the media also reported (1,2,3,4) on the equality before the law and individual liberty index. The media references World Bank data indicating that, following an 11-year improvement in the mentioned index, Georgia ranks first in Europe, surpassing several EU and NATO member states.

Although World Bank data does indicate a decline in the level of international poverty in Georgia, the statistics used to compare Georgia with other countries are compiled in a manipulative manner. In addition to the lack of data for several countries in specific years, such as 2012, the World Bank confirmed to Myth Detector that they do not establish poverty fluctuation ratings because the measures of well-being vary significantly across different countries. As for the equality before the law and individual liberty index, Georgia has definitely made progress in this case as well. However, the media does not write anything about the fact that most European countries could not show a similar progress (+0.09), because their indicator was already more than 0.93, and the evaluation is assigned to them from 0 to 1.

The specific reasons why the statistics are used manipulatively and the important details they overlook are examined in the following sections:

•  International Poverty Rate in Georgia

When discussing the international poverty rate, representatives of the ruling party reference data published by the World Bank, including forecasts for 2025 and 2026. According to the data on the website, Georgia’s indicator in 2012 was 10.67, while the forecast for 2024 is 3.07. Representatives of the ruling party discuss poverty reduction statistics and compare Georgia’s data with that of other countries. It is stated that compared to 2012, five countries are able to reduce their rates by the most points by 2024, including Georgia, which positions the country among the top five in the world. In reality, compiling statistics in this manner is manipulative for several reasons.

The first reason why comparing statistics on indicators and progress from 2024 to 2012 is manipulative is the availability of data on countries. By downloading and analyzing the data from the World Bank website, it becomes evident that the international poverty rate indicator for several countries is unavailable for certain years. According to the data, Georgia is in the top five along with China, Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines, however, in some countries compared to others, data for 2012 is not available.

For instance, consider Tajikistan, Albania, and Uzbekistan. For 2024, the poverty rates are as follows: Tajikistan at 1.77, Albania at 1.35, and Uzbekistan at 2. However, if we search for the 2012 data, which serves as the baseline for compiling statistics, we will find that the World Bank did not publish any information on the international poverty rate for the mentioned countries during that period. In Uzbekistan, the first available rate is from 2022; in Albania, it is from 2016; and in Tajikistan, it dates back to 2015.

International Poverty Index – Albania

International Poverty Index – Tajikistan“Myth Detector” reached out to the World Bank’s representative office in Georgia, where they confirmed that they do not establish rankings for fluctuation in poverty because the measures of well-being vary across different countries and cannot be directly compared.

“We would like to emphasize that the poverty estimates provided by the World Bank are primarily based on data from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the National Statistics Service of each country. If the indicators for a particular country are not displayed, it indicates that the household survey data from that country is not available to the bank. Additionally, the Bank does not create ratings for changes in poverty because the welfare aggregates of different countries vary and cannot be compared.”

Therefore, representatives of the ruling party discuss the ranking of changes in poverty; however, data for some countries in the years compared to 2024 is not available. Additionally, due to the differing aggregates in various countries, the World Bank does not find it appropriate to compile the rankings itself.

• Equality before the law and individual liberty

The data indicating that Georgia ranks first in Europe for an 11-year improvement in Equality before the law and individual liberty Index is derived from the World Bank, based on the “Varieties of Democracy” (V-Dem) index.

The index assesses the degree of transparency in public administration and laws, as well as the rigor with which those laws are enforced. Its aim is to determine the extent to which citizens have access to justice, protected property rights, freedom from forced labor, freedom of movement, the right to physical integrity, and freedom of religion.

According to the index, countries are rated on a scale from 0 to 1. In 2012, Georgia’s indicator was 0.77, with Ukraine, Kosovo, Belarus, and Russia receiving lower ratings. As of 2023, Georgia’s indicator is 0.86. With this figure, Georgia remains ahead of Ukraine, Kosovo, Russia, and Belarus. Furthermore, among the countries that had higher ratings 11 years ago, Georgia has surpassed Poland, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Regarding the information circulated by the media that Georgia ranks first in Europe in terms of progress, the country’s indicator has improved by 0.09 points. While it is true that no other European country has exhibited similar progress, it is also crucial to note that the 28 countries presented in the table could not increase their scores by 0.09 for a simple reason: countries’ scores range from 0 to 1, and these 28 countries already had scores of 0.93 or higher. For instance, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Denmark had scores of 0.99 in 2012, just 0.01 below the maximum. In 2023, only Denmark and Germany maintain similar ratings. However, a rating below 0.9 is observed in 11 countries, including Georgia.

• Index Manipulation

Members of the ruling party frequently manipulate data from various international organizations. Generally, authentic data is used; however, the compiled ratings or assessments of indices provided by “Georgian Dream” are misleading, designed to convey the impression that Georgia surpasses EU and NATO members in various indicators. For instance, in April 2024, Irakli Zarkua asserted that, based on Western studies, Georgia outperforms seven EU and eleven NATO members in terms of the rule of law; however, such claims are not substantiated by the most credible indices. Another member of “Georgian Dream” claimed that Georgia surpasses the USA in terms of judicial impartiality, a statement that is also false. In fact, the index he referenced pertains not to political bias in the judiciary, but rather to the unjust dismissal of judges from the system. This month, government expert Gia Abashidze misrepresented V-Dem’s data concerning the civil society index. At the same time, the government media claimed that the organization negatively assessed the activity of the Georgian civil society, when in fact the deterioration of the mentioned index was caused by the deterioration of the government-dependent criteria. For more information on misleading assertions made by the government and pro-government media concerning various indices from international organizations, read more:

საერთაშორისო ორგანიზაციების სხვადასხვა ინდექსთან დაკავშირებით მთავრობისა და პროსახელისუფლებო მედიის მანიპულაციური მტკიცებების შესახებ ვრცლად გაეცანით მასალებში: 

• V-Dem Index on Civil Society Disseminated Without Context
• How Reliable are the Data Used by Georgian Media When Reporting Safety Statistics?
• Is Georgia ahead of seven EU countries and eleven NATO countries in terms of rule of law?
• Claim that Georgia is Ahead of the United States in Terms of Judicial Impartiality is Disinformation

Additionally, in May 2024, the Social Justice Center (SJC) reported on the manipulation of figures concerning the poverty level in Georgia. Their assessment indicates that the media presented the updated data from the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Sakstat) in a manipulative manner, highlighting that the absolute poverty rate in the country has decreased to a historical low of 11.8%. The SJC clarifies that the Sakstat data merely reflects the current proportion of Georgia’s population living in poverty and does not address the underlying causes of this issue. In reality, the indicator can decline for various reasons, such as population migration from the country; in 2023, a record number of citizens, over 163,000, left Georgia. We can also consider the utilization of social allowances and related benefits, as well as reliance on remittances from migrants, as contributing factors.

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