On October 27, Facebook users circulated a social media card (1;2) comparing population figures from Georgia’s National Statistics Office (GeoStat) with voter numbers calculated by the Central Election Commission (CEC).
Specifically, the total population (as reported by GeoStat) is adjusted by excluding the number of minors, those without identification documents, and adding the number of registered voters abroad. Facebook users compared the resulting figure, 2,749,674, with the total number of voters published by the CEC for the 2024 elections, 3,508,294, questioning the large discrepancy in these figures.
The approach of comparing the number of voters counted by the CEC with the population numbers reported by GeoStat is misleading. Due to the different counting methodologies, it is not possible to derive an accurate number of voters from these two datasets.
The main reason why comparing CEC and GeoStat data is misleading lies in the different methodologies they use. GeoStat counts actual residents, including foreign nationals who have been living in Georgia for over a year and plan to remain. In contrast, the CEC counts all eligible voters, including emigrants, who are not counted in GeoStat’s population data. The specifics of how CEC and GeoStat calculate population and voter numbers are discussed in the sections below:
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How does GeoStat calculate population numbers?
According to data published by Georgia’s National Statistics Office, as of January 1, 2024, Georgia’s population was 3,694,600. This figure was used on the published card and, after adjusting for various factors, was compared to the number calculated by the CEC. “Myth Detector” contacted Paata Shavishvili, Deputy Executive Director of GeoStat, for clarification. He explained that these figures should not be compared because the counting methodologies differ. GeoStat counts people who have lived in the country for more than a year:
“These two figures shouldn’t be compared—they serve different purposes. The CEC data refers to the number of registered Georgian citizens, who may reside in the country or abroad and even in occupied territories. If you look at past elections, the voter count has always hovered around this number.
The difference between our numbers and theirs stems from the counting methodology—we count people who have lived in the country for more than a year based on the national census. We add births, subtract deaths, and also account for emigrants and immigrants to arrive at this figure—3,694,000 as of January 1, 2024. Comparing these two figures isn’t valid because they are fundamentally different counts.”
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How does the CEC calculate the total number of voters?
To understand how the CEC calculates the total number of voters and whether comparing this number to GeoStat data is appropriate, “Myth Detector” contacted the CEC’s press spokesperson, Natia Ioseliani. She clarified that while GeoStat conducts surveys within Georgia, the CEC compiles data from around ten agencies, processing information accordingly. By law, GeoStat does not provide data to the CEC:
The CEC receives its data from the following sources:
- Public Service Development Agency for voters registered at specific addresses who turn 18 on or before election day.
- Municipal authorities to remove deceased Georgian citizens from the voter list.
- Ministry of Health for data on internally displaced persons.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Georgian citizens registered at consulates abroad.
- Ministry of Justice for citizens in penitentiary facilities and those serving sentences for serious crimes, who are not eligible to vote under Georgian law.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs for data on citizens who have crossed the border, marking them as residing abroad in the voter registry.
Natia Ioseliani emphasizes that this list is not exhaustive and that emigrants registered with Georgian consulates abroad are included in the CEC’s list—95,910 for 2024—although the actual number of emigrants is much higher.
“It’s crucial to note—this election we announced that 95,910 registered voters are abroad. However, more Georgian citizens may reside abroad. They must be registered with a consulate to be included in the voter list abroad. If they are not registered, we allow them to register solely for voting purposes. If they have consular registration according to Georgian law, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not send their data—if fewer than 50 Georgian citizens are registered in a specific country, an election precinct cannot be established there. There are many criteria like this.
The data compiled by GeoStat and the CEC are entirely different—GeoStat describes the population within Georgia, while the CEC prepares a unified voter list based on official data provided by relevant agencies for election purposes,” Natia Ioseliani explains.
Accordingly, GeoStat calculates the number of people who have lived in Georgia for over a year. This number does not include emigrants, while the CEC’s voter count does include emigrants. Thus, the CEC data may include Georgian citizens residing abroad who are still registered in Georgia but do not appear in GeoStat’s population count, as they have not been in the country for the past year.
