On 8 December, pro-government TV channels (Imedi, Rustavi 2, POSTV) and news agencies (the media holding Kvira, ambebi.ge, Sulinfo, Rezonancedaily, Newshub) disseminated identical information claiming that “since 2012, Georgia ranks among the top three countries in Europe for long-term improvement in de-oligarchization.” The media outlets based their reports on a study published by the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building, which examines causes and trends of corruption risks in European countries. Their identical texts state: “Despite the risk noted in the report that the richest person in Georgia is a supporter of the ruling party, based on the analysis of real and multi-factor data, the study found that Georgia ranks among the top three countries in Europe for long-term improvement in de-oligarchization.”
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party also commented on the report. According to MP Gia Volsky, Bidzina Ivanishvili “moderately” finances Georgian Dream, and studies confirm that Georgia and Europe have different levels of oligarchization. MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili also stated that he is not surprised that Georgia is a “leading country in improving de-oligarchization.”
The BridgeGap project, under which the study was conducted, is implemented within the Horizon Europe program. The authors of the study are a professor from an Italian university and a BridgeGap researcher. The study contains several details that the media did not include in their coverage: 1) The report assesses the level of oligarchization based on what percentage of a country’s total wealth is held by the richest 1% of the population. 2) By this metric, Georgia ranks sixth among the ten worst-performing countries, as the richest 1% holds 31% of the country’s total wealth. 3) The term “de-oligarchization” does not appear anywhere in the study.
What does the report cover?
The report, titled “Corruption Risk in EU Member States at National Level,” has been available on the website of the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building since April 2025. It was prepared within the BridgeGap project, a four-year EU-funded research initiative focused on the study of corruption in EU member and neighboring states. The project is carried out under the EU’s Horizon program.
According to the brief description of the corruption research report, it has two authors: Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, a professor at the LUISS University in Italy, and BridgeGap researcher Iva Parvanova. The report offers a fact-based assessment of corruption trends in EU member states, candidate countries, and other neighboring countries, covering a total of 41 states.
On the first pages of the study (p. 3), a disclaimer notes that the views and opinions expressed belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the EU’s position, and the organization assumes no responsibility for them.
What does the report say about oligarchization?
The authors use the level of oligarchization as a measure for identifying corruption. They explain that corruption is rooted in favoritism, its causes and consequences, and occurs when power is abused; it also stems from asymmetries of power. The report suggests that wealthy individuals can purchase favorable regulations, strengthening their positions even further.
In the report, the level of oligarchization is assessed by the percentage of total national wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population, followed by an evaluation of how this indicator changed between 2012 and 2022. In the section reviewing “oligarchization” (3.5. Oligarchization – p. 39), the authors note that the trend of increasing oligarchization globally has been obvious over the past decade. This section also discusses Georgia. The authors highlight the danger of oligarchy in Georgia and note (p. 39) that although the country is “poor in billionaires,” its two richest individuals hold 10% of the national GDP. They also note that one of these two individuals is the main financier of the incumbent government. It is noteworthy that the study does not disclose the identities of the billionaires; however, based on the description of their activities, it becomes clear that one of them is Bidzina Ivanishvili.
The report includes statistics for 41 countries showing what share of national wealth is held by the richest 1% (p. 41). In this statistic, Georgia ranks sixth among the worst-performing countries. The authors of the report write that the richest 1% of Georgians hold 31% of the country’s total wealth. Countries with worse results include Turkey (42%), Russia (35%), Hungary (33%), Cyprus (33%), and Switzerland (31%). The best result belongs to the Netherlands (14%). It is noteworthy that pro-government TV channels and news agencies do not mention these data in their coverage.
Source: BridgeGap
Another set of statistics appears in the study, showing the share of national wealth owned by the richest 1% (p. 42). Pro-government media use only this statistic when speaking about “long-term improvement in de-oligarchization” in Georgia. According to this indicator, 15 out of 41 countries improved their scores over the ten-year period. Georgia is among them, having improved its metric by roughly 3 percentage points over the decade, ranking third after the Netherlands and Ireland.
Source: BridgeGap
Near the end of the report, there is another diagram concerning oligarchization (9.2.2. Constructing the adjusted oligarchization score – p. 89). It is titled “Change in adjusted oligarchization (measured in percentage change) between 2013 and 2023.” The description notes that to ensure greater reliability, the authors constructed an adjusted measure of oligarchization, that is, of extreme wealth inequality. By this adjusted score, Georgia ranks second, surpassed only by Ireland (p. 89).
Source: BridgeGap
“De-oligarchization”
“De-oligarchization” was one of the recommendations Georgia was required to meet in 2022 for EU candidate status, and after receiving the status in 2023, it was included among the nine steps the country committed to undertake.
It is noteworthy that the BridgeGap report does not mention the term “de-oligarchization,” nor does it assess oligarchic influence on politics. The study is devoted to showing what share of total national wealth is held by the richest 1%, and as noted above, Georgia ranks among the ten worst-performing countries. The media outlets do not mention this in their reports.
Indices in pro-government media articles
Pro-government media and Georgian Dream members often manipulate international studies and indices. They focus only on the parts of extensive reports that show progress for Georgia, while omitting important aspects. Myth Detector has previously prepared several analytical materials which explain the indices and components manipulated by government actors and incomplete media coverage:
- What details must be considered when discussing the reduction of absolute poverty?
- How Do Representatives of The Ruling Party Manipulate World Bank Data?
- “Freedom in the World”: What the Freedom House Report Says and How Pro-Government Media Covered It
- What is Georgia’s performance in the Rule of Law Index, and among which countries does it rank first?
