Editing Georgia (country) (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Georgia (country)|Georgians}}
[[File:Caucasus-ethnic en.svg|upright=1.15|thumb|Ethno-linguistic groups in the Caucasus region as of 1995<ref name="ECMI">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecmicaucasus.org/menu/info_maps.html|title=ECMI – European Centre For Minority Issues Georgia|website=www.ecmicaucasus.org|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904143533/http://ecmicaucasus.org/menu/info_maps.html|archive-date=4 September 2014}}</ref>]]
Like most native [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian peoples]], the Georgians do not fit into any of the main ethnic categories of Europe or Asia. The Georgian language, the most pervasive of the [[Kartvelian languages]], is not [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]], [[Turkic languages|Turkic]], or [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]. The present-day Georgian or Kartvelian nation is thought to have resulted from the fusion of [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] inhabitants with various immigrants who moved into [[South Caucasus]] from [[Anatolia]] in remote antiquity.<ref>History of Modern Georgia, David Marshal Lang, p 18.{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}</ref>

The population of Georgia totaled 3,688,647 as of 2022,<ref name=geostatpop>{{Cite web |url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/41/population |title=Population and Demography – Population by cities and boroughs (daba), as of 1 January |date=1 January 2021 |access-date=2022-02-02 |work=National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat}}</ref>{{efn|name=a|Data not including Abkhazia and South Ossetia}} a decrease from 3,713,804 in the previous census in October 2014.<ref name="census2014summary">{{Cite web |url=http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf |title=Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication) |work=Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) |pages=2–8 |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=2022-02-02 |language=en |archive-date=8 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808154843/http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf  }}</ref>{{efn|name=a}} The population declined by 40,000 in 2021, a reversal of the trend towards stabilization of the last decade and, for the first time since independence, the population was recorded to be below 3.7&nbsp;million. According to the 2014 census, [[Ethnic Georgians]] form about 86.8 percent of the population, while the remainder includes ethnic groups such as [[Abkhazians]], [[Armenians in Georgia|Armenians]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Azerbaijanis in Georgia|Azerbaijanis]], [[Pontic Greeks|Greeks]], [[Georgian Jews|Jews]], [[Kists]], [[Ossetians]], [[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Yezidis]] and others.<ref name="census2014summary" />{{efn|name=a}} The [[Georgian Jews]] are one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. According to the 1926 census there were 27,728 Jews in Georgia.<ref name="census1926">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rngeorgia.html |title=1926 ethnic composition |access-date=2022-05-18 |work=Ethno Kavkaz |language=ru}}</ref>{{efn|Combined population of urban (23,433 in 1922) and rural (2,326 in 1917) communities.{{sfnp|Russian Review|1925|p=499}}}} Georgia was also once home to significant ethnic German communities, numbering 11,394 according to the 1926 census.<ref name="census1926" />{{efn|Estimated 14,000 in 1922.{{sfnp|Russian Review|1925|p=498}}}} Most of them [[Caucasus Germans#Bolnisi, Georgia|were deported]] during World War II.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deutsche Kolonisten in Georgien |publisher=Einung |url=http://einung.org.ge/deutsche-kolonisten-in-georgien/ |access-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301172241/http://einung.org.ge/deutsche-kolonisten-in-georgien/ |archive-date=1 March 2017 }}</ref>

The 2014 census, carried out in collaboration with the [[United Nations Population Fund]] (UNFPA), found a population gap of approximately 700,000 compared to the 2014 data from the National Statistical Office of Georgia, Geostat, which was cumulatively built on the 2002 census. Consecutive research estimated the 2002 census to be inflated by 8 to 9 percent,{{sfnp|Hakkert|2017|pp=1–4}} which affected the annually updated population estimates in subsequent years. One explanation put forward by UNFPA is that families of emigrants continued to list them in 2002 as residents for fear of losing certain rights or benefits. Also, the population registration system from birth to death was non-functional. It was not until around 2010 that parts of the system became reliable again. With the support of the UNFPA, the demographic data for the period 1994–2014 has been retro-projected.<ref name="retroprojection">{{Cite web |title=Retro-projection of main demographic indicators for the period 1994–2014 |work=National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) |date=18 May 2018 |url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/single-archive/3199 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> On the basis of that back-projection, Geostat has corrected its data for these years.

The 1989 census recorded 341,000 ethnic [[Russians in Georgia|Russians]], or 6.3 percent of the population,<ref>[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav043009.shtml Georgia: Ethnic Russians Say, "There's No Place Like Home"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216143900/https://eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav043009.shtml |date=16 February 2018 }}. EurasiaNet.org. 30 April 2009.</ref> 52,000 [[Ukrainians]] and 100,000 [[Greeks in Georgia]].<ref name="emigration" /> The population of Georgia, including the breakaway regions, has declined by more than 1 million due to net emigration in the period 1990–2010.{{sfnp|Hakkert |2017|p=14}}<ref name=emigration>[http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ge412ang.pdf Ethnic minorities in Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501012802/http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ge412ang.pdf |date=1 May 2009}}. Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme.</ref> Other factors in the population decline include birth-death deficits for the period 1995–2010 and the exclusion of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the statistics. Russia received by far the most migrants from Georgia. According to United Nations data, this totaled 625,000 by 2000, declining to 450,000 by 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates19.asp |title=International migrant stock 2019, 'by destination and origin' |work=United Nations |date=2019 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> Initially, the out-migration was driven by non-Georgian ethnicities, but increasing numbers of Georgians emigrated as well,{{sfnp|Jones|2013|p=204}} due to the war, the crisis-ridden 1990s, and the subsequent bad economic outlook. The 2010 Russian census recorded about 158,000 ethnic Georgians living in Russia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census |work=Russian Census |url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/results2.html |date=18 June 2014 |access-date=2022-02-02 |language=ru |archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209035558/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/results2.html}}</ref> with approximately 40,000 living in Moscow by 2014.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.rbth.com/longreads/tbilisi_on_moskva/index.html |title=Georgians in Russia |work=Russia Beyond the Headlines |date=18 June 2014 |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> There were 184 thousand immigrants in Georgia in 2014 with most of them hailing from Russia (51.6%), Greece (8.3%), Ukraine (8.11%), Germany (4.3%), and Armenia (3.8%).<ref name="Immigration">{{cite web|url=http://census.ge/files/results/english/29-2_Immigrants%20by%20previous%20country%20of%20residence%20and%20usual%20place%20of%20residence.xls|title=Immigrants by previous country of residence and usual place of residence|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809235430/http://census.ge/files/results/english/29-2_Immigrants%20by%20previous%20country%20of%20residence%20and%20usual%20place%20of%20residence.xls|archive-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}}

In the early 1990s, following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], violent [[separatism|separatist]] conflicts broke out in the autonomous region of Abkhazia and [[South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast|Tskhinvali Region]]. Many [[Ossetians]] living in Georgia left the country, mainly to Russia's [[North Ossetia]].<ref>Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, [http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm Russia: The Ingush–Ossetian Conflict in the Prigorodnyi Region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513003516/http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Russia.htm |date=13 May 2007}}, May 1996.</ref> On the other hand, at least 160,000 Georgians left Abkhazia after the breakout of hostilities in 1993.{{sfnp|Hakkert|2017|p=43}} Of the [[Meskhetian Turk]]s who were [[Population transfer in the Soviet Union|forcibly relocated]] in 1944, only a tiny fraction returned to Georgia {{As of|2008|lc=y}}.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749c843c,0.html World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Uzbekistan: Meskhetian Turks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016183834/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749c843c,0.html |date=16 October 2012 }}. Minority Rights Group International.</ref>

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Georgia is one of 22 countries with a GHI score of less than 5. Differences between their scores are minimal. With a score under 5, Georgia has a level of hunger that is low.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

The most widespread language group is the [[Kartvelian languages|Kartvelian family]], which includes Georgian, [[Svan language|Svan]], [[Mingrelian language|Mingrelian]] and [[Laz language|Laz]].{{sfnp|Boeder|2002|p=3}}{{sfnp|Boeder|2005|p=6}}{{sfnp|Gamkrelidze|1966|p=69}}{{sfnp|Fähnrich|Sardzhveladze|2000|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}}{{sfnp|Kajaia|2001|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}}{{sfnp|Klimov|1998|p=14}} The official language of Georgia is [[Georgian language|Georgian]], with [[Abkhazian language|Abkhaz]] having official status within the autonomous region of Abkhazia. Georgian is the primary language of 87.7 per cent of the population, followed by 6.2 per cent speaking [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], 3.9 per cent [[Armenian language|Armenian]], 1.2 per cent Russian, and 1 per cent other languages.<ref name="2014 Language">{{cite web |url=http://census.ge/files/results/english/20_Population%20by%20region%2C%20by%20native%20languages%20and%20fluently%20speak%20Georgian%20language.xls|title=Population by region, by native languages and fluently speak Georgian language|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-date=8 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808174125/http://census.ge/files/results/english/20_Population%20by%20region%2C%20by%20native%20languages%20and%20fluently%20speak%20Georgian%20language.xls}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}} Azerbaijani once served as a ''lingua franca'' for communication among various nationalities inhabiting Eastern Caucasus.{{sfnp|Russian Review|1925|p=498}}
{{Largest cities
| country      = Georgia (country)
| stat_ref     = [http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf 2014 General Population Census Main Results]
| list_by_pop  = List of cities and towns in Georgia (country)
| div_name     =
| div_link     = Administrative divisions of Georgia (country){{!}}Administrative divisions of Georgia
| city_1 = Tbilisi | div_1= Tbilisi | pop_1 = 1 108 717|img_1 = 2014 Tbilisi, Widoki z Twierdzy Narikala (36).jpg
| city_2 = Batumi  | div_2 =  Adjara |pop_2 = 152 839 |img_2 = Batumi Dec 2019 08 35 34 145000.jpeg
| city_3 = Kutaisi | div_3 = Imereti |pop_3 = 147 635 |img_3 = Downtown Kutaisi & White Bridge as seen from Mt Gora (August 2011)-cropped.jpg
| city_4 = Rustavi | div_4 = Kvemo Kartli |pop_4 = 125 103 |img_4 = Rustavi Square.JPG
| city_5 = Gori, Georgia{{!}}Gori | div_5 = Shida Kartli |pop_5 = 48 143
| city_6 = Zugdidi | div_6 = Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |pop_6 = 42 998
| city_7 = Poti | div_7 = Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |pop_7 = 41,465
| city_8 = Sokhumi | div_8 = Abkhazia |pop_8 = ''39,100''{{efn|name=occ|Occupied city, estimated data}}
| city_9 = Khashuri | div_9 = Shida Kartli |pop_9 = 33 627
| city_10 = Tskhinvali | div_10 = Shida Kartli |pop_10 = ''30,000''{{efn|name=occ}}
}}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Georgia (country)}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Main religions (2014)<ref name="geostat.ge">{{cite web|url=http://geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/population/Census_release_ENG_2016.pdf|title=2014 General Population Census – Main Results|date=28 April 2016|publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)|access-date=7 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205175903/http://geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/population/Census_release_ENG_2016.pdf|archive-date=5 February 2017}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}}
|label1 = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]]
|value1 = 83.4
|color1 = DarkOrchid
|label2 = [[Muslim]]
|value2 = 10.7
|color2 = MediumSeaGreen
|label3 = [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]]
|value3 = 2.9
|color3 = FireBrick
|label4 = [[Roman Catholicism in Georgia|Roman Catholic]]
|value4 = 0.5
|color4 = Violet
|label5 = Others
|value5 = 2.5
|color5 = YellowGreen
}}
Today, 83.4 percent of the population practices [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], with the majority of these adhering to the national [[Georgian Orthodox Church]].<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |url=http://census.ge/files/results/english/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls |title=Immigrants by previous country of residence and usual place of residence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809001940/http://census.ge/files/results/english/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls|archive-date=9 August 2016|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>{{efn|name=a}} The [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] is one of the world's oldest Christian churches, and claims apostolic foundation by [[Saint Andrew]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patriarchate.ge/_en/?action=istoria |title=The History of Georgian Orthodox Church |website=Patriarchate of Georgia |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111023844/http://www.patriarchate.ge/_en/?action=istoria |archive-date=11 January 2015 }}</ref> In the first half of the 4th century, Christianity was adopted as the state religion of Iberia (present-day eastern Georgia), following the missionary work of [[Saint Nino]] of [[Cappadocia]].<ref name="Toumanoff1963">{{cite book |author-link=Cyril Toumanoff |last=Toumanoff |first=Cyril |year=1963 |chapter=Iberia between Chosroid and Bagratid Rule |title=Studies in Christian Caucasian History |publisher=Georgetown |pages=374–377 |url=http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/Toumicb/toumicb.html |access-date=4 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208043427/http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/Toumicb/toumicb.html |archive-date=8 February 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Rapp2007">{{cite book|last=Rapp|first=Stephen H. Jr|title=The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWp9JA3aBvcC&pg=PA137|access-date=11 May 2012 |year=2007 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-3361-9|page=138|chapter=7 – Georgian Christianity}}</ref> The Church gained [[autocephaly]] during the early Middle Ages; it was abolished during the Russian domination of the country, restored in 1917 and fully recognized by the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://patriarchate.ge/geo/martlmadidebluri-eklesiebi/avtokefaluri-eklesiebi|title=მართლმადიდებელი ავტოკეფალური ეკლესიები|publisher=საქართველოს საპატრიარქო|access-date=27 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228165838/http://patriarchate.ge/geo/martlmadidebluri-eklesiebi/avtokefaluri-eklesiebi/|archive-date=28 February 2017}}</ref>

The special status of the Georgian Orthodox Church is officially recognized in the Constitution of Georgia and the [[Concordat of 2002]], although religious institutions are separate from the state.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Religious minorities of Georgia include Muslims (10.7 percent), [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Christians]] (2.9 percent) and Roman Catholics (0.5 percent).<ref name="Religion" />{{efn|name=a}} 0.7 percent of those recorded in the 2014 census declared themselves to be adherents of other religions, 1.2 percent refused or did not state their religion and 0.5 percent declared no religion at all.<ref name="Religion" />

[[Islam in Georgia (country)|Islam]] is represented by both Azerbaijani [[Shia]] Muslims (in the south-east), ethnic Georgian [[Sunni]] Muslims in Adjara, Chechen sub-ethnic group of Sunni [[Kist people|Kists]] in the Pankisi Gorge, and [[Laz language|Laz]]-speaking Sunni Muslims as well as Sunni [[Meskhetian Turks]] along the border with Turkey. In Abkhazia, a minority of the Abkhaz population is also Sunni Muslim. There are also smaller communities of [[Greek Muslims]] (of [[Pontic Greek]] origin) and [[Armenian Muslims]], both of whom are descended from Ottoman-era converts to Turkish Islam from [[Eastern Anatolia]] who settled in Georgia following the [[Lala Mustafa Pasha's Caucasian campaign]] that led to the Ottoman conquest of the country in 1578. Georgian Jews trace the history of their community to the 6th century BC<ref>Constantine B. Lerner. "The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Medieval Historical Chronicle The Conversion of Katli and The Life of St. Nino", England: Bennett and Bloom, London, 2004, p. 60</ref> but due to immigration to Israel, by the early 2000s their numbers had dwindled to several thousand.<ref>Jacobs, Dan Norman. Paul, Ellen Frankel. [https://books.google.com/books?id=M6QK-J-34jMC&pg=PA14 ''Studies of the Third Wave: Recent Migration of Soviet Jews to the United States''] VNR AG, 1 January 1981 {{ISBN|978-0-86531-143-5}} pp. 13–14</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.ge/main.php?pform=145&plang=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831235152/http://www.statistics.ge/main.php?pform=145&plang=1|url-status=dead|title=statistics.ge|archivedate=31 August 2006|website=www.statistics.ge}}</ref>

Despite the long history of religious harmony in Georgia,{{sfnp|Spilling|Wong|2008|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}} there have been instances of religious discrimination and violence against "nontraditional faiths", such as [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], by followers of the [[defrocked]] Orthodox priest [[Basil Mkalavishvili]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/georgia/georgia_memo_full.htm |title=Memorandum to the U.S. Government on Religious Violence in the Republic of Georgia |date=August 29, 2001 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081102220649/http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/georgia/georgia_memo_full.htm |archive-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to traditional religious organizations, Georgia retains [[Secularism and Irreligion in Georgia|secular and irreligious segments of society]] (0.5 percent),<ref name="Netgazeti">{{cite web |url=http://netgazeti.ge/news/110839/ |title=საქართველოს მოსახლეობის საყოველთაო აღწერის საბოლოო შედეგები |date=28 April 2016 |website=netgazeti.ge |publisher=Netgazeti |access-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513213217/http://netgazeti.ge/news/110839/ |archive-date=13 May 2016 }}</ref> as well as a significant portion of religiously affiliated individuals who do not actively practice their faith.<ref>[http://www.css.ethz.ch/publications/pdfs/CAD-20.pdf Caucasus Analytical Digest No.20] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325085305/http://www.css.ethz.ch/publications/pdfs/CAD-20.pdf |date=25 March 2015 }}, [[Heinrich Böll Foundation|Heinrich Böll Stiftung]], 11 October 2010</ref>

=== Education ===
[[File:Elizabeth Bagrationi Orbeliani, a Georgian poet, translator and professor.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth Orbeliani]], Georgia's first woman professor and co-founder of [[Tbilisi State University]] in 1918]]
The education system of Georgia has undergone sweeping, though controversial, modernization since 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4724213.stm|title=Georgia purges education system|date=29 July 2005|via=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=10 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219051630/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4724213.stm|archive-date=19 December 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Molly Corso (13 May 2005) [http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav041305.shtml Education reform rocks Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731232621/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav041305.shtml |date=31 July 2016 }}. Eurasianet. [[United Nations Development Programme]]. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.</ref> [[Education in Georgia (country)|Education in Georgia]] is mandatory for all children aged 6–14.<ref name="tempus">[http://www.tempus.ge/EDUCATIONAL%20SYSTEM%20OF%20GEORGIA.html Education system in Georgia]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. National Tempus Office Georgia. Retrieved on 2 September 2008. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The school system is divided into elementary (six years; ages 6–12), basic (three years; ages 12–15), and secondary (three years; ages 15–18), or alternatively vocational studies (two years). Access to higher education is given to students who have gained a secondary school certificate. Only those students who have passed the Unified National Examinations may enroll in a state-accredited higher education institution, based on ranking of the scores received at the exams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://naec.ge/#/en/post/55|publisher=National assessment and examinations center|title=Centralized university entrance examinations|access-date=31 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226132040/http://www.naec.ge/#/en/post/55|archive-date=26 February 2017}}</ref>

Most of these institutions offer three levels of study: a bachelor's programme (three to four years); a master's programme (two years), and a doctoral programme (three years). There is also a certified specialist's programme that represents a single-level higher education programme lasting from three to six years.<ref name="tempus" /><ref>[http://www.mes.gov.ge/index.php?module=text&link_id=50 Education institutions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511223922/http://www.mes.gov.ge/index.php?module=text&link_id=50 |date=11 May 2011 }}. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.</ref> {{As of|2016}}, 75 higher education institutions are accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=1855&lang=eng|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia|title=Authorized institutions|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022182826/http://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=1855&lang=eng|archive-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> [[Gross enrolment ratio|Gross primary enrolment ratio]] was 117 percent for the period of 2012–2014, the 2nd highest in Europe after Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR?end=2014&locations=GE&start=1981&view=chart|publisher=The World Bank|title=Gross enrollment ratio, primary, both sexes|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023210048/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR?end=2014&locations=GE&start=1981&view=chart|archive-date=23 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tbilisi has become the main artery of the Georgian educational system, particularly since the creation of the [[Democratic Republic of Georgia|First Georgian Republic]] in 1918 permitted the establishment of modern, Georgian-language educational institutions. Tbilisi is home to several major institutions of higher education in Georgia, notably the [[Tbilisi State Medical University]], which was founded as Tbilisi Medical Institute in 1918, and the [[Tbilisi State University]] (TSU), which was established in 1918 and remains the oldest university in the entire Caucasus region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1297&info_id=6933 |title=New Tbilisi.Gov.Ge – თბილისის მერიის ოფიციალური ვებ გვერდი |publisher=Tbilisi.gov.ge |access-date=5 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220042201/http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1297&info_id=6933 |archive-date=20 February 2012 }}</ref> The number of faculty and staff (collaborators) at TSU is approximately 5,000, with over 35,000 students enrolled. The following four universities are also located in Tbilisi: [[Georgian Technical University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gtu.ge/Contact/|title=Contact|publisher=gtu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227215738/http://gtu.ge/Contact/|archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref> which is Georgia's main and largest technical university, [[The University of Georgia (Tbilisi)]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ug.edu.ge/page/full/55|title=Contact|publisher=ug.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301054819/https://www.ug.edu.ge/page/full/55|archive-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> as well as [[Caucasus University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cu.edu.ge/en/contact|title=Contact|publisher=cu.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216212136/http://cu.edu.ge/en/contact|archive-date=16 February 2017}}</ref> and [[Free University of Tbilisi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freeuni.edu.ge/en/contact|title=Contact|publisher=freeuni.edu.ge|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217062548/http://freeuni.edu.ge/en/contact|archive-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>