New Engines of the National Economy: Gambling and IT Sectors Emerge as Leaders of Georgia’s Private Sector

In the first quarter of 2025, Georgia’s private sector once again revealed a dynamic shift in the structure of the national economy and a transition toward new priorities. According to a recently published report by Geostat, the total turnover of the private sector reached 55.9 billion GEL at the beginning of the year — a 14.5% increase compared to the same period last year, indicating a robust level of economic activity.

The most significant transformation within the structure of the economy occurred in the gambling sector. For the first time, this sector overtook trade in terms of turnover, rising to the #1 position with 20.1 billion GEL in bets, and a growth rate exceeding 22%. This figure includes both online and traditional casinos and measures the total volume of bets. In practice, this means that the largest financial flows in Georgia’s economy are now directed toward entertainment and gambling — a shift that introduces entirely new challenges for the country’s financial ecosystem, social environment, and regulatory framework.

The trade sector moved to second place in terms of turnover, reaching 18.3 billion GEL with 7% annual growth. Although this field has traditionally served as a cornerstone of the economy, the emergence of new players has led to a partial decline in its relative weight. The manufacturing industry experienced a decline, with turnover falling by 4% to 4 billion GEL, pointing to a degree of stagnation in this sector.

A more positive outlook can be seen in construction, which registered 2.8 billion GEL in turnover and 5% growth, underscoring the continued role of infrastructure projects in driving economic expansion. However, the most dynamic and visibly expanding sector in Q1 2025 was IT, information, and communication, which saw its turnover nearly double (96% annual increase), surpassing 2.65 billion GEL. This surge is primarily driven by the global export of IT services and confirms that Georgia is increasingly leveraging its geographic and human resources for the digital economy.

The transport and logistics sector also saw notable growth — 14% increase, with turnover reaching 2.4 billion GEL, highlighting the impact of developing international trade corridors and port infrastructure. The energy sector showed 9% growth, with a turnover of 1.7 billion GEL, reflecting progress in green energy and infrastructure investment.

Other sectors with particularly high growth included healthcare (+29%), education (+24%), administrative and support services (+26%), mining and quarrying (+23%), and accommodation services (+20%). This trend signals that the expansion of economic activity is no longer reliant solely on traditional industries and that new economic centers are emerging throughout the country.

In summary, the private sector’s indicators in early 2025 reflect profound internal transformations in Georgia’s economy: gambling and IT are rapidly reshaping the financial landscape, trade and industry are gradually ceding growth momentum to emerging sectors, and healthcare, education, and logistics are becoming new engines of growth. This trend brings both opportunities and challenges, particularly in terms of balancing sectors, ensuring stable development, and maintaining long-term sustainability as Georgia moves forward.