M. Shelia. - Peculiarities of the Georgia's Population Aging in the 1990's. - The Problems of Demography and Sociology (Collection of Scientific Works, Volume II). - Tbilisi: Universali - 2004 - pp. 129-135 - In Georgian language.
In the 20th century the population of Georgia underwent demographic development almost like European population. After World War II it entered the third stage of demographic transition and since the mid-1970's the population of Georgia has already been demographically aged. Because of the evolutionary demographic development the process was not characterized by high rate but it had irreversible nature.
In the 1990's a profound economic and political crisis entailed demographic crisis and consequently the process of demographic aging accelerated. The unprecedented rate of aging was fixed in the 1990's. One fact should be stressed that the demographic burden didn't increase in the presented period.
The process of demographic aging has developed more profoundly in rural areas than in urban ones. All the regions of the country are aged. The age structure of Russians, Ukrainians, Ossetians and Greeks is deformed most of all. The level of longevity with which Georgia was always a distinguished country and which is scientifically grounded for years also decreased. The French scientists' (J. Valen and F. Mesle) suspicions about the Georgians longevity proved groundless.
In the 1990's Georgia deviated from the evolutionary way of its demographic development that entailed the formation of a new model for demographic aging. Proceeding from the inert nature of demographic processes the drastic demographic changes are not expected in the nearest decades. Therefore, the ways which are acceptable to economically developed western countries will not serve Georgia. Naturally, this doesn't purport that their experience sharing must be ignored. We deem that it is necessary to seek the own original ways which will be scientifically grounded.
M. Shelia.- Population Aging in Georgia. - Tbilisi: TSU - Tsodnis Tskaro - 1999 - 96 p. - In Georgian language. - Summary in Russian.
It is noted in the monograph that demographic aging in Georgia, like many other countries, was caused by steady decline of fertility throughout the XX century. Its peculiarities were determined by the specificity of demographic transition. Namely, in contrast to the classical scheme, fertility decline in Georgia began in the very first phase of demographic transition. It happened in the first quarter of the XX century.
Through the analysis of age structure evolution that spans the last 100 years it was found the following tendencies: steady decline of children (0-14-year-olds); growth and further stabilization of the share of 15-59 year-olds; acceleration of the growth of the contingent's share above 59 year-olds; significant growth of the population share above 64 year-olds. Through the comparative analysis of the urban and rural population age structure it was found that rural population had aged 30 years earlier as compared with urban population. For this reason, there is high difference in the shares of urban and rural population's working age. The working age population in rural areas increased by 7.7 % and it declined in urban areas. Demographic burden and quality of demographic aging of working age population has leveled off.
The grave social and economic situation during the economic and political crisis in the 1990's conditioned fertility decline and intensive emigration processes that in turn accelerated the process of demographic aging. In the shortest period Georgia's population reached the developed level of demographic aging.
M. Shelia. - Main Characteristics of Labor Emigrants' Demographic Structure. - Migration Processes in Post-Soviet Georgia - Collection of Works.- Tbilisi: Lega - 2003 - pp. 59-63 - In Georgian language.
The impact of labor emigration on the demographic potential of Georgia is extremely negative and this is expressed by:
A third of labor emigrants is female; 57 % of this contingent is married. Age composition is characterized by equal distribution, but there are some substantial differences by the countries of immigration and that is conditioned by the differences in the purposes of labor emigration.
The ethnic structure of labor emigrants reflects the ethnic structure of the entire population of the emigrants regions. Through the research it is found that remigration potential of Georgian and Ossetian labor emigrants in comparison with the other ethnicities of Georgia is higher.