POPULATION GEOGRAPHY

Five visuals to explain the uneven spatial distribution of population

---

Using data from General Population Census 2014, these 5 visuals will shed some light on the uneven spatial distribution of some 3.7 mln Georgian citizens across the country (partially excluding Abkhazian A.R. and Tskhinvali region).

1. Geography matters

Population per 1 sq.km grid.

Spread out and continuous in the West, scattered and concentrated in a few spots in the East. That populated axis from Telavi to Dedoplistskaro is the place where most of the Georgian wine is made.

2. Taking a different perspective

Population per 1 sq.km from West to East.

The country’s population went down by 1,2 mln between 1994–2018. The upside down chart figuratively represents the shrinking population of Georgia.

3. Spatial concentration and agglomeration

Three biggest urban agglomeration.

The second largest city in the country is nearly ten times smaller than Tbilisi. Due to the high concentration of socio-economic activities in the capital region, the city houses nearly one third of the whole country.

4. Does size really matter?

Two key regions of the country.

Even though the inhabited territory within the yellow circle (except for the part overlapping the sea, obviously) is ten times the size of the one in the red circle, there are still nearly 100 000 less people living there.

5. Balancing?

Demographic proportions of each region.

This cartogram here speaks for itself. It illustrates the relative sizes of the populations of different regions of Georgia by scaling the area of each territorial entity in proportion to its population.

---

Data: Geostat | 2014 Population census