Tbilisi (GBC) - The American think tank The Heritage Foundation has published its 2026 “Index of Economic Freedom.” According to the report, Georgia’s rating score increased by 0.6 to 69.6, although the country failed to improve its position in the world ranking and still occupies 35th place.
Despite the slight increase, Georgia’s indicator still lags behind the 2021 mark, when the country had a score of 76 and was among the top twelve in the world. Since 2023, Georgia has remained below the 70-point mark, which is a setback compared to the high indicators recorded in the period 2012-2022.
According to the components, the sharpest decline in the 2026 report was recorded in the protection of property rights - the indicator decreased by 9.3 points and amounted to 53 points. The indicators of judicial efficiency (-1.5) and tax burden (-1.3) also deteriorated. Experts attribute the deterioration of the positions to the decline in the quality of governance and restrictions on business freedom.
In contrast, a significant increase was recorded in the direction of fiscal health (+13.2), where the country received 89.1 points. This improvement is associated with a decrease in the ratio of public debt to GDP.
Key Index Criteria (2026):
- Fiscal Health: 89.1 (+13.2)
- Tax Burden: 87.8 (-1.3)
- Trade Freedom: 86.8 (+0.6)
- Business Freedom: 76.6 (-1.5)
- Monetary Freedom: 70.2 (+4.9)
- Property Rights: 53.0 (-9.3)
Georgia Maintains Leadership in Regional Context:
- Armenia is 52nd with a score of 67.1
- Azerbaijan is 67th (64.3)
- Turkey is 117th (55.0)
- While Russia is 145th (50.3)
The 2026 Index is led by Singapore (84.4), Switzerland (83.7) and Ireland (83.3) are in. The last places in the ranking are shared by Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea (3.1 points).