National Assessment and Examination Center
Language and Literacy
The official language of the Republic of Georgia is Georgian, a member of the South Caucasian (Kartvelian) family of languages that uses a unique alphabet known since the fifth century A.D. According to the Constitution, the Abkhaz language also is recognized as an official language in the territory of Abkhazia (currently under Russian occupation).
Georgia has always enjoyed a strong literacy tradition. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, adult literacy (i.e., age 15 and older) rates in Georgia are 99.7 percent for women and 99.8 percent for men. Youth literacy (specifically ages 15 to 24) rates are 99.9 and 99.8 percent for females and males, respectively.1 In 2009, Georgia’s net enrollment rate in primary education for both genders was 100 percent, as was the transition rate from primary to secondary education.2