The Roma community appeared in Georgia in the 19th century first. Their number increased after World War II. By 1959, 1024 Roma were living in Georgia. Roma people who permanently live in Georgia are their descendants. However, some Romani are seasonal visitors from Azerbaijan.
Officially 604 Romani live in Georgia. However, in reality, their number may reach 3000. The two most widely spread groups in Georgia are Vlachs and Krim. Armenian-speaking Romani, also called as Lom, mainly reside in Akhalkalaki, Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
Those Romani we see in the streets most often belong to the Dom subgroup. They have a different religion, language, culture, and because of these differences, some Romani rarely identify them as part of their community. Representatives of Dom came to Georgia from the Middle East and Central Asia centuries ago.
Georgian Romani mainly live in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Poti, Ozurgeti, Kobuleti, Kakheti, and Gardabani villages.
Romani living here are fully isolated from the rest of the population. They usually don’t speak Georgian and the majority are illiterate. Romani prefer to stay in the shadow. A tiny part of them who live differently hides their identities.
