 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 200 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tbilsi · | |
| Religions | |
| Sikhism | |
| Languages | |
| • Urdu |
Sikhs in Georgia are a religious minority in Georgia. There is estimated to be 200 Sikhs living in the country. [1]
| | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 200 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tbilsi · | |
| Religions | |
| Sikhism | |
| Languages | |
| • Urdu |
Sikhs in Georgia are a religious minority in Georgia. There is estimated to be 200 Sikhs living in the country. [1]
Since the early 2000s, Sikh farmers from Punjab, India have been moving to Georgia due to the availability of fertile farmland and its affordability. [2] [3] Additionally, the Government of Georgia had made it easier for immigration from those with a farming background as the country had not utilised its agricultural resources. [4]
Many Punjabi farmers believed that Georgia would soon be a part of European Union therefore making it easier for them to migrate to Canada and the US. [5]
There are currently no official census of Sikhs in Georgia but at its peak there were estimated to be close to 1,800 - 3,000 Sikhs living there. However since backlash from locals, immigration rules have become stricter with permanent residency and visitation. [6] A large number of Sikh farmers left Georgia as a result of this. [7]
Some of the Sikh farmers have learnt the Kartuli dialect of the Georgian language, which is known to be extremely hard to master. [9]
In 2013, a Sikh businessman donated 2 acres of land for a Sikh Gurdwara in Tbilsi. [10]
Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'.
The Anandpur Sahib Resolution was a statement with a list of demands made by a Punjabi Sikh political party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, in 1973.
Moga district is one of the twenty-two districts in the state of Punjab, India. It became the 17th district of Punjab State on 24 November 1995 cut from Faridkot district. Moga District is among the largest producers of wheat and rice in Punjab, India. People from Moga City and Moga District belong to the Malwa culture. The district is noted for being the homeland for a high proportion of Indian Punjabi expatriates who emigrated abroad and their descendents, which has given it the nickname of "NRI district".
Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.
Sikhism is the fourth-largest religious group in Canada, with nearly 800,000 adherents, or 2.1% of Canada's population, as of 2021. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. As of the 2021 Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).
Sikhism is a minority religion in Belgium, but Sikhs have played a role in Belgian history; during World War I, many Sikhs fought in Belgium.
Australian Sikhs number over 210,000 people and account for 0.8% of Australia's population as of 2021, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Australia are found in Victoria, followed by New South Wales and Queensland.
French Sikhs are a growing but minority group in France. It is estimated there are about 30,000 Sikhs, most of whom are based in Paris, Bobigny and Île-de-France.
Italian Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after the United Kingdom (525,000) and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. It is estimated that there are 220,000 Sikhs in Italy, constituting 0.3% of the total Italian population.
Georgia’s climate and soil have made agriculture one of its most productive economic sectors; in 1990, the 18 percent of arable Georgian land generated 32 percent of the republic's net material product in 1990. Since the end of the Soviet period, there has been a decline in the agricultural labor force: some 25 percent of the Georgian workforce was engaged in agriculture in 1990; 37 percent had been so engaged in 1970.
The Punjabi diaspora consists of the descendants of ethnic Punjabis who emigrated out of the Punjab region in the northern part of the South Asia to the rest of the world. Punjabis are one of the largest ethnic groups in both the Pakistani and Indian diasporas. The Punjabi diaspora numbers around the world has been given between 3-5 million, mainly concentrated in Britain, Canada, United States, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealander Sikhs number over 40,000 people and account for 0.9% of New Zealand's population as of 2018, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group.
Punjabi Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. There are over 300,000 Punjabi Americans, many of whom were Sikhs, Ravidassias from British Punjab who first settled in California's Central Valley.
The South Asian community in British Columbia was first established in 1897. The first immigrants originated from Punjab, British India, a northern region and state in modern-day India and Pakistan. Punjabis originally settled in rural British Columbia at the turn of the twentieth century, working in the forestry and agricultural industries.
Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
Sikhism in Japan is a small, minority religion. There are gurdwaras located in Tokyo, Ibaraki and Kobe.
Sikhism in South Korea is a minority religion.
Sikhs in Portugal is a minority religion. The Sikh community in Portugal is a small but vastly growing one. According to the latest available data, there are estimated to be around 35,000 Sikhs living in the country. The Sikh population in Portugal has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work, construction work or to start their own businesses.
Sikhs in Spain are a minority religion group. The Sikh community in Spain is a small but fast growing group. According to the latest available data, there are estimated to be around 26,000 Sikhs living in the country. The Sikh population in Spain has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work, construction work or to start their own businesses.
Sikhs in Mexico are a religious minority in Mexico. There is estimated to be no more than 1,000 Sikhs living in Mexico, with most residing in Mexico City and the Naucalpan region.
We are paying $950 [£580] for each hectare for a 99-year lease. You'd not get much for that in the Punjab. I'm not sure if the farm is in the north or south but it is sort of over by Turkey and Armenia
A large chunk of fertile land, which was lying uncultivated in Tsnori, was available at a price lower than Punjab
Georgia has stepped up the immigration of people with agricultural know-how and farmland sales to foreigners, as the country's abundant and agriculturally potent conditions have not been properly utilised by local farmers.
Though the Georgian government banned the sale of agricultural land in 2014, following protests by some local farmers, this does not affect the relations of the Punjabi settlers and their Georgian neighbours, and the reason is their shared vision of growth and mutual prosperity," said Brar, adding that farmers are now facing some permanent residency (PR) issue as earlier PR was taking place after six years of stay in Georgia, but now the period has been increased to 10 years.
Despite their efforts, however, tensions remain. About half of the community left after changes in the government led to stricter immigration and land-ownership laws.
Near the town of Rustavi, some 30km south of the capital, a Sikh temple, or Gurdwara, is being built to accommodate newly arrived worshippers.