Under a 2011 law aimed to shield the country against exorbitant interest rates and other macroeconomic dangers, the government's debt ceiling is set at 60% of GDP.

According to Finance Ministry estimates, government debt, both domestic and foreign, grew by $2.3 billion, or 33%, as authorities expanded social expenditure last year. When measured in the volatile Georgian lari, the debt-to-GDP ratio momentarily surpassed 60% when combined with a 6.2% drop in production. The lari has now steadied, even recouping some of its losses, and presently sits at approximately 57%. The rate of expansion has accelerated.

Garibashvili presented parliament with a budget for 2022 that relies on borrowing additional 3.1 billion lari (just under $1 billion) from international lenders. The budget was announced just weeks after Garibashvili turned down a 75-million-euro loan from the European Union, stating that Georgia's economy was developing faster than planned and that the money was unnecessary. Earlier, Georgia was rejected by the EU due to its democratic backsliding.

Foreign direct investment has also declined, which had been declining prior to the pandemic. According to Georgia's National Statistics Office, foreign direct investment plummeted to its lowest level in 15 years in 2020, much worse than during the Great Recession.