The latest regional statistics have revealed that in 2021, 39,287 people resided in the Gozo and Comino region, a steep rise from the 34,563 recorded in 2020.

The Regional Statistics Malta 2023 Edition has been published today by the National Statistics Office, compiled by Regional, Geospatial, Energy and Transport Statistics Unit in collaboration with various units within the NSO.

Below are some of the other statistics relevant to the Gozo and Comino region…..

Population

In 2021, 39,287 people resided in the Gozo and Comino region, up from 34,563 in 2020.

Persons aged between 30 and 39 years accounted for the highest share of the population in the Gozo and Comino region.

Change in Population: 2011-2021

The highest increases in population were experienced in the elderly population cohorts while the population of between 10 and 19 years of age registered the largest decrease.

The highest increases in the foreign population occurred within the population of 30-39 years of age.

There were negative natural population growth rates in both 2015 and 2021.

Marriages

There was a decrease of 112 marriages registered in the region of Gozo and Comino during 2021.

Households

The most common household size was the two-person in the Gozo and Comino region.

Persons at-risk-poverty rates for Gozo and Comino was 12.4%.

Selected Social benefits: 2021

In the region of Gozo and Comino, the expenditure per capita on the selected benefits was highest in Victoria with expenditure per capita exceeding €1,500, while Zebbug, Munxar and Gharb registered the least expenditure per capita of less than €1,000.

Education

The share of graduates per 1,000 inhabitants – Academic year 2020/2021 was highest in the Gozo and Comino district at MQF level 6 with a share of 8.3

Employment

Employment by place of residence: 2021

There were 16,784 Gozo and Comino residents with a full-time job, an increase of 5.9% when compared to 2020.

64.5% of Gozo and Comino residents worked in the private sector.

Employment by place of work in 2021

Full-time employment in Gozo and Comino region amounted to 13,180, an increase of 7.2% when compared to 2020.

Full-time males in the Gozo and Comino region were predominantly employed in the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities, while the females were mainly employed in the public administration and defence; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities.

Commuter workers: 2021

Gozo and Comino residents employed on a full-time basis in Malta region totalled 3,209, of which, 57.3% worked in the public sector and the remaining worked in the private sector.

Economy

Gross Value Added at basic price: 2021

For the region of Gozo and Comino, GVA increased by 16.6% respectively when compared to 2020.

The majority of industries in Gozo and Comino region registered increases in GVA when compared to the previous year.

The largest increase in the Gozo and Comino region was registered in the construction industry at 35.1%.

GDP per capita in Gozo and Comino region stood at 63.6% when compared to corresponding estimates at national level.

Active business units: 2021

Most of the active businesses operated in the Gozo and Comino district accounted for the least share at 7.8% of the total active businesses at local unit level.

Transport

Driving licence holders in Gozo and Comino district accounted for 9.6% cent of the total.

As at end of 2021, Gozo and Comino district registered the highest ratio of vehicles, 1,064 per 1,000 total residents.

In 2022, the average age of passenger cars in the Gozo and Comino district stood at 17.01 years (the highest of the regions).

In 2022, just 4.2% of public transport commuters were pertaining to the Gozo and Comino region.

In 2022 the Gozo and Comino district had the lowest registered accidents with 1.012 cases.

Stock of fishing vessels: 2022

Fishing vessels registered in the Gozo and Comino district amounted to 20.8%.

Sea transport between Malta and Gozo operated by Gozo Channel: 2022

Passengers and vehicles travelling between Malta and Gozo increased by 27.9.0% and 13.5% respectively when compared to 2021.

Passenger traffic originating from Cirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, whereas highest numbers from Mgarr were recorded on Sundays and Mondays.

Total passengers making use of the fast ferry service amounted to 476,180, whereas total trips amounted to 6,157.

Tourism

Tourism in collective accommodation for 2022

In Gozo and Comino region guests increased by 27.8% to 89,017, while guest nights went up by 32.0%.

Self-Catering Establishments in Gozo and Comino region – As at end of 2022

Total registered self-catering accommodation accounted for 78.6% of total bed stock in Gozo and Comino region.

Other self-catering establishments, comprising of apartments and villas with pool, accounted for more than half of the total active holiday furnished premises.

Domestic Tourism

In 2021, total domestic trips to and from Malta, and Gozo and Comino regions amounted to 389,561, an increase of 8.1% when compared to 2020.

Malta residents who visited the Gozo and Comino region for duration of at least one night…..

Accounted for 83.8% of total tourists (domestic + inbound) visiting this region.

• … and stayed in non-rented accommodation establishments, increased by 7.5% over 2020, whereas those who stayed in rented accommodation increased by 3.0% over the same period.

• … spent an estimate of €75.6 million, 32.4% more when compared to 2020.

•.. Gozo and Comino residents who travelled to Malta region increased significantly from 11.971 in 2020 to 24,309.

Inbound tourists visiting only Gozo and Comino region (single centre destination):

• … amounted to 64,687 an increase of 116.4% over 2021.

• … were more likely to stay in rented accommodation (72.2%); the majority (65.1%) opted for non-collective accommodation.

• … on average stayed 9.9 nights, down by 1.9 nights when compared to 2021.

• … mainly travelled by low-cost airlines (57.2%) and by other airlines (42.5%).

• … had an estimated expenditure of €62.4 million. Non-package expenditure was four times higher than the package component

In 2022, same-day visitors to Gozo and Comino accounted for 90.3% of the total inbound visitors to Gozo and Comino, totalling to 1,203,891 visitors

Inbound tourists visiting both regions (Malta-Gozo/Comino) during their stay (twin centre destination) …

• … accounted for 2.8% of the total inbound tourism trips.

• … totalled 64,372, an increase of 57.9%% over 2020.

• … were more likely to stay in rented accommodation establishments (89.9%).

• … on average stayed 10.5 nights, down by 0.3 night when compared to 2021.

• … travelled mainly by low-cost airlines (51.9%) and by other airlines (42.9%).

• … had an estimated expenditure of €67.2 million. Non-package expenditure was almost five times higher when compared to package expenditure.

Cruise Passengers – 2022

There were 13 cruise liners calls in Gozo and Comino region during with a total of 2,656 cruise passengers.

Agriculture: 2022

. … Gozo and Comino region yielded €1.6 million worth of vegetables and €0.3 million worth of fruits.

Livestock heads and licences: 2022

. … the Gozo and Comino region accounted for 27.2% of the total licences.

. … the highest number of reared livestock heads in the Gozo and Comino region was that of cattle.

Fisheries: 2022

. … the value of fish landed by Gozitan fishermen accounted for 9.6% of the total value of fish landings recorded in Malta.

Water – Between 2017 to 2022

Seasonal peaks and troughs were most pronounced in the Gozo and Comino region, characterised with sharper increases in demand during summer months.

The new reverse osmosis plant in the Gozo and Comino region produced almost 1.2 million m3 of water, leading to a reduction of 20.1% in the production of groundwater in the same region.

Waste in 2021

The collection of separated dry recyclables through door-to-door collection was higher than in 2017 for Gozo and Comino region by 22.7%.

The collection of separated dry recyclables through bring-in sites decreased by 33.9% on 2017 to 577 tonnes.

The collection of glass constituted the highest share of all material collected through bring-in sites at 49.0%.

Municipal waste generation saw an increase of 7.9% in the Gozo and Comino region over 2017.

Renewable Energy from Photovoltaic Panels (PVs) – In 2022:

. … of the stock of PV installations, 14.8 per cent were in the Gozo and Comino region.

. … the top 10 localities – when comparing the total number of PVs installed per thousand population – they were all located in the Gozo and Comino region.

The publication presents regional statistics on the socio-economic and environmental aspects of Malta, this publication has become a mainstay of statistical information on the regional perspective.

It presents a comprehensive collection of statistics covering eight domains, namely, demography, education, labour market, economy, transport, tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and resources.

The full publication can be accessed by clicking here

File Photo: Gozo New/Alain Salvary

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