Today’s release of the latest regional statistics have revealed that in 2022, 40,191 people resided in the Gozo and Comino region, up from 39,267 recorded in 2021. In Malta for the same year the figure stood at 501,860.
The Regional Statistics Malta 2024 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 2022, 40,191 people resided in the Gozo and Comino region, a slight rise from 39,267 in 2021.
Persons aged between 30 and 39 years accounted for the highest share of the population in the Gozo and Comino region.
Change in Population: 2017-2022
The highest increases in population were experienced in the 30-39 cohort, followed by the 70 to 79 age group.
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 2021 and 2022.
Marriages
In 2022, there was a decrease of 1 marriage registered in the region of Gozo and Comino compared to the previous year.
Households
The most common household size was the one-person in the Gozo and Comino region.
Persons at-risk-poverty rates for Gozo and Comino was 15.1%, up from 12.4% in the previous year.
Selected Social benefits: 2022
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.
Employment
Employment by place of residence: 2022
There were 17,702 Gozo and Comino residents with a full-time job, an increase of 5.7% when compared to 2021.
66.0% of Gozo and Comino residents worked in the private sector.
Employment by place of work in 2022
Full-time employment in Gozo and Comino region amounted to 13,661, an increase of 4.8% when compared to 2021.
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: 2022
Gozo and Comino residents employed on a full-time basis in Malta region totalled 3,494, of which, 54.8% 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 14.8% respectively when compared to 2021.
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 were found in the industries of the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities at 38.1%.
GDP per capita in Gozo and Comino region stood at 55.1% when compared to corresponding estimates at national level.
Active business units: 2021
Active businesses operated in the Gozo and Comino district accounted for the least share at 7.6% 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.
In 2022, the average age of passenger cars in the Gozo and Comino district stood at 16.57 years.
In 2023, just 4.3% of public transport commuters were pertaining to the Gozo and Comino region.
In 2023 the Gozo and Comino district had the lowest registered accidents with 956 cases.
Stock of fishing vessels: 2023
Fishing vessels registered in the Gozo and Comino district amounted to 21.5%.
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo operated by Gozo Channel: 2023
Passengers and vehicles travelling between Malta and Gozo increased by 15.5% and 4.1% respectively when compared to 2022.
Passenger traffic originating from Cirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, whereas highest numbers from Mgarr were recorded on Sundays and Saturdays.
Total passengers making use of the fast ferry service amounted to 693,361, whereas total trips amounted to 7,417.
Tourism
Tourism in collective accommodation for 2023
In Gozo and Comino region guests increased by 21.4% to 108,088, while guest nights went up by 21.8%.
Self-Catering Establishments in Gozo and Comino region – As at end of 2023
Total registered self-catering accommodation accounted for 78.1% 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 2022, total domestic trips to and from Malta, and Gozo and Comino regions amounted to 369,000, a decrease of 5.0% when compared to 2021.
Malta residents who visited the Gozo and Comino region for duration of at least one night…..
Accounted for 72.0% of total tourists (domestic + inbound) visiting this region.
• … and stayed in non-rented accommodation establishments, decreased by 10.7% over 2021, whereas those who stayed in rented accommodation also decreased by 6.5% over the same period.
• … spent an estimate of €57.8 million, 23.1% less when compared to 2021.
•.. Gozo and Comino residents who travelled to Malta region increased significantly from 27,446 in 2021 to 37,545 in 2022.
Inbound tourists visiting only Gozo and Comino region (single centre destination):
• … amounted to 158,378 an increase of 22.7% over 2022.
• … were more likely to stay in rented accommodation (73.0%); the majority (63.4%) opted for non-collective accommodation.
• … on average stayed 9.4 nights, down by 0.5 nights when compared to 2022.
• … mainly travelled by low-cost airlines (57.6%) and by other airlines (42.1%).
• … had an estimated expenditure of €82,3 million. Non-package expenditure was was almost three times higher than the package component
In 2022, same-day visitors to Gozo and Comino accounted for 90.8% of the total inbound visitors to Gozo and Comino, totalling to 1,556,079 visitors
Inbound tourists visiting both regions (Malta-Gozo/Comino) during their stay (twin centre destination) …
• … accounted for 2.6% of the total inbound tourism trips.
• … totalled 77,066, an increase of 19.7% over 2022.
• … were more likely to stay in rented accommodation establishments (91.2%).
• … on average stayed 10.2 nights, down by 0.3 night when compared to 2022.
• … travelled mainly by low-cost airlines (54.9%) and by other airlines (40.3%).
• … had an estimated expenditure of €88.4 million. Non-package expenditure was almost six times higher when compared to package expenditure.
Cruise Passengers – 2023
There were 20 cruise liners calls in Gozo and Comino region during with a total of 6,745 cruise passengers.
Agriculture: 2023
. … Gozo and Comino region yielded €1.9 million worth of vegetables and €0.2 million worth of fruits.
Livestock heads and licences: 2023
. … the Gozo and Comino region accounted for 27.0% of the total licences.
. … the highest number of reared livestock heads in the Gozo and Comino region was that of cattle.
Fisheries: 2023
. … the value of fish landed by Gozitan fishermen accounted for 10.2% of the total value of fish landings recorded in Malta, Gozo and Comino.
Water – Between 2018 to 2023
Seasonal peaks and troughs were most pronounced in the Gozo and Comino region, characterised with sharper increases in demand during summer months.
The reverse osmosis plant in the Gozo and Comino region produced almost 2 million m3 of water, leading to a reduction of 22.9% in the production of groundwater in the same region.
Waste in 2022
The collection of separated dry recyclables through door-to-door collection was higher than in 2018 for Gozo and Comino region by 11.6%.
The collection of separated dry recyclables through bring-in sites decreased by 38.2% on 2018 to 415 tonnes.
The collection of paper constituted the highest share of all material collected through bring-in sites at 42.9%.
Municipal waste generation saw an increase of 6.5% in the Gozo and Comino region over 2018.
Renewable Energy from Photovoltaic Panels (PVs) – In 2023:
. … of the stock of PV installations, 14.6 per cent were in the Gozo and Comino region.
. … the top 9 localities – when comparing the total number of PVs installed per thousand population – were all located in the Gozo and Comino region.
The NSO said that 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 [1]
File Photo: Gozo New/Alain Salvary