Recent studies show that last year, Gozitan students fared much better than Maltese students in the Junior Lyceum examinations. And in the years 2005 to 2007, the ratio of Gozitan students attending the University of Malta increased from 5.9 to 7.8.

Between 2003 and 2007, the total school population decreased by almost 12 per cent in Malta and 10 per cent in Gozo, but this is partly due to the ageing population.

Contrary to popular perception, land under cultivation in both regions in 2007 was proportionately close, with one-third of available land space in both islands earmarked for agricultural use. The cattle population is larger in Gozo, while in mainland Malta in 2007, there were 292 pigs per 1,000 population compared to Gozo’s 73.

The statistics, compiled by the Public Finance department under the directorate of Economic Statistics of the National Statistics Office in Malta (NSO), divides Malta into five regions, the Northern and Western districts, the South Eastern district and the Northern and Southern Harbour Districts, and draws comparisons with Gozo in various sectors of the economy.

A variety of administrative sources were used to gather the data, which analysed the years between 2005 and 2008.

During the short presentation, statistician Clyde Caruana said that 12 themes were covered in the studies, shedding some light in the differences between Malta and Gozo.

Based on a sample of 1,000 persons, last year there were 75.4 per cent of Gozitans who form part of a band club of some sort or other, while 58.8 per cent of the Maltese are members of band clubs. Total expenditure in these band clubs for 2008 included approximately e2,500,000 in Malta, while for the same year expenditure totalled approximately e250,000 in Gozo.

While the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita at current market prices in 2007 stood at e12,512 in Malta, the total estimated amount in Gozo stood at e10,074. Interestingly, Gozo produced a higher GDP per capita than Malta in both the agriculture as well as the construction sectors.



Employment and Energy Consumption

Statistics revealed that in 2008, there were some 339 employees in Malta for every 1,000 persons, while there were 291 employees for the same number in Gozo. More Gozitans depend on the public than the private sector when seeking employment.

In 2005, the Gozitan average household income was roughly e14,000, which was e1,641 less than in the Southern Harbour district (which includes the Cottonera, Fgura and Kalkara among other localities) average household income, and e3,796 less than in the Western region (which includes localities such as Dingli and Rabat) average household income.

Nevertheless, in two years time, by 2007, Gozitan average household income increased by nearly e2,000 up to e16,070. In spite of this leap in quality, Gozo still remains with the lowest average income when compared with the other regions across Malta. Furthermore, in 2007, Gozo had a higher at-risk-of-poverty rate than Malta by four percentage points – 18 and 14 percentage points respectively.

Maltese consume more domestic energy than their brethren across the channel, with 1,595 units consumed by Maltese when compared to the Gozitans’ 1,290. However, the Gozitans consume more water than Maltese, with the Gozitan per capita consumption standing at 89.7 metres cubed for 2008, compared to the 73.3 metres cubed Maltese per capita consumption.



Tourism

In analysing the number of nights spent, non-resident tourists account for 96.5 per cent in mainland Malta. In Gozo, resident tourists account for over a quarter of total nights spent. When comparing 2008 to 2005, the share of domestic tourism in terms of the percentage of nights spent increased by 0.8 percentage points in Malta and 2.4 percentage points in Gozo, which shows that the Gozitan tourism economy is very much dependent on both the Maltese and foreign market.

Statistics also revealed that, as far as road safety is concerned, Gozo offers a much more secure environment. In fact, Gozo registered the least number of recorded car accidents, and has the lowest rate of traffic casualties and fatalities. With regard to reported crime, household burglaries and car theft statistics in the 2005-2007 period showed a declining trend on the mainland and relatively low figures in Gozo.