The National Statistics Office will next month open an outlet in Gozo to work on figures and indicators that are specific to the island, NSO chief Michael Pace Ross said today.

He said these figures would help in the formulation of policies and decisions specific to Gozo.

Mr Pace Ross was speaking during the launch of the publication Gozo in figures, a study focused on drawing out the differences between the two islands. It is the second publication of its kind after that of 2012.

The study showed, among other things, that although Gozo's economy grew over the past years, the growth rate was slower than that of Malta, resulting in a widening gap rather than a convergence.

The figures also showed that the rate of population growth was also slower than that of Malta since the births are almost equal to the deaths, except in 2009 when there were more deaths than births.

Gozo has just over 31,450 residents living in slightly more than 10,000 households. When compared to Malta, Gozo had a high number of single-person households and households with more than five people. This could be due to a large number of elderly people. There are some 4,000 people aged over 70 in Gozo.

Gozo also stood out in terms of the number of self employed as well as in the number of people working in the public sector.

The study also showed that Gozitan households are poorer than the Maltese, with a discrepancy of €2,000 in disposable income.

Describing the NSO branch as "a dream come true", Gozo Minister Anton Refalo said the branch will help in the formulation of Gozo-specific policies, addressing problems the Gozitans face on a daily basis, such as the double insularity.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna criticised the report drawn up in preparation for the second EU funding which did not delve into Gozo's problems, meaning that the island was not considered as a special case for the European Commission, missing out on the possibility of applying for specific aid.