Netherlands Antilles
Official title
Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and relates to the whole
population of Curaçao, Bonaire and St. Marten.
Official base
October 1990 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household
expenditure survey conducted from may 1988 to June 1989 among a sample
of 1320 households living in all five islands. Data on food and beverage
were collected during 2 and 4 weeks, the rest of the expenditures had
reference period of 3 and 12 months.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 9 | 22.07 | ...
|
| Beverages and tobacco
| 2 | 2.32 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 2 | 8.68 | ...
|
| Housing (incl. rent, fuel and light, and household expenditure)
| 5 | 18.76 | ...
|
| Furniture, furnishings and household equipment
| 7 | 9.96 | ...
|
| Medical care
| 1 | 2.16 | ...
|
| Transport and communication
| 4 | 19.45 | ...
|
| Education and recreation
| 5 | 5.95 | ...
|
| Other (incl. personal care, insurance and other goods and services)
| 3 | 10.65 | ...
|
| Total
| 38(a) | 100.00 | ...
|
Note: (a) Number of sub-groups.
The clasification scheme confirms with the SNA classification of Household
final consumption expenditures.
Household consumption expenditure
Household consumption expenditures are defined as non-productive use of
goods and services orginated from the productive sector. Income in kind,
owner-occupied dwellings, purchases of durable goods on credit, insurance
of consumer goods and gifts and other disbursement in cash are treated as
consumption. Second hand purchases, contribution to social insurance and
pension funds, life insurance payment and remittances are excluded.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected from 130 localities, outlets, supermartkets, etc.,
selected according to the results of the HBs, in which all household
members recoded, in a special note-book, all their purchases as well
as place where the purchases were made.
The majority of prices ae collected monthly, exceptions are cars, autoparts,
etc., which are collected on a quarterly basis. Discounts and sales prices
are collected and treated as normal price.
Housing
No price data on rents is being collected. Since 1983 there has been no
increase in the rents. In the computation it is assumed (quite arbitrary)
that there is a monthly increase of 0.2%.
Specification of varieties
The specification of all items to be priced are given in detail.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
When a given item or type disappears from the market it is replaced by
another one which is as much as possible similar to the first one. A new
poduct is only taken into account, in case it has to replace a similar
product which disappeared fom the market.
Seasonal items
Not applicable.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a weighted
arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights corresponding to the
base period. Price averages are computed as an unweighted arithmetic mean.
Missing prices: for a short term considered to be unchanged in price,
for a long period replaced by a look-alike product.
Other information
CPI is computed independantly for three different islands. On a national
level there are no CPI being computed.
Organisation and publication
Central Bureau of Statistics
Statistical Quarterly Bulletin, Statistical Yearbook, Statistical
Orientation, Economisch Profiel