Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Official title
Middle-class cost of living index for government employees in
Dhaka city.
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and covers middle-class households
of government employees in Dhaka city.
Official base
1973-74 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from the household
expenditure survey conducted in 1973-74, covering all
households of all income groups. The index relates to middle-income
group households in Dhaka with monthly income between 300 and
999 Taka at the time of the survey.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 77 | 62.74 | ...
|
| Fuel and lighting
| 5 | 7.50 | ...
|
| Housing and household items
| 24 | 11.85 | ...
|
| Clothing, footwear, etc.
| 25 | 6.20 | ...
|
| Miscellaneous
| 57 | 11.71 | ...
|
| Total
| 188 | 100.00 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
Not available.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by enumerators, from markets, selected retail
stores and establishments each week, fortnight, month and quarter. The
frequency of price collection depends on the nature of the item. Prices
for electricity, gas, medical care, education and transport are
collected from the respective service establishments. The prices used
in the index are the open market prices for all items except rice
for which both open and controlled prices are taken into account.
Housing
Rent quotations are obtained from a sample of 10 dwellings.
Specification of varieties
Not available.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
When an item is no longer available it is substituted by another
item with approximately the same quality, and a linking method
is used.
Seasonal items
Fresh fruit and vegetables are regarded as seasonal items, and
are priced when they are available during the season.
Closing prices for the previous season are maintained during the
off season.
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.
Other information
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics also calculates series for
middle-income families in Khulna and Chittagong as well as for
low- and high-income families in Dhaka.
Organisation and publication
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics: Monthly Statistical Bulletin
of Bangladesh
(Dhaka).