Nicaragua (Managua)
Official title
Indice de precios al consumidor (Consumer Price Index).
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and covers households in Managua
metropolitan area with monthly incomes ranging from 400 to 7,000
córdobas during May to October 1972.
Official base
December 1974 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household expenditure
survey conducted in Managua between May and October 1972, among a sample
of 330 families selected on the basis of the results of the Population
and Housing Census of April 1971
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food and tobacco
| 81 | 43.07 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 36 | 6.62 | ...
|
| Housing (incl. rent, fuel, light, repairs, furniture, household operation, etc.)
| 34 | 24.74 | ...
|
| Miscellaneous expenses:
| 31
|
| Personal and medical care
| ... | 7.61 | ...
|
| Education and recreation
| ... | 6.13 | ...
|
| Transport
| ... | 11.61 | ...
|
| Personal insurances
| ... | 0.22 | ...
|
| Total
| 182 | 100.00 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure for the purpose of the index refers to
almost all money expenditure by households on goods and services
intended for consumption. It includes the value of goods and
services received as income in kind and home-produced goods
consumed by households.
Method of data collection
Prices for fresh fruit and vegetables are ascertained between
Tuesday and Friday each week through direct buying. Prices for
other items and services are collected each month by agents, between
Tuesday and Friday of the week which includes the 15th of the
month, from selected markets, retail outlets and service
establishments.
The prices used to calculate the index are the regular
prices paid. Discount and sale prices are not taken into
account.
Housing
Rent quotations are obtained for 33 dwellings throughout the city.
Specification of varieties
Specifications of items to be priced are given broadly so that
substitutions can be made.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
When an item disappears from the market, it is substituted by a
similar item and a linking method is used.
Seasonal items
Off-season prices for seasonal items are assumed to follow the price
movements of the other items in the same sub-group. When the seasonal
item reappears on the market, the ratio of the new price to
the last price collected is calculated.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a weighted
arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights corresponding to
May-October 1972.
In computing item indices, the relatives of average prices are
calculated by dividing the average price for the current period by
the average price for the previous period.
Other information
A new series (base October-December 1987 = 100) is now computed but the
relevant methodological information was not available in the ILO at the
time the present volume was published.
Organisation and publication
Oficina Ejecutiva de Encuestas y Censos: Indice General de
Precios al Consumidor de la Ciudad de Managua
(Managua).