Romania
Official title
Indice des prix à la consommation de la population (Consumer
Price Index).
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and covers households throughout
the country whose head is a wage earner, pensioner or farmer.
Official base
1995, previous month, December of the previous year and the
corresponding month of the previous year.
Sources of weights
The weights were derived from Integrated Household Survey carried
out in 1995 by the National Commission for Statistics and the
Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. The survey was carried
out within 501 research centres in 365 urban and rural areas
representing all counties in Romania and in Bucharest
Municipality. The sample used guarantees the estimation of the
main variables with 97% probability. Data collection relied on
daily records made in the household diary and on the interview
carried out by specialised statistical agents. The results were
based on the information collected from those households which
accepted to take part in the survey (92% response rate).
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of Items
| Weights
| Approx. No. of price quotation
|
| Food
| 54 | 47.9 | ...
|
| Non-food products
| 112 | 40.3 | ...
|
| Services
| 48 | 11.8 | ...
|
| Total
| 214 | 100.0 | ...
|
COICOP classification has been used since 1995.
Household consumption expenditure
The consumption expenditure used for deriving the weights refers
to household money expenditure for purchases goods and services
necessary to satisfy the living needs. It excludes the value of
consumption from own production, imputed rent for owner-occupied
dwellings, investment expenditures, taxes, fines, gambling,
interest payments, insurance, social security contributions,
loans and remittances.
Sample selection
Representative items were selected on the basis of the following
principles: homogeneity, representativity, significance in the
consumption and dispersion of elementary indices by items and
expenditure positions. The sample of municipalities is selected
on the basis of information about the volume of retail trade
turnover, as well as number of inhabitants in these localities.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by agents from markets, fairs, retail
outlets, co-operatives and service establishments. The prices of
items are recorded on the 10, 20 and 30 (31) day of each month.
Prices for electricity, gas, water, heating oil, rents, postal
services, telecommunication and public transport are official
tariffs and are collected once a month.
The index takes into account discounts, free market prices for
items which also have an official price and prices of imported goods,
when the volume of sale is considerable.
Housing
Rent data for state-owned dwellings are collected each month.
Owner-occupied dwellings are not included in the index.
Specification of varieties
The specifications of items to be priced are detailed and
describe technical characteristics.
Substitution, quality changes
If an item is quality changed, it is either
assumed that there is no price change, or a linking method is
used. When a product is no longer available, it is replaced at
the beginning of the next year by a new product, or its weight
is added to another item or it is distributed within the
subgroup. New items are introduced when their sales become
significant.
Seasonal items
Seasonal items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are grouped in
a monthly basket whose overall weight remains constant during the
year. The prices of seasonal items are collected only when they
are sold in sufficient quantities. The prices for early
vegetables and fruit are not recorded.
Computation
Unweighted average prices - of all prices observed- are first
calculated for each collection point. The average of prices
relatives between the current and base periods are used to
compute items indices. 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
None.
Organisation and publication
National Commission for statistics,
Prices Statistical Bulletin
,
Quarterly Statistical Bulletin
,
Romanian Statistical Yearbook