Slovakia
Official title
Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is computed monthly and covers 90% of households in
Slovakia.
Official base
December 1995 = 100.
Sources of weights
Weights are derived from the household budget survey. Since 1993
the household budget survey is conducted monthly and covers the
whole territory of the Slovak Republic.
Approximately 2,000 households, selected according to the
intentional quota sample design, are surveyed on monthly
base. The sample covers 6 households group (households of
employees, pensioners, employees with one, two and three children
and households with low incomes) and 7 population groups
(workers, freelancers, employees, farmers, non-working
pensioners, working pensioners and other persons).
The new weights were derived from the 1995 household budget
survey and adjusted for the results of the 1995 national accounts
data. The re-basing and re-weighting of the index is expected to
take place in the year 2000, and then every 5 years.
Weights and composition
| Major groups | Number of items | Weights | Approx.No. of price
quotation
|
| Food, and non-alcoholic beverages | 140 | 291.78 | ...
|
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 12 | 44.44 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear | 125 | 110.44 | ...
|
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 46 | 165.12 | ...
|
| Furnishings and household equipment | 92 | 59.36 | ...
|
| Health | 21 | 12.91 | ...
|
| Transport | 54 | 100.14 | ...
|
| Recreation and culture | 77 | 84.66 | ...
|
| Education | 6 | 13.09 | ...
|
| Hotels, cafés and restaurants | 49 | 49.53 | ...
|
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 86 | 68.52 | ...
|
| Total | 708 | 1,000.00 | 90,000
|
Classification scheme is adapted to the SNA 1993.
Household consumption expenditure
Not available.
Sample selection
All items whose weights were higher than 1 permil from the total
weight volume were selected as representatives for pricing.
Method of data collection
Price collectors from the statistical office register prices from
selected retail and service outlets in 38 areas covering the
Slovak Republic's territory. The prices are observed in
approximately 8,500 state, co-operative and private shops during
the first 20 days of each month. The number of price quotations
to be registered for all items in the index are determined
according to the city size, i.e. in a city with up to 20,000
inhabitants 3 reporting units are surveyed for each
representative item, in a city with 20,000 and more inhabitants 5
reporting units and in Bratislava City 5-7 reporting units.
Prices of second hand goods are not included in the index.
Discounts and free market prices for items which also have
official prices are included in the index.
Housing
The rent index covers four types of rents: net rent for
state-owned apartment of I, II and III category as well as
co-operative dwelling of I category. Owner occupied housing is
also included under the rent index as imputed rental
.
Specification of varieties
The goods and services to be priced are specified in detail,
describing variety, quality, make, brand, unit, etc.
Substitution, quality changes
When a given variety disappears from the market, the price
collector is obliged to find such commodity (service), which from
point view of consumer is approaching at most to the original
commodity (service). If a quality change is identified, the
price collector is required to elaborate detailed comment or send
leaflet where all the specifications of the new item are
described. This comment is then being judged by staff of the
Consumer Price Division at headquarters when data are processed.
Recently, however, as statistical experts are not capable to
estimate explicitly the value of quality change one of the
following two methods is applied:
- If the replacement is considered, on the basis on
recommendation of retail (service) outlet, as appropriate, price
change is estimated as a difference between the price of the
replacement and the item replaced.
- If the replacement is considered as a new quality, the quality
change is estimated as difference between the price of the
replacement and the item replaced; the base price is corrected
and the price level is kept to 100% in the month to month
indices; the real price movement of the new product is thus
observed as from the following month.
Seasonal items
Last observed price is carried forward until new product appears.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula, as a
weighted arithmetic average with a fixed base. Average prices
are calculated as simple arithmetic mean of all prices collected.
Other information
CPIs for households of employees, pensioners, employees with one,
two or three children and for households with low incomes are
also computed and published monthly.
Organisation and publication
Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
Consumer Price Indices in the Slovak Republic
- monthly
Statistical Yearbook of the Slovak Republic
- annually
Monitor of the Economy of the Slovak Republic
Bulletin of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
Methodological descriptions are reported in the monthly
publication Consumer Price Indices in the Slovak Republic
.
On Internet web site: http://www.statistics.sk