Sierra Leone (Freetown)
Official title
Consumer Price Index for Low-Income Families.
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and relates to low-income group households
in Freetown, including Greater Freetown, with an average monthly total
expenditure not exceeding 100 leones in 1976-77.
Official base
1978 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household expenditure
survey conducted during April 1976-July 1977, among 576 private
households in Freetown including Greater Freetown, with an average
monthly expenditure not exceeding 100 leones in 1976-77. The weights
were adjusted for price changes between the survey period and 1978.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 62 | 63.1 | ...
|
| Tobacco and cola nuts
| 5 | 3.8 | ...
|
| Housing:
|
| Rent
| 1 | 9.2 | ...
|
| Rates and repairs
| 4 | 0.3 | ...
|
| Fuel and light
| 6 | 6.9 | ...
|
| Furniture, furnishings, and household goods
| 18 | 1.8 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 31 | 5.4 | ...
|
| Miscellaneous goods and services:
|
| Personal care
| 10 | 1.4 | ...
|
| Medical care
| 11 | 1.6 | ...
|
| Cleaning materials
| 6 | 1.9 | ...
|
| Recreation
| 4 | 0.2 | ...
|
| Reading and education
| 5 | 0.6 | ...
|
| Transport and communication
| 7 | 3.5 | ...
|
| Other expenses
| 2 | 0.3 | ...
|
| Total
| 172 | 100.0 |
|
Household consumption expenditure
Not available.
Method of data collection
Prices for most items are collected by agents from retail outlets.
Prices for food items are collected from three major public markets.
The frequency of price collection may be weekly, monthly or quarterly
depending on the price variability of the individual item; most food
items are priced once a week.
Housing
Rent quotations are obtained each quarter for 91 dwellings, while rates
for communal services are obtained once a year.
Specification of varieties
The specifications of items to be priced are given in detail taking into
account the popularity of the items. Specifications are given in terms
of the brand, make, quality and size.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
If an item is no longer available, it is replaced by a similar item
and a method of linking is used.
Seasonal items
For fresh fruit and vegetables, prices during the off season are
assumed to follow the price movements of the other items included in the
sub-group.
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 relatives for the current and previous periods are used to
compute item indices.
Organisation and publication
Central Statistics Office: Statistical Bulletin
(Freetown).
Idem: Technical Report on Revision of Consumer Price Index
for Freetown with base 1978 = 100
(August 1984).
Government Printing Department: The Sierra Leone Gazette
.