Syrian Arab Republic (Damascus)
Official title
Retail Price Index.
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and covers private households in
Damascus.
Official base
1970 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household expenditure
survey conducted in 1971-72.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food and tobacco
| 74 | 488.2 | ...
|
| Fuel and light
| 5 | 45.6 | ...
|
| Rent
| 1 | 177.3 | ...
|
| Furniture and household utensils
| 8 | 18.4 | ...
|
| Cleaning materials
| 4 | 11.8 | ...
|
| Durable goods
| 5 | 11.4 | ...
|
| Household linen
| 4 | 9.5 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 17 | 90.6 | ...
|
| Transport
| 6 | 38.1 | ...
|
| Personal and medical care
| 19 | 78.4 | ...
|
| Education and recreation
| 7 | 30.7 | ...
|
| Total
| 150 | 1000.0 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure for the purpose of the index comprises
almost all important goods and services purchased by the index
population.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by agents from selected retail outlets and
service establishments. Prices for fruit and vegetables are
collected each week and those for other items each month.
The prices used to calculate the index are the
prices actually paid.
Housing
Rent data are collected for furnished and unfurnished rented
dwellings. Owner-occupied housing is not included.
Specification of varieties
Item specifications are given in terms of
quality, make, brand, unit, etc.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
No substitutions are made. If an item disappears from the
market, its price and weight are both omitted from the index.
Seasonal items
Seasonal items are priced during the period they are available
and omitted from the index 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 1971-72.
Other information
Annual averages are published for Aleppo and for Damascus, for
all items and sub-groups.
Organisation and publication
Office of the Prime Minister, Central Bureau of Statistics:
Statistical Abstract
(Damascus).