Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Saint Vincent)
Official title
Index of Retail Prices.
Scope
The index is computed monthly and relates to the whole population in
Saint Vincent.
Official base
January 1981 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household expenditure
survey conducted during six months beginning in November 1975 in the
urban area and the rural areas of Saint Vincent. The survey covered 164
households of all income groups. The average household size was 5.84
persons.
Weights and composition
Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
Food
| 88 | 597.9 | ...
|
Other groups:
| 130 | 402.1 | ...
|
Clothing and footwear
| ... | ... | ...
|
Housing, fuel and light
| ... | ... | ...
|
Furniture and household supplies
| ... | ... | ...
|
Medical care
| ... | ... | ...
|
Transport and communication
| ... | ... | ...
|
Education and recreation
| ... | ... | ...
|
Miscellaneous
| ... | ... | ...
|
Total
| 218 | 1000.0 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
Not available.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by agents from market areas, retail outlets,
supermarkets and service establishments on the second Tuesday of each
month.
Housing
Included under rent are a three-bedroom unfurnished house in the capital
city and a three-bedroom unfurnished house in the rural area.
Owner-occupied housing is not used in the index.
Specification of varieties
Not available.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
Not available.
Seasonal items
Not available.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a weighted
arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights corresponding to
1975-76.
Price relatives for the current and base periods are used to compute
item indices.
Organisation and publication
Central Planning Division, Statistical Office: Annual Digest of
Statistics
(Kingstown).
Idem: Retail Price Bulletin
.