Samoa
Official title
Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is compiled monthly and covers Samoan households
throughout the country.
Official base
1980 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from the household
expenditure survey conducted from August 1976 to July 1977, covering
1,560 households throughout the country. The weights were not adjusted
to take account of price changes between the survey period and 1980.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 55 | 588 | 1016
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 16 | 42 | 168
|
| Housing:
|
| Building materials
| 7 | 14 | 67
|
| Kitchen utensils
| 7 | 26 | 96
|
| Household linen
| 7 | 11 | 48
|
| Fuel and light
| 5 | 50 | 24
|
| Other
| 7 | 19 | 48
|
| Transport and communication
| 9 | 90 | 37
|
| Miscellaneous
| 24 | 160 | 96
|
| Total
| 137 | 1000 | 1600
|
Household consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure for the purpose of the index comprises
all goods and services purchased for consumption by the index
population. It excludes goods or services produced on own
account and goods or services received as income in kind for
household use.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by statistical officers of the Department of
Statistics from selected retail stores, markets and service
establishments. Ten major stores were selected from the Apia
urban area, seven from the rest of Upolu, six from Satelologa and
seven from the rest of Savaii. As price movements in the rural
areas are similar to those in the urban area, price collection
is limited to the urban area.
Most prices are collected in the middle of each month.
Prices for vegetables, fruit, nuts and fresh fish are
obtained every Friday from the Apia urban area.
The prices used in the calculation of the index are the retail
prices actually paid. Sale and discount prices are not taken
into account.
Housing
Rent is excluded from the index. The housing index
comprises building materials and furniture, kitchen utensils,
linen, fuel and light and certain other items.
Specification of varieties
The specifications of items to be priced are given in detail in
terms of brand, make, quality and size.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
When a product disappears from the market, it is substituted by a
similar product. Quality changes are adjusted as much as
possible to the original quality required.
Seasonal items
In case of seasonal items such as fruit and vegetables which are not
available on the market during the off season, the last available prices
are used for calculating the index until the items can be priced again.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a
weighted arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights
corresponding to August 1976-July 1977.
The price relative for each item is computed by dividing the average
price for the current period by the average price for the base period.
Average prices are simple arithmetic averages of all available price
quotations.
Organisation and publication
Department of Statistics: Quarterly Statistical Bulletin
(Apia).
Idem: The Annual Abstracts
.
Idem: Monthly C.P.I. Release
.
Idem: Report on the Revised Consumer Price Index for
Western Samoa, 1980 = 100
.