Explanatory Notes on Main Statistical
Indicators
Consumer
Price Indices reflect the trend and degree of changes in prices of consumer
goods and services purchased by urban and rural households during a given
period. They are obtained by combining Consumer
Price Indices of Urban Household and Consumer Price Indices of Rural Household. The Indices enable the
observation and analysis of the degree of impact of the changes in the prices
of retailed goods and services on the actual living expenses of urban and rural
residents.
Consumer Price Indices of Urban Household reflect the trend and degree of changes in prices of consumer goods and
services purchased by urban households during a given period. It can be used to
observe and analyze the impact of price changes in consumer goods and services
on urban household income and consumption expenditure.
Consumer Price Indices of Rural
Household reflect the
trend and degree of changes in prices of consumer goods and services purchased
by rural households during a given period. It can be used to observe the impact
of change in retail prices of consumer goods and service prices on rural
household income and consumption expenditure on living.
Retail Price Indices reflect the trend and
degree of change in retail prices of commodities during a given period. The
change in retail prices of commodities is related to government revenue, the
equilibrium of market supply and demand, and the ratio of consumption to
accumulation. Therefore, the retail price indices are useful from an oblique
perspective for observing and analyzing the changes of the above economic
activities.
Price Indices
for Means of Agricultural Production reflect the trend and degree of changes in
the prices of the means of agricultural production during a given period.
Compilation of these indices helps to understand the price changes of material
input in agricultural production and facilitate the compilation of national
accounts. Before 1994, price indices for means of agricultural production were
a sub-category in the retail price indices for commodities, and it has been
compiled separately since 1994.
Producer Prices Indices
for Farm Products reflect
the trend and degree of changes in producers’ prices received by farmers when
they sell farm products during a given period. These indices depict the change
in the level and structure of producer prices for farm products of the country
and meet the needs of agricultural statistics and national accounts statistics.
The producer price index for a given product is calculated as the geometrical
mean of individual indices for all surveyed units which sell such product, and
the indices for a product category is obtained as the weighted mean of price indices
for all products in the category. Method for calculating accumulative quarterly
indices is the same as for calculating the individual quarterly indices.
Producer Price Indices
for Industrial Products
reflect the trend
and degree of changes in general ex-factory prices of all manufactured goods
during a given period, including sales of manufactured goods by an industrial
enterprise to all units outside the enterprise, as well as sales of consumer
goods to residents. It can be used to analyze the impact of ex-factory prices
on gross output value and value-added of the industrial sector.
Purchasing Price Indices for
Industrial Producers
reflect changes in the level and degree of
prices paid by industrial enterprises when they purchase production input such
as raw materials, fuels and power from the market or from other energy or raw
materials producing enterprises. These indices provide an important basis for
measuring the material consumption of industrial enterprises after removing the
influence of price changes.
At present, products in 9 categories, including
fuels and power, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, building
materials, are covered in China for the survey to produce indices for purchasing’
prices for industrial producers.
Price Indices for Investment in Fixed
Assets reflect the trend and degree of changes
in prices of investment goods and projects in fixed assets during a given
period. The investment in fixed assets consists of three components, namely the
investment in construction and installation, the investment in purchases of
equipment and instrument, and the investment in other items. Price indices for
investment in fixed assets are calculated as the weighted arithmetic mean of
the price indices for the three components of investment in fixed assets.
Removing the factor of price change in the
aggregates of investment at current prices, this indicator shows the changes in
the prices of commodities and fees involved in the investment of fixed assets,
and can be used to observe the actual size, growth, structure, and efficiency
of investment in fixed assets and provides reliable and scientific data for
government planning, management, decision-making, and further improving the
current national accounting system.