The original base periods for the national series presented in the Consumer Price Indices and Producer Price Indices tables of the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (MBS) can vary widely. Therefore, for presentation of these data, the MBS has adopted a uniform base period, which is currently 2010=100. When a country does not compile or provide its Consumer Price Indices’ and/or Producer Price Indices’ data in the base published in the MBS (2010=100), the data in the original base periods are recalculated by the United Nations Statistics Division by dividing the index for each date shown by the index for the year 2010 (or a more recent year for which data are available in the same series) and multiplying the quotient by 100. This operation does not involve any change in the weighting systems used by the countries.

Producer prices are prices at which producers sell their output on the domestic market.

Producer price indices normally cover the prices of the characteristic products of agriculture, forestry, and fishing, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and electricity, gas and water supply. Prices are normally measured in terms of transaction prices, including non-deductible indirect taxes less subsidies, in the case of domestically produced goods and import duties and other non-deductible indirect taxes less subsidies in the case of imported goods.

The Laspeyres index number formula is generally used. The price indices for each country are arranged according to the following scheme:

a.Components of supply
Domestic supply
Domestic production for domestic market
Agricultural products
Industrial products
Imported goods

b.Stage of processing
Raw materials
Intermediate goods

c.End-use
Consumer goods
Capital goods