National Statistical Institute

"Statistics on Living Conditions" Department

Irina Tosheva

Chief Expert

2, P. Volov Str.; 1038 Sofia, Bulgaria

ITosheva@nsi.bg

+359 2 9857 612

The variables Average prices and Purchased quantities of main foods and non-foods are estimated based on the information from HBS. The households purchases irrespectively the place of occurrence are used for calculation of the average prices. The purchased quantities foods are computed average per households and the purchased non-foods - average per 100 households.

· Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP/HBS);

· Classification on household income. Since 2008 updated and harmonized regarding the Eurostat requirements for EU-SILC;

· Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose, at five-digit level;

· International Standart Classification of Education, 1997 version (ISCED 1997);

· National Classification of Occupations and Duties-2011 (NCOD-2011);

· Classification of Economic Activities (CEA-2008, for international use NACE.BG-2008).

The Household Budget Survey is a sample survey by implementation of two stage cluster. The general population from which the sample for the survey is formed comprises all the households in the country. Institutional households are not studied by the household budget survey. The unit of observation is every randomly chosen ordinary household irrespective of the number of members and their material and personal status. The sample size for the 2002 - 2009 period is 3000 households and since 2010 ?. - 3060 households each quarter.

The average price of every good is the average value between cost and quantity. The households purchase goods from shops, markets, private persons, because of that the average prices, computed according the data from the HBS, differ considerably from the average consumer prices which are derived on the basis of the survey of a sample of retail shops in selected areas with a precisely defined nomenclature of goods.

The purchased quantities of foods are computed average per household and the purchased non-foods - average per 100 households. The indices of prices measure the average relative change of prices with a structure of goods purchased during the base period.

Households and their members

The purposive aggregate in the HBS are all ordinary households and their members reside in the territory of the country at the moment of the survey. Persons who live in institutional households are excluded from the aggregate.

For the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

1985 - 1991, 1992 - 2000, 2001 - 2011. The differences in the data during the periods are because of differences in the classifications of the expenditure.

2001 for the 2002 - 2011 period

BGN, kg; ton, litre; number; cubic metre; pair, metre, kWh.

Year, quarter

Gentlemen agreement with Eurostat.

Not applicable.

• Law on Statistics;

· Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Individual data are not published in accordance with article 25 of the Law on Statistics. The publishing of individual data can be performed only in accordance with article 26 of the same law.

In June of the year following the reference year for the annual data and 45 days after every current period ? for the quarterly data.

The calendar is available on the NSI website: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/480

Data is published on the NSI website, section Households Income and Expenditure in accordance with the Law on Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice respecting the professional independence and aimed at objectivity, transparency and equal treatment of all consumers.

Yearly, quarterly

Publication ?Average prices and purchased quantities of main foods and non-foods by households?

The publication contains data on the average prices and purchased quantities foods and non-foods by households by years and by quarters. The information from the survey of household budgets is used and because of that these average prices differ from the consumer prices published by the NSI. The purchased quantities foods are computed average per household and the purchased non-foods - average per 100 households. Published are also data on the purchasing power of households calculated by means of total and monetary income, as well as the changes in the purchasing power.

Detailed results on Average prices and purchased quantities of main foods and non-foods by households are available to all users of the NSI website under the heading Households Income and Expenditure - Average prices and purchased quantities of main food and non-foods by households: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/5718

Anonymised individual data can be provide for scientific and research purposes, and for individual request according to the Rules for the provision of anonymized individual data for scientific and research purposes.

Information service on request, according to the Rules for the dissemination of statistical products and services in NSI.

Methodological notes about calculation of the average prices and purchased quantities goods by the households

National quality reports for 2005 and 2010. Eurostat?s quality report of the Household Budget Surveys in EU countries, 2005.

Through checking on field work and control of the thoroughness of the records in the diaries.

The data of the average prices and purchased quantities goods is of interest to a wide number of users - state authorities, public and international organizations (Eurostat, OUN, ILO, etc), students and others.

No user' satisfaction surveys are carried out.

Maximal errors of main values are between 2-5%.

The data are burdened with a certain stochastic error due to the sample character of the survey.

The number of replacements of the households and the reasons that the households do not take part are describing in the methodological notes in the Publication ?Household budgets in the Republic of Bulgaria?.

Data are available 45 days after the current period.

The terms of previous position are observed.

1985 - 1991, 1992 - 2000, 2001 - 2011. The differences in the data during the periods are because of differences in the used classifications of the expenditure.

Household expenditure survey is in accordance with the following surveys: Consumer Price Indices, National Accounts, Purchasing Power Parity.

Every household receive 20 BGN per month of participation. It takes part in the survey 4 months per year, average 2-3 hour per month.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Household dairy and 5 questionnaires

Monthly

The households keep a regular record in the Household Diary on total daily monetary expenditure per month for food products, non-food products, services and irregular expenditure on non-foods during the previous two months. The interviewers visit the household twice a month. During these visits they have a detailed conversation with the members of the household, check the completeness and reliability of the data entered into the diary and questionnaires.

Logical control of data is happened at the time when the information is introduced.

The data are calculated by means of specialized software on a PC.

Not applicable.