Why can Ireland’s inflation rate differ from your shopping bill?
A national price index combines many purchases that no single household makes in exactly the same proportions. Ireland's Consumer Price Index uses spending weights, so changes in different prices contribute unequally to the overall figure.
Questions you could explore
- How does a spending weight affect the index?
- Why might two households experience the same price changes differently?
Start reading
- Central Statistics Office, IrelandCSO Consumer Price Index Methodology
The CSO explains how the Irish CPI basket, coverage and spending weights are constructed.
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