Consumer price index, February 2021

National level only

Published the 10th of the month, around 10 days after the current month.

Harmonized Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) for Norway are reportedly monthly to EUROSTAT.

Data at micro level, information about sample units, population, and catalogues are stored in Oracle databases.

The CPI measures the actual changes in the prices for household goods and services including charges and fees. Established in 1960 and replaced the Cost of Living Index, which had been published since 1914. In 1999 the process of revision and the methods of calculations were modernised and improved, and the classification of consumption was changed to Classification of individual consumption by purpose (COICOP). In 2005 the sub-index for food and non-alcoholic beverages was improved, which resulted in a sub-index exclusively based on the use of electronic scanner data. From 2011 National Account data are the main weigh source and replaced the Household Budget Survey which had been used since 1960. The price reference month is changed from July to December. From 2016 the classification of consumption was extended and are now named ECOICOP (European Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose). In addition the classification of indices grouped by delivery sector is revised.

The CPI has its most advanced users in the public sector (ministries, the Central Bank of Norway) and in the financial sector. Labour organisations and employers' federations are other important users. The CPI is widely used to index payments such as different contracts. Within Statistics Norway the CPI is an important input to the National Accounts . It is also used as a deflator for the index of Retail Sales. Primary data is also used in analysis and research within Statistics Norway.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. For more information, go to: equality priciples

Some data are collected from the Construction Cost Index for Residential Buildings, the price indices for business activities (car rental, other transport services and legal activities) and from the Wage Statistics . The CPI is an important input to the National Accounts. It is also used as a deflator for the index of Retail Sales.

The Statistics Act of June 21, 2019 number 32 

With exeption of the computation of the owner-occupied housing follow the CPI the same legislation as the Harmonized Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP). More about EUROSTATS regulations: Legislation related to the HICP

The population is defined as all goods and services offered to households in Norway. Prices and expenditure shares of a sample of products and services are being measured. Expenditure shares (weights) are based on data obtained from the National accounts, while prices are collected each month from a representative sample of retail and service outlets. This sample is selected from all outlets in Statistics Norway's Business Register defined as the industries 45, 47, 55, 56, 77, 95 and 96 (SIC07 -The Standard Industrial Classification). In addition, prices are collected with unequal frequency from different outlets or parties (including households) mainly on services within the industries 35, 49, 50, 51, 53, 60, 61, 65, 66, 69, 77, 79, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91 and 93. Household samples are selected from the "Central Population Register".

The CPI is based on the following sources: Electronic questionnaires, electronic data from firms and dwellings, turnover information from Statistics Norway's Business Register, commodity trade statistics, and budget shares from the household budget survey.

A sample of about 650 goods and services is selected. In addition, scanner data is used as the only data source for food and beverages together with non-food goods from supermarkets, pharmaceutical goods, fuel and within specific consumption groups in clothing and equipment for sport and open-air recreation

Representative goods and services in the sample are selected based on information from the annual household budget survey and branch information. The sample of goods and services is basically kept constant, but is regularly updated when new important products enter the market while outdated products are removed. Prices are collected from a sample of outlets, households and municipalities. The outlets comprise a panel sample where one sixth of the outlets are replaced each year. The sample amounts to about 2 000 firms. The sample of households for the survey of rents amounts to 2 500 tenants based on the Rental market survey. The outlets/firms are selected from Statistics Norway's Business Register in proportion to the firms turnover i.e. large firms have a bigger probability of being chosen. The selection is made after stratifying the population by industry and region. The probability to be selected is proportional to the size of the turnover. The sample does not overlap the sample of the Index of Retail Sales .

The sampling plan for the food and non-alcoholic beverages index is based on the population in the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises (CRE) defined as the industries in 47.11 and 47.12. The draft population consists of companies belonging to the major supermarket chains and their associated kiosk chains, provided that they can deliver scanner data. Parts of the sample are replaced each year to ensure a representative sample. 

Another sampling methodology is used for sub-surveys directed towards municipalities (KOSTRA). 

The main part of the prices are collected by means of electronic questionnaires, which are sent to the outlets the 10th of each month, and returned to Statistics Norway the first working day after the 15th. Statistics Norway also receives electronic scanner data from grocery firms, retail pharmacies, sports and clothing dealer's  and petrol stations monthly. Car prices and price information on alcoholic beverages are received electronically. Tariffs on electricity are collected from the Internet. Rentals for tenants are collected by means of electronic questionnaires and CATI- Computer Assisted Telephone Interview - directly from households.

An outlet uses an average 90 minutes to fill out the questionnaires throughout the year, which means that the sample of outlets uses in total about 3 300 hours or less than 520 days of work each year.

Individual firms fill out the questionnaires. Firms who fail to comply receive a "notice of fine". To avoid paying the fine, firms must submit completed forms to Statistics Norway within 6 to 7 days.

After checking the questionnaires, the prices are thereafter put through tests, which identifies duplicates and observations with large price changes from the previous month. The price material are then sorted by item and region and further edited. Finally, prices are controlled at item level and item group level. Generally firms are not contacted during the editing process.

Indices at micro level are calculated for each commodity in each region (the country is divided into 8 different regions) by an unweighted geometric mean. Each regional index is then weighted into a national index for each commodity based on turnover shares. Aggregation to higher levels is done by the Laspeyre formula where the weights are based on the National Accounts. Weights are updated annually and price updated to the reference period. The price reference period is December and short-term indices are chained to long-term indices where the index reference period is 2015, i.e. 2015 = 100.

The all-item index is also presented with seasonally adjusted figures, applying the X12ARIMA method.

Data collected from firms and households are subject to secrecy and are to be kept or destroyed in a secure manner. Any use of the data must be in accordance with the rules set out by the Data Inspectorate.

The All-item index goes back to 1865. In the period 1865-1900 it was based on the price index for private consumption from the National Accounts . In the period 1901-1913 it was based on the Cost of Living Index of Oslo, calculated by a local statistical office in Oslo. In the period 1914-1959 it was based on Statistics Norway's Cost of Living Index.

Statistics Norway publishes indices at ECOICOP class level. There are also certain indices at sub-class level and indices at consumption segment and item level published each month. The indices published are available from January 1979. In addition derived series are published, among these are, CPI adjusted for tax-changes (CPI-AT), CPI excluding energy Products (CPI-AE) and CPI grouped by delivery sector. These series have different starting points.