2017 consumer basket expands to include 305 items

The consumer basket of Georgia now comprises of 305 items, reports the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

The consumer basket is used to calculate the Consumer Price Index - the inflation rate in the country - which reflects the structure of the consumption of products of the average consumer in the country.

The consumer basket for 2017 was compiled on data from both the System of National Accounts and the Integrated Household Survey.

In previous years, the consumer basket included 295 items.

This year, food and non-alcoholic beverages made up 30.1 percent of the consumer basket.

Products in this category included rice, buckwheat, manna-croup, wheat bread, macaroni, pasta, sweats, toast and wheat flour. These items were some of the first products listed in the consumer basket.

Similarly, alcoholic beverages and tobacco made up 6.4 percent of the 2017 consumer basket.

The list below shows the consumption percentage for products:

• Transport – 13.1 percent
• Housing, water, gas, electricity and other fuels - 8.4 percent
• Healthcare – 8.4 percent
• Furnishings, housing appliances and equipment and routine house maintenance - 6.6 percent
• Recreation and culture – 6.4 percent
• Miscellaneous goods and services - 4.9 percent
• Education – 4.7 percent
• Hotels, cafes and restaurants - 4.1 percent
• Communication - 3.7 percent
• Clothing and footwear – 3.4 percent

The updated consumer basket reflects the latest consumption patterns of the population, thus enhancing the reliability of the Consumer Price Index.