International Comparison Program

This publication presents the methodology and results of research on a cost-effective approach for estimating purchasing power parities (PPPs). The study drew on price and national accounts data from 20 economies in Asia and the Pacific. It used a "reduced information" approach to generate more firmly based estimates of PPPs, price level indexes, and measures of real (PPP-based) expenditures than conventional extrapolation methods would obtain. The results include PPP-based gross domestic product and its major aggregates of individual consumption expenditure by households and nonprofit institutions serving households, government final consumption expenditure, gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories and acquisitions less disposals of valuables, and balance of exports and imports.

This publication provides estimates of purchasing power parities (PPPs) and real expenditures for 22 economies in Asia and the Pacific. These are summary regional results from the 2017 cycle of the International Comparison Program (ICP), a global statistical initiative carried out under the auspices of the United Nations Statistical Commission. The report provides estimates of PPPs, real expenditures for total and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and its component expenditures derived using PPPs, and price level indexes showing relative costs of living. The PPPs enable comparison in real terms across economies by removing the price level differences among them.

This publication provides a comprehensive account of the 2017 International Comparison Program (ICP) cycle for 22 economies in Asia and the Pacific. It provides in-depth analyses of estimates of purchasing power parities (PPPs), total and per capita real (PPP-converted) gross domestic product and its component expenditures, and price level indexes showing relative costs of living. The PPPs enable comparison in real terms across economies by removing the price level differences among them. This report also presents in detail the conceptual framework and methodological approaches used in implementing the ICP.