Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2016 (Liberia)

Abstract

The main purpose of the Household Income Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2016 was to offer high quality and nationwide representative household data that provided information on incomes and expenditure in order to update the Consumer Price Index (CPI), improve National Accounts statistics, provide agricultural data and measure poverty as well as other socio-economic indicators.
These statistics were urgently required for evidence-based policy making and monitoring of implementation results supported by the Poverty Reduction Strategy (I & II), the AfT and the Liberia National Vision 2030.
The survey was implemented by the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) over a 12-month period, starting from January 2016 and was completed in January 2017. LISGIS completed a total of 8,350 interviews, thus providing sufficient observations to make the data statistically significant at the county level. The data captured the effects of seasonality, making it the first of its kind in Liberia.
Support for the survey was offered by the Government of Liberia, the World Bank, the European Union, the Swedish International Development Corporation Agency, the United States Agency for International Development and the African Development Bank. The objectives of the 2016 HIES were:

1. Update the Consumer Price Index (CPI): To obtain a new set of weights for the basket of goods and services that upgrade the Monrovia Consumer Price Index (MCPI) and the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) and to revise the CPI basket of goods and services in Liberia to reflect the current consumption pattern of residence.
2. Improve National Accounts Statistics: To get information on annual household expenditure patterns in order to update the household component of the National Accounts.
3. Measure Poverty: To prepare robust poverty indices that enable the understanding of poverty dynamics across the country and of the factors influencing them.
4. Improve Agricultural Statistics: To obtain nationally representative and policy relevant agricultural statistics in order to undertake in-depth analysis of agricultural households.
5. Capture Socio-economic Impact of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): To obtain a post-EVD dataset which allows for an in-depth analysis of the socioeconomic impact of EVD on households.
6. Benchmark Agenda for Transformation Indicators: To provide an update on selected socioeconomic indicators used to benchmark the government’s policies embedded within the Agenda for Transformation.
7. Develop Statistical Capacity: Emphasize capacity building and development of sustainable statistical systems through every stage of the project to produce accurate and timely information about Liberia.