CPI and RPI: the 2009 basket of goods and services

The ‘shopping basket’ of items making up the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Prices Index (RPI) are reviewed every year. Some items are taken out of the basket and some are brought in to reflect changes in the market and to make sure the CPI and RPI are up to date and representative of consumer spending patterns. This article describes the review process and explains how and why the various items in the CPI and RPI baskets are chosen. It also discusses the main changes from the 2008 price collection. The contents of the CPI and RPI baskets for 2009 are summarised in annexes A and B of the full article, which can be downloaded from the Office for National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=2156. Economic & Labour Market Review (2009) 3, 37–42; doi:10.1057/elmr.2009.58