Spatial deflators and currency converters, which eliminate the effects of the differences in price levels between countries, thus allowing volume comparisons of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) components and comparisons of price levels.
PPPs are calculated in three stages: first for individual products, then for groups of products or basic headings and, finally, for groups of basic headings or aggregates. The PPPs for basic headings are unweighted averages of the PPPs for individual products. The PPPs for aggregates are weighted averages of the PPPs for basic headings. The weights used are the expenditure on the basic headings. PPPs at all stages are price relatives. They show how many units of currency A need to be spent in country A to obtain the same volume of a product or a basic heading or an aggregate that X units of currency B purchases in country B.
In the case of a single product, the “same volume” means “identical volume”. But in the case of the complex assortment of goods and services that make up an aggregate such as GDP, the “same volume” does not mean an “identical basket of goods and services”. The composition of the basket will vary between countries according to their economic, social and cultural differences, but each basket will provide equivalent satisfaction or utility. Also referred to as “parity” or “parities”.
In German: Kaufkraftparitäten (KPP)
Messgröße zum Vergleich der Kaufkraft zwischen unterschiedlichen Standorten. Die Kaufkraftparität informiert über die Höhe der Unterschiede bei den Lebenshaltungskosten in zwei Ländern. Das geschieht, indem man die Kaufkraft der unterschiedlichen Währungen mittels eines repräsentativen Warenkorbs bestimmt.
Last update: 20 June 2023
Source: OECD, updated by PPRI