This Producer Price Index Manual replaces the United Nations’ Manual on Producers’ Price Indices for Industrial Goods issued in 1979 (Series M, No. 66). The development of the PPI Manual has been undertaken under the joint responsibility of five organizations—the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and World Bank—through the mechanism of an Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Price Statistics (IWGPS). It is published jointly by these organizations.

The Manual contains detailed, comprehensive information and explanations for compiling a PPI. It provides an overview of the conceptual and theoretical issues that statistical offices should consider when making decisions on how to deal with the various problems in the daily compilation of a PPI, and it is intended for use by both developed and developing countries. The chapters cover many topics; they elaborate on the different practices currently in use, propose alternatives whenever possible, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. Given the comprehensive nature of the Manual, we expect it to satisfy the needs of many users.