The Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics ( VBoS) will undertake a 12-month Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES), beginning in February next year.

The Household Income and Expenditure Survey, or HIES, is conducted every five years by the Statistics Office of Vanuatu.

This survey will cover all 83 islands of Vanuatu.

Coordinator responsible for the HIES, Vania Manutai, said the questions to be asked will focus on people’s income and how they earn and spend their money.

“Questions to be asked are in terms of income — money that we receive or how we gain money — and also how we spend, all of our expenses,” Mrs Manutai explained.

The questions will fall under several categories, covering key areas where people spend to sustain their daily living.

“We go through all of our models on health, agriculture, etc., and it is recorded,” she said.

Mrs Manutai clarified that this survey is not the same as a national census, where every individual participates.

“The office will run through and select areas that everyone will be part of — selected areas to be interviewed,” she added.

One of the main indicators that will be gathered from the survey is the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the cost of living in Vanuatu.

Mrs Manutai said the data collected will be vital for the government’s policy and decision-making in the future.

“Most importantly, the government will use the data for policy decisions. It also helps to update the Consumer Price Index and replace national accounts that show GDP and the economic growth of Vanuatu. That’s why it’s important we run this survey every five years.”

She added that all information collected by the survey interviewers will remain confidential, and all interviewers are required to sign a secrecy act to ensure accountability if any information is shared without authorization.