Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Statistics Portugal) – INE
1.2. Contact organisation unit
National Accounts Department
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Avenida António José de Almeida
1000-043 Lisboa
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
12 September 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
12 September 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
12 September 2025
3.1. Data description
Regional accounts are a regional specification of the national accounts and therefore based on the same concepts and definitions as national accounts. Regional accounts are compiled according to the definitions and guidelines of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010).
Regional accounts provide regional breakdown for major national aggregates such as:
Gross Domestic Product (at current prices and at previous year prices)
Gross Value Added (at current prices and at previous year prices) by industry
Employment (in persons and in hours worked) by industry
Compensation of employees by industry
Gross fixed capital formation by industry
Household accounts (allocation of primary income account and the secondary distribution of income account)
All aggregates are available at NUTS 3 level, except Gross fixed capital formation and Household accounts which are only available at NUTS 2 level. The variables are broken down by industry according to NACE Rev.2.
Regional breakdowns are based on the NUTS Classification and national accounts concepts are also used by regional accounts.
Expressing variables at the prices of the previous year allows the calculation of volume indices between the current year period and the previous year. Regarding regional accounts, we have GVA and GDP calculated at the prices of the previous year, which allows us to calculate the volumes.
3.2. Classification system
The ESA 2010 provides a methodology on common standards, definitions, internationally harmonised classifications and accounting rules that are used for compiling regional accounts on comparable bases.
In addition, Regional Accounts makes use of several classifications available in:
Regional accounts describe the total economy of a country according to regional breakdown. All units that have their centre of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of the country are included.
Portuguese regional accounts are compiled by institutional sectors and by NACE Rev. 2 activity (the production account and the generation of income account).
Concerning the institutional sector breakdown, ESA 2010 distinguishes five mutually exclusive domestic institutional sectors:
S11: non-financial corporations
S12: financial corporations
S13: general government
S14: households
S15: non-profit institutions serving households.
The five sectors together make up the total domestic economy (S1), each sector is also divided into subsectors. Concerning Portuguese regional accounts S12 and S13 are compiled by subsector.
The criteria for classifying a given unit of the national economy into a specific institutional sector are functions fulfilled in the national economy, kind of activity in the creation of new economic values as well as the way of participation in the distribution of income.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
All statistical concepts and definitions to be used in regional accounts are described in Annex A of the ESA 2010 Regulation, specifically in Chapter 13 Regional Accounts and in Manual on regional accounts methods - 2013 Edition. Portugal regional accounts are fully aligned with the concepts and definitions set out in ESA 2010.
One of the main concepts implicit in regional accounts is economic territory. The NUTS classification provides a uniform breakdown of the economic territory of the European Union, for each country. The economic territory does not coincide exactly with the geographic territory; it includes the regional territories and the Extra-regio territory (parts of the economic territory of a country which cannot be assigned to an exclusive region).
Regional accounts include all units that have a center of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of a country. Economic transactions of enterprises and households may cross regional boundaries. The general principle for regional accounts is that transactions should be allocated to the region where the production unit or household is resident. For household accounts commuting is corrected with information about the place of work versus the place of residence.
The population series used in portuguese regional accounts are the average of the population on January 1st of two consecutive years.
3.5. Statistical unit
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterised by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its centre of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy. Enterprises are partitioned into smaller and more homogeneous in terms of output, cost structure and technology of production, called Kind-of-activity (KAU) units. When a KAU is engaged in production activities in several regions, the information on the KAU is split in Local Kind-of-ativity (LKAU) units for regional purposes. A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level of the NACE Rev. 2.
The basic units that are commonly compiled by national accounts in INE are the institutional units and the kind-of-activity (KAU) units; the local KAU units are estimated for regional accounts purposes. Generally, the institutional units are used in the sector accounts, while the KAU units are used in the production approach (and industry accounts) in order to estimate GDP and the local KAU are used in the compilation of regional accounts: GDP, GVA, Employment, Compensationof employees etc.
Portuguese regional accounts work closely with national accounts, starting from the same KAUs, building up the LKAUs using regional information, especially for the S11 and S14 sectors, obtain two types of institutional units: Uniregional units (units which the centre of predominant economic interest is in one region, all their transactions are allocated to the region which they are resident) and Multiregional units (units with centre of predominant economic interest in several regions). In this last case various sources must be used to regionalize the value of such units, open in several LKAU.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The national and regional accounts population of a country consists of all resident statistical units (institutional units or local KAUs, see section 3.5). A unit is a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of predominant economic interest on the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (one year or more) in economic activities on this territory.
Regional accounts like National accounts are exhaustive. This means that all resident statistical units are covered.
3.7. Reference area
The reference area for national accounts is the total economy of a country. The total economy of a country can be broken down into regions. The NUTS classification provides a single, uniform breakdown of the economic territory of the Member States of the European union (EU).
The Portuguese national economy concerns the full territory, which includes the mainland and the autonomous regions - archipelagos of Azores and Madeira.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Regional accounts are compiled on an annual basis. The ESA 2010 transmission programme requires data starting for regional accounts in 2000, however Portuguese regional accounts data are available from the reference year 1995. In addition, the last reference year available for a final data is at t+24 months and for provisional data at t+12 months after the reference year.
3.9. Base period
The concept of 'base period' is not applied in national and regional accounts. Instead, for some variables the concepts of previous year prices and chain-linked volumes are applied, as stipulated in Commission Decision 98/715/EC.
Except for some variables concerning population and labour, that are usually expressed in number of persons, hours or jobs, the ESA 2010 system shows all flows and stocks in monetary terms: in euros or other national currency. Concerning Portuguese regional accounts:
Gross domestic product (GDP), gross value added (GVA), compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation and households accounts are published in euros. GDP are also published in Purchasing Power Standards.
Employment and population are published in thousands of persons. Employment is also published in thousands of hours worked.
Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices, and various other measures '(e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards)' can be applied as well. Portugal is fully aligned with the principles outlined above.
The reference period to be used for presenting regional accounts data is the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The ESA 2010 has the form of a Regulation and it provides for:
a methodology (Annex A) on common standards, definitions, classifications and accounting rules that shall be used for compiling accounts and tables on comparable bases;
a programme of data transmission (Annex B) setting out the time limits by which Member States shall transmit to Eurostat the accounts and tables.
INE is the central authority for the production and dissemination of official statistics in Portugal. It is part of the indirect administration of the State and has the status of a public institute with a special legal regime, endowed with administrative autonomy. It operates under the supervision of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and plays a vital role in public governance by providing impartial, high-quality, and relevant statistical information to society.
Its activities cover a wide range of thematic areas of Portuguese society, from macroeconomic indicators such as economic growth, employment, and prices to the demographic and social profiling of the population, including income, health, housing, and household living conditions.
Statistics Portugal’s mission is to produce, in an independent, impartial, effective, and efficient manner, high-quality official statistical information, relevant to society, contributing to public and private decision-making, scientific development, and informed public debate.
Therefore, in the exercise of its statistical functions, INE enjoys technical independence, with full authority to define statistical methods, standards, and release calendars based on scientific and professional criteria. This principle is enshrined in Law No. 22/2008 of 13th May, which regulates the National Statistical System (SEN) and is reinforced at the European level by Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009, of 11th March 2009, and also the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Its structure and functioning are governed by Decree-Law No. 136/2012 of 2nd July, complemented by the Statutes approved by Ordinance No. 423/2012, and amended by Ordinances No. 120/2014 and No. 68/2019.
According to Decree-Law No. 136/2012, INE is responsible for:
To produce official statistical information, with the purpose of supporting decisions of a public, private, individual or collective nature, as well as scientific research.
To compile the Portuguese National Accounts, in coordination with the other competent authorities.
To disseminate in an accessible manner the statistical information produced.
To coordinate and carry out the technical-scientific and methodological supervision of official statistics produced by entities with delegated powers and by the Regional Statistical Services of the Azores and Madeira.
To cooperate in the statistical area with national entities and with entities of other European Union Member States and international organizations.
INE is an integral part of the European Statistical System (ESS) and applies the European Statistics Code of Practice, ensuring compliance with key principles such as independence, impartiality, reliability, and confidentiality.
INE defines its Activity Plan on both a multi-annual and annual basis, aligned with the General Guidelines for Official Statistical Activity of the National Statistical System, its own strategic framework, and the European Statistical Programme. The Activity Plan is public, and its implementation is monitored through monthly indicators, execution reports, and performance monitoring systems.
INE places a strong emphasis on minimizing the response burden for data providers, promoting the use of administrative sources whenever they are suitable and meet the necessary quality standards for statistical purposes. It conducts business and household surveys, for which response is mandatory and free of charge, as provided by law. All individual data collected are protected under the principle of statistical confidentiality. The information is processed with strict confidentially and is exclusively released in aggregated form, ensuring that no respondent can be identified either directly or indirectly.
INE is certified under ISO 9001:2015 (Quality) and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (Information Security) within the scope of its Integrated Management System (SGI). Its production model follows the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) and incorporates systematic mechanisms for auditing, risk assessment, and continuous improvement.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Portuguese regional accounts data are used by national and local government, European Union institutions and research institutions. The regional accounts data are reported to OECD as well to Eurostat within the ESA 2010 Transmission programme.
Agreements for sharing data are in place with the Agency for development and Cohesion and Regional coordination and development commissions.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society. The European Statistics Code of Practice provides further conditions that have to be respected by statistical offices in regard to statistical confidentiality (Principle 5).
INE endorses the European Statistics Code of Practice for Other National Authorities (ONAS) and puts this code into practice at National and European level.
The Statistical Confidentiality Policy of INE stems from the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, from Law no. 22/2008, of 13 May, which establishes the principles, rules and structure of the National Statistical System and in particular the Principle of Statistical Confidentiality (Article 6), from the Regulation (EC) 223/2009 of 11 March (article 20 and following), in its current version, establishing the legal framework for the development, production and dissemination of European Statistics, and Regulation (EU) 557/2013 of 17 June concerning access to confidential data for scientific purposes. It is also governed by the principles agreed among EU Member States and enshrined in the European Statistics Code of Practice (2nd revision/2017), namely principle 5 on Statistical Confidentiality and, more broadly, by the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, established by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 1994 and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in January 2014 (principle 6). Regarding the processing of personal data, the exercise of statistical activity also complies with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 April, which lays down the rules on the protection of natural persons regarding the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and other legislation applicable in this area.
Statistics Portugal’s Statistical Confidentiality Policy is available on the INE website, where it is accessible to all interested users. This document outlines the principles, legal framework, and procedures adopted to ensure the protection of confidential statistical information, in accordance with applicable national and European legislation.
These policies is part of Statistics Portugal’s Integrated Management System, which encompasses both Information Security Management and Quality Management.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
In a statistical sense, ‘confidential data’ means data which allow statistical units to be identified, either directly or indirectly, thereby disclosing individual information. To determine whether a statistical unit is identifiable, account shall be taken of all relevant means that might reasonably be used by a third party to identify the statistical unit. Guidance on how to prevent disclosure can be found in the Handbook on Statistical Disclosure Control. EU guidelines on this subject are dully taken into account by Statistics Portugal (Policy of Statistical Confidentiality).
However, regional accounts data are highly aggregated and there is no threat of disclosing data of a separate statistical unit. All regional accounts data according to Eurostat transmission programme are released for public use and marked as free.
8.1. Release calendar
Good practice requires that new national and regional accounts data and associated news releases are announced in a release calendar that is published well in advance of the respective releases. INE publishes, in its annual activity plan, the scheduled release dates of statistical information, which are reflected in a calendar made available on the Statistics Portugal’s website.
In addition, a calendar of press release dissemination is also made available, including the exact release time. Any advance or delay in publication is announced in these calendars.
These rules are set out in Statistics Portugal’s Dissemination Policy, which is available on the INE website.
8.2. Release calendar access
The Release calendars are easily available and accessible for users through the INE Website.
The user access policy for official statistical information, as defined in Statistics Portugal’s Dissemination Policy, is based on the principles of technical independence, statistical confidentiality, quality and accessibility. Access is granted simultaneously to all users without discrimination, ensuring that no privileged access is given unless publicly disclosed. The dissemination of information follows a technically defined schedule, which is publicly announced and, when necessary, updated with proper justification. Furthermore, access to official statistical information is free of charge and made available through the INE website, ensuring usability for a wide range of users, from experts to the general public.
Data from regional accounts are disseminated once a year, normally in December. See publication calendar (section 8) or revision policy of Portuguese National and Regional Accounts.
In addition to news releases, regional accounts data are disseminated in other publications, such as statistical yearbooks for each NUTSII: Statistics Portugal - Region in Figures
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
In order to enable easy access to regional accounts data, all validated regional accounts data should be made available to users by publishing them in an online database.
Main regional accounts information is made available to users in Statistics Portugal’s public database. All regional accounts data are available in excel files, at the same time of the press release, through a thematic folder on Statistics Portugal – Regional Accounts.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable, as regional accounts only consist of aggregated data.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
In addition to news releases and other publications (see sections 10.1 and 10.2), information on regional accounts may be disseminated using social media.
INE has a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and LinkedIn and Regional Accounts information is posted there.
The National Accounts thematic folder in Statistics Portugal’s website displays the most important methodological references for the National Accounts compilation. It includes namely for regional purposes in Institutional documents the manuals above specifically apply to EU regional accounts statistics.
Quality report on national and regional accounts is submitted to Eurostat on a yearly basis, have been compiled and submitted to Eurostat since 2018.
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality of regional accounts data is assured by strict application of ESA 2010 concepts and by applying the guidelines of the ESS handbook for quality reports.
In this context, INE has implemented an Integrated Management System that combines quality management and information security management, based on international standards. The Quality Policy and the Quality Charter of INE outline how these standards are fulfilled.
The Integrated Management System is certified for quality management under the NP EN ISO 9001:2015 standard, as applied to the production and dissemination of official statistics by INE. The core process of this system is the statistical production process, which encompasses all statistical activities carried out by INE, including National Accounts. Quality Assurance is an integral part of this system and is embedded in Statistics Portugal’s Integrated Management System, particularly within the statistical production process.
During the overall compilation process, regional accounts data undergo several kinds of quality checks, e.g. ex-ante (source statistics), ongoing (results), ex-post (methods used) and external checks (Eurostat).
The compilation of Regional Accounts involves multiple validation steps throughout the process. These validations occur at various stages and across different components of the Regional Accounts outputs, ensuring the internal consistency and reliability of the integrated data:
Integration of all relevant data sources.
Systematic validation of the information.
Consistency checks across all output data.
In addition to internal procedures, INE maintains regular exchanges with Eurostat to discuss specific methodological issues and data submissions. These interactions aim to clarify procedures, refine methodologies, and continuously enhance the quality of the Portuguese Regional Accounts.
Furthermore, the consistent submission of Regional Accounts data to international questionnaires, along with their subsequent validation and acceptance by relevant institutions, serves as an additional form of positive feedback, reinforcing the credibility and quality of Statistics Portugal’s outputs.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
INE maintains regular and productive interactions with Eurostat across various areas of National Accounts, including regional accounts. In compliance with ESA 2010 Regulation, provides the Commission with annual reports on the quality of the data transmitted to Eurostat (Eurostat’s assessment of quality of national and regional accounts).
Statistics Portugal’s contributions are frequently well-received, with positive evaluations in the assessments conducted within these EU-level groups and in relation to ongoing reporting obligations. These favourable assessments reflect the robustness and quality of the methodologies and data provided by INE.
Quality of used data sources and methods of regional accounts compilations are regularly assessed by Eurostat.
As part of the annual exercise, Eurostat assesses the results, prepares and publishes an overall assessment (Quality report on National and Regional Accounts) based on the national quality reports and other available information.
Regional accounts data provide key information for many users including: national, regional and local government institutions, financial institutions including the Central Bank, European Union institutions including Eurostat, other international organisations (OECD), business community, trade unions and non-governmental organisations, scientific and academic entities, students, analysts, journalists.
In Portugal, the “Conselho Superior de Estatística” (Statistical Council) is a very broad forum in which various sectors of society are represented, including universities, trade unions, ministries, employers' confederations and associations, etc. Among other duties, this body approves the (long-term) strategic lines of the National Statistical System, as well as the annual activity plans and their implementation, thus reflecting the needs and interests of the users of statistical information.
Data from regional accounts are mainly used for the following purposes:
regional policy and analyses, monitoring the eligibility of regions for funding from the Structural Funds,
elaboration of policies, strategies and programmes at national level as well as monitoring their implementation,
formulation, implementation and evaluation of regional policies and strategies,
forecasting,
economic research,
scientific analyses and enhancing knowledge.
Despite the general satisfaction with the available data, users expect more detailed data.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Views and opinions of users of national accounts statistics can be collected and analysed as one of the tools to 'measure' the relevance of national accounts data. INE has initiatives in place to measure overall user satisfaction and may, where appropriate, develop specific initiatives targeting statistical activities, as established in Statistics Portugal’s Quality Charter.
The direct contact with users of National Accounts is organized through the “Conselho Superior de Estatística” (Statistical Council), particularly through the Standing Section of Economic Statistics, comprising government representatives from different areas, Banco de Portugal, Regional Services of Statistics, Union Confederations and Researchers, among others.
12.3. Completeness
The overall completeness of Regional Accounts data since 2000 (voluntary since 1995) as required by the ESA2010 transmission programme have been very high during last several years, as can be seen in the annual Quality Report.
In addition to mandatory data, Portugal also provides substantial information on a voluntary basis e.g. Gross Domestic Product at NUTS 3 level (at current prices and at previous year price), Gross Value added (at current prices and at previous year price) at NUTS 3 level at t+12 months, Compensation of employees by industry and at NUTS 3 level, Net social contributions, Social benefits other than social benefits in kind, consumption of fixed assets in the households sector at NUTS 2 level.
Completeness rates of the PT regional accounts data, reported to Eurostat under the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data, are calculated by Eurostat (Quality report).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Accuracy of Portuguese regional accounts data, reported to Eurostat under the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data, assessed by Eurostat by the Quality report shows the accuracy and reliability are supported by a well-structured data revision policy.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable, as regional accounts only consist of aggregated data.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable, as regional accounts only consist of aggregated data.
14.1. Timeliness
Regional accounts data should become available to users as timely as possible with an adequate balance between accuracy and timeliness.
The detailed scope and required timeliness for regional accounts data are defined in the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data.
Provisional estimates of gross domestic product/total gross value added at current prices at regional level (NUTS 2) are available within 12 months after the end of the reference year. Currently, the deadline for the transmission of regional accounts data to Eurostat is t+12 or t+24 months after the reference year, depending on the variable and its breakdown.
The deadline for completing calculations in regional accounts results from the complexity of the accounts’ compilation process and the time taken to complete and process primary data sources. For this reason, the possibilities of shortening the time needed to compile and publish regional accounts data are very limited.
Portuguese Regional Accounts data are released according to a pre-established calendar, in full compliance with the Statistical Council’s plan and the ESA 2010 Transmission Programme.
14.2. Punctuality
Good practice requires that the dates on which regional accounts data become available are pre-announced and that the pre-announced publication dates are met.
Regional accounts data transmissions in the framework of the ESA 2010 transmission programme should be punctually delivered to Eurostat at the timeliness defined in the transmission programme (or before). Normally in Quality Report the PT regional Accounts are classified as “data delivery in advance of the legal deadline”.
The activity planning process allows for the early identification of the expected release dates of statistical operations within the framework of the preparation of Statistics Portugal’s annual activity plan, even when those operations are part of multi-annual activities.
As a result, this means that, INE has a system in place to monitor the timeliness of statistical releases, aligned with the annual planning of statistical activities and integrated into its Integrated Management System, which encompasses both quality management and information security management.
This system enables the monitoring and assurance of compliance with the release deadlines defined in the dissemination calendar, contributing to the reliability and predictability of official statistical information. Its management is carried out in a transversal manner.
Additionally, the system is characterized by its transparency, allowing for the recording and reporting of any deviations from the planned schedule — namely delays on early releases — ensuring that such occurrences are properly documented, analysed, and communicated, in accordance with the principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The geographical comparability of national accounts in Member States of the EU is ensured by the application of common definitions of the European System of Accounts. Worldwide geographical comparison is also possible as most non-European countries apply the SNA 2008 guidelines, and SNA 2008 is consistent with ESA 2010.
The compilation of regional accounts, according to the methodology applied both at EU and global levels, gives the opportunity to publish a set of data that enables international comparisons, e.g. gross domestic product according to the purchasing power parity.
Comparability between regions is ensured by application of the NUTS classification – it enables socio-economic analyses and comparisons of Portugal’s regions and the regions of the entire EU.
15.2. Comparability - over time
As Portuguese Regional Accounts data for all reference periods are compiled according to the definitional requirements of the ESA 2010, the data published are fully comparable over time. Also, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed, going back to reference year 1995 (mandatory until 2000) were required to ensure full temporal consistency.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Within the system of national accounts there is full consistency between the domains: annual and quarterly national accounts, government accounts, sector accounts, financial accounts, regional accounts, supply and use tables. However, in practice perfect alignment may not always be possible and temporary discrepancies might occur. These are usually because of vintage differences, in the case of regional accounts, variables at t+12 months are compared with subsequent disclosures of quarterly national accounts until the final regional accounts at t+24 months are obtained.
Primary statistics like structural business statistics (SBS) and labour force statistics (LFS) are widely used as input for regional accounts. However, there is no full consistency between these statistical domains and national and regional accounts. The main reasons for divergence are differences in concepts/definitions and in coverage.
Full cross domain consistency is a main goal of National Accounts system. Annual and quarterly national accounts, sector accounts, financial accounts, regional accounts, supply and use tables are fully consistent over the time.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The sum of all variables of regional accounts is consistent with national accounts, for instance regional GDP data are coherent between NUTS 1, NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 level. See section 15.3 (Coherence - cross domain).
Despite regional GDP data are based on other statistic’s, in particular national accounts and business statistics data, there is, to some extent, an additional cost for respondents, as more detailed information is required at the regional unit. The Simplified Business Information included three specific annexes concerning establishments, and several requests for information are addressed directly to the entities, both within S11 (Non-financial corporations) and S13 (General government).
17.1. Data revision - policy
INE implements all recommendations included in the Harmonised European Revision Policy (HERP). Regional accounts data are subject of the following revisions:
routine revisions,
major/benchmark revisions.
Routine revisions cover all changes that have occurred in the regional accounts from the provisional to the final estimate for a given reporting period. Routine reviews are carried out on an ongoing basis and their scope is made available each time the data are published. In the regional accounts, routine revisions are carried once a year. Provisional estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) and total gross value added (GVA) at NUTS 3 level are calculated within t+12 months and balanced with annual national accounts. The sequence of routine revisions regarding regional account data, for calendar year t, is as follows:
final data concerning GDP and GVA by groups of NACE sections at NUTS 3 level are calculated within t+24 months – provisional estimates are revised due to availability of more complete data and balanced with annual national accounts.
More rarely, exceptional revisions (called benchmark revisions) will result from major changes in data sources, methodology and classifications, such as implementing or amending the EU regulation on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS).
In the past, for example when changing from ESA95 to ESA 2010, a benchmark revision occurred at country and European level.
In this case, to ensure comparable regional account data, multiple years were opened for revision.
INE publishes the Portuguese National and Regional Accounts series using 2021 as the benchmark year. The regular five-yearly update of the reference year is recommended by Eurostat and is standard practice among European Union countries. This update allows for the integration of new structural data and the adoption of methodological improvements, including the implementation of new recommendations resulting from discussions within the European Statistical System.
Statistics Portugal publishes a comprehensive set of methodological documentation and other information on its website, including information on the revision policy and practice.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revisions should be seen as a process to progressively improve the quality of regional accounts as e.g. better sources and/or methods become available, the availability of explanatory notes on revisions is a key element for understanding regional accounts data and revisions between subsequent releases.
Therefore, information on the main reasons for revisions and their nature (new source data available, new methods, etc.) as well as possibly quantitative and qualitative assessment on the average size of revisions and their direction based on historical data is required.
Quantitative assessment of the average size of revision in the PT regional accounts data, reported to Eurostat under the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data, is calculated by Eurostat (Quality report, revision rates).
Note that all releases of Regional Accounts are archived and made available to users in Statistics Portugal website and it is therefore possible to compare different releases and check revisions at any time, namely the benchmark revisions.
18.1. Source data
National and regional accounts compilation builds up on statistics that are primarily collected for other purposes (primary statistics). There is no single survey source for both national and regional accounts.
It relies on a variety of data sources, including administrative data: car and business registers, accounting statements, tax data, budgetary reports, population censuses, statistical surveys of businesses and households, statements of supervising institutions and branch organisations, annual and quarterly reports, trade statistics on goods and services, balance of payments information.
The main sources of information for regional accounts are:
Simplified Business Information (data on enterprise and local units), which is an administrative and fiscal source compulsory for all businesses operating in Portugal;
Statistics on international trade of goods produced by INE;
Statistics on the balance of payments compiled by the Banco de Portugal;
General State Accounts, financial statements of public corporate entities and fiscal data, in the area of public finances;
Social Security data;
Surveys on households (like the labour force and the household expenditure surveys);
Employment Survey;
Population Censuses;
Agriculture Censuses.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Regional accounts are compiled on an annual basis from other primary statistics as well administrative source. The frequency of data collection of primary statistics varies according to the nature of the data source. For example, Simplified Business Information are available on a yearly basis and Population censuses are mostly collected every decade.
The frequency and timing of the compilation of regional accounts are not necessary aligned with the frequency and timing of (all) primary statistics data collections.
Most of the sources use in regional accounts compilation are obtained at a certain time of the year, others must de requested by the statisticians during the production round.
Other large statistical sources with less frequency, like the census of population or the census of agriculture deserve specific analysis, and their information is considered only in the occasion of major revisions (new benchmark-years) since they frequently produce data breaks.
National accounts departments typically do not collect data themselves but receive them from other departments or institutions.
The ESS guidelines suggest that the methods used for data collection should be described. It can also be appropriate to complete the section with the following issues: (i) an NSI usually signs an agreement and technical protocol for cooperation with other institutions on what, when, how, etc. the data would be delivered; (ii) national accounts department also participates in the development of the questionnaires of statistical surveys of other departments.
The data used for the compilation of national and regional accounts come from other Departments of INE but also several organizations or Institutions. The main interchange of data flows with external bodies and Institutions is regulated by bilateral Protocols established with INE and (public or private) data providers. The Protocols typically set up annexes defining activities to be performed, regulating data provision obligations, data transmission procedures, security, and timing are defined.
18.4. Data validation
Data validation refers to any activity aimed at verifying that the value of a data item comes from a given set of acceptable values. It is a key task performed in all statistical domains.
In order to increase overall data quality and workflow efficiency, the European Statistical System (ESS) is moving towards more harmonisation of validation activities including the definition of common standards, tools and support for implementation (see ESS validation website). National accounts are a pilot in this area. An ESA 2010 Task Force on validation was established in 2015 to agree and document validation rules in an ESA 2010 validation handbook and progressively implement them in a pre-validation service for national accounts data.
In addition to the validation system, implemented by Eurostat and applied to all countries, the process of compiling Regional Accounts in Portugal, involves a set of quality control actions implemented to monitor and prevent errors: analysis of data quality, editing data in order to identify missing entries and potential errors influencing regional variables. Regional accounts’ results are compared with other statistical or administrative data that provide similar information on the same domain to confirm data or explain increases/decreases in a given phenomenon. Result checks are also made on the changes in variables over time as well as on other various comparisons. Datasets are analysed and in case of discrepancies or unusual changes, are corrected if necessary.
18.5. Data compilation
Data sources, methods and compilation techniques of Portuguese regional Accounts are according to definitions and concepts in ESA 2010 and the Manual on regional accounts methods. The estimates of GDP are compiled building on a system based mostly in a combined administrative and statistical data (Simplified Business Information), in the sense that the source cover all the (more than 500 thousand) enterprises, and surveys almost all kind of financial and non-financial variables needed to build/fit the ESA concepts and definitions.
For obtain regional accounts, national aggregates are regionalized by the institutional sector, the sources and methods applied vary according to the sector. To calculate GDP, the production approach is used, with regional GDP being obtained by the GVA structure excluding the Madeira International Business Center (free tax zone), at current prices and prices previous year.
Although GVA is transmitted to Eurostat at A10, it is compiled in greater detail in accordance with the guidance from the manual. GVA at previous year's prices is obtained by double deflation, using in most cases national price indices for production and intermediate consumption. However, there are exceptions, and regional deflators are used for some industry.
The corrections made by national accounts, namely for exhaustivity and non-observed components of the economy, are replicated by the regional accounts.
The main method of regionalization is bottom up, the exception being the regionalization of household accounts, where the top-down method is used for some of its aggregates through proxy indicators.
Regional accounts use the Kind-of-Activity-Unit of the National Accounts by opening in LKAU through information from establishments or related information, information of Social Security data, information obtained by specific requests to entities or based on the information indicated in their reports and accounts.
As a rule, the estimation process is performed at the lowest possible level of disaggregation to ensure both a high degree of reliability of the estimates and an adequate detail to represent the evolution of GVA and GDP. The methods applied in the compilation process provide comprehensive estimates of GDP, including the non-observed components of the economy.
18.6. Adjustment
The regional accounts are a regional specification of the corresponding accounts of the total economy. This implies that the regional accounts totals must add up to the national values. Although regional accounts use the same sources as national accounts, albeit with a regional dimension, as the total of national accounts is rarely equal to the total of sources, adjustments are necessary.
This is generally due to corrections for adapting data associated with the application of concepts in national and regional accounts, such as exhaustiveness (non-observed economy) and balancing supply and use. In the absence of specific regional information differences are usually allocated in proportion of regional values observed, however this can affect estimates of smaller regions and move them further away from original estimates and should be avoided. It is up to the statistician to make the most appropriate adjustment.
The sums of regional GDP data coincide with the national data published by national accounts in September.
However national GDP data are more frequently updated than regional GDP, this means that after the GDP release, they may be differences between the national value and the sums of regional GDP.
Regional accounts are a regional specification of the national accounts and therefore based on the same concepts and definitions as national accounts. Regional accounts are compiled according to the definitions and guidelines of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010).
Regional accounts provide regional breakdown for major national aggregates such as:
Gross Domestic Product (at current prices and at previous year prices)
Gross Value Added (at current prices and at previous year prices) by industry
Employment (in persons and in hours worked) by industry
Compensation of employees by industry
Gross fixed capital formation by industry
Household accounts (allocation of primary income account and the secondary distribution of income account)
All aggregates are available at NUTS 3 level, except Gross fixed capital formation and Household accounts which are only available at NUTS 2 level. The variables are broken down by industry according to NACE Rev.2.
Regional breakdowns are based on the NUTS Classification and national accounts concepts are also used by regional accounts.
Expressing variables at the prices of the previous year allows the calculation of volume indices between the current year period and the previous year. Regarding regional accounts, we have GVA and GDP calculated at the prices of the previous year, which allows us to calculate the volumes.
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All statistical concepts and definitions to be used in regional accounts are described in Annex A of the ESA 2010 Regulation, specifically in Chapter 13 Regional Accounts and in Manual on regional accounts methods - 2013 Edition. Portugal regional accounts are fully aligned with the concepts and definitions set out in ESA 2010.
One of the main concepts implicit in regional accounts is economic territory. The NUTS classification provides a uniform breakdown of the economic territory of the European Union, for each country. The economic territory does not coincide exactly with the geographic territory; it includes the regional territories and the Extra-regio territory (parts of the economic territory of a country which cannot be assigned to an exclusive region).
Regional accounts include all units that have a center of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of a country. Economic transactions of enterprises and households may cross regional boundaries. The general principle for regional accounts is that transactions should be allocated to the region where the production unit or household is resident. For household accounts commuting is corrected with information about the place of work versus the place of residence.
The population series used in portuguese regional accounts are the average of the population on January 1st of two consecutive years.
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterised by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its centre of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy. Enterprises are partitioned into smaller and more homogeneous in terms of output, cost structure and technology of production, called Kind-of-activity (KAU) units. When a KAU is engaged in production activities in several regions, the information on the KAU is split in Local Kind-of-ativity (LKAU) units for regional purposes. A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level of the NACE Rev. 2.
The basic units that are commonly compiled by national accounts in INE are the institutional units and the kind-of-activity (KAU) units; the local KAU units are estimated for regional accounts purposes. Generally, the institutional units are used in the sector accounts, while the KAU units are used in the production approach (and industry accounts) in order to estimate GDP and the local KAU are used in the compilation of regional accounts: GDP, GVA, Employment, Compensationof employees etc.
Portuguese regional accounts work closely with national accounts, starting from the same KAUs, building up the LKAUs using regional information, especially for the S11 and S14 sectors, obtain two types of institutional units: Uniregional units (units which the centre of predominant economic interest is in one region, all their transactions are allocated to the region which they are resident) and Multiregional units (units with centre of predominant economic interest in several regions). In this last case various sources must be used to regionalize the value of such units, open in several LKAU.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
The national and regional accounts population of a country consists of all resident statistical units (institutional units or local KAUs, see section 3.5). A unit is a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of predominant economic interest on the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (one year or more) in economic activities on this territory.
Regional accounts like National accounts are exhaustive. This means that all resident statistical units are covered.
The reference area for national accounts is the total economy of a country. The total economy of a country can be broken down into regions. The NUTS classification provides a single, uniform breakdown of the economic territory of the Member States of the European union (EU).
The Portuguese national economy concerns the full territory, which includes the mainland and the autonomous regions - archipelagos of Azores and Madeira.
The reference period to be used for presenting regional accounts data is the calendar year.
Accuracy of Portuguese regional accounts data, reported to Eurostat under the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data, assessed by Eurostat by the Quality report shows the accuracy and reliability are supported by a well-structured data revision policy.
Except for some variables concerning population and labour, that are usually expressed in number of persons, hours or jobs, the ESA 2010 system shows all flows and stocks in monetary terms: in euros or other national currency. Concerning Portuguese regional accounts:
Gross domestic product (GDP), gross value added (GVA), compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation and households accounts are published in euros. GDP are also published in Purchasing Power Standards.
Employment and population are published in thousands of persons. Employment is also published in thousands of hours worked.
Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices, and various other measures '(e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards)' can be applied as well. Portugal is fully aligned with the principles outlined above.
Data sources, methods and compilation techniques of Portuguese regional Accounts are according to definitions and concepts in ESA 2010 and the Manual on regional accounts methods. The estimates of GDP are compiled building on a system based mostly in a combined administrative and statistical data (Simplified Business Information), in the sense that the source cover all the (more than 500 thousand) enterprises, and surveys almost all kind of financial and non-financial variables needed to build/fit the ESA concepts and definitions.
For obtain regional accounts, national aggregates are regionalized by the institutional sector, the sources and methods applied vary according to the sector. To calculate GDP, the production approach is used, with regional GDP being obtained by the GVA structure excluding the Madeira International Business Center (free tax zone), at current prices and prices previous year.
Although GVA is transmitted to Eurostat at A10, it is compiled in greater detail in accordance with the guidance from the manual. GVA at previous year's prices is obtained by double deflation, using in most cases national price indices for production and intermediate consumption. However, there are exceptions, and regional deflators are used for some industry.
The corrections made by national accounts, namely for exhaustivity and non-observed components of the economy, are replicated by the regional accounts.
The main method of regionalization is bottom up, the exception being the regionalization of household accounts, where the top-down method is used for some of its aggregates through proxy indicators.
Regional accounts use the Kind-of-Activity-Unit of the National Accounts by opening in LKAU through information from establishments or related information, information of Social Security data, information obtained by specific requests to entities or based on the information indicated in their reports and accounts.
As a rule, the estimation process is performed at the lowest possible level of disaggregation to ensure both a high degree of reliability of the estimates and an adequate detail to represent the evolution of GVA and GDP. The methods applied in the compilation process provide comprehensive estimates of GDP, including the non-observed components of the economy.
National and regional accounts compilation builds up on statistics that are primarily collected for other purposes (primary statistics). There is no single survey source for both national and regional accounts.
It relies on a variety of data sources, including administrative data: car and business registers, accounting statements, tax data, budgetary reports, population censuses, statistical surveys of businesses and households, statements of supervising institutions and branch organisations, annual and quarterly reports, trade statistics on goods and services, balance of payments information.
The main sources of information for regional accounts are:
Simplified Business Information (data on enterprise and local units), which is an administrative and fiscal source compulsory for all businesses operating in Portugal;
Statistics on international trade of goods produced by INE;
Statistics on the balance of payments compiled by the Banco de Portugal;
General State Accounts, financial statements of public corporate entities and fiscal data, in the area of public finances;
Social Security data;
Surveys on households (like the labour force and the household expenditure surveys);
Employment Survey;
Population Censuses;
Agriculture Censuses.
Data from regional accounts are disseminated once a year, normally in December. See publication calendar (section 8) or revision policy of Portuguese National and Regional Accounts.
Regional accounts data should become available to users as timely as possible with an adequate balance between accuracy and timeliness.
The detailed scope and required timeliness for regional accounts data are defined in the ESA 2010 Transmission programme of data.
Provisional estimates of gross domestic product/total gross value added at current prices at regional level (NUTS 2) are available within 12 months after the end of the reference year. Currently, the deadline for the transmission of regional accounts data to Eurostat is t+12 or t+24 months after the reference year, depending on the variable and its breakdown.
The deadline for completing calculations in regional accounts results from the complexity of the accounts’ compilation process and the time taken to complete and process primary data sources. For this reason, the possibilities of shortening the time needed to compile and publish regional accounts data are very limited.
Portuguese Regional Accounts data are released according to a pre-established calendar, in full compliance with the Statistical Council’s plan and the ESA 2010 Transmission Programme.
The geographical comparability of national accounts in Member States of the EU is ensured by the application of common definitions of the European System of Accounts. Worldwide geographical comparison is also possible as most non-European countries apply the SNA 2008 guidelines, and SNA 2008 is consistent with ESA 2010.
The compilation of regional accounts, according to the methodology applied both at EU and global levels, gives the opportunity to publish a set of data that enables international comparisons, e.g. gross domestic product according to the purchasing power parity.
Comparability between regions is ensured by application of the NUTS classification – it enables socio-economic analyses and comparisons of Portugal’s regions and the regions of the entire EU.
As Portuguese Regional Accounts data for all reference periods are compiled according to the definitional requirements of the ESA 2010, the data published are fully comparable over time. Also, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed, going back to reference year 1995 (mandatory until 2000) were required to ensure full temporal consistency.
