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.
Turnover is the income from sale of all products, goods and services received or to be received, which does not include VAT and excises. Turnover is equal with the pay received or to be received and is calculated on a accrual basis accounting. Turnover excludes subsidies.
Value index shows the change in the sales of goods in current prices compared to the sales of previous periods. The price index is not used when calculating the value index.
Volume index shows the change in the volume of sales of goods in constant prices compared to the sale of some previous period. Price indices of goods are used while calculating the index.
3.5. Statistical unit
Enterprise.
3.6. Statistical population
List of active enterprises whose main activity is the wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, wholesale trade or retail trade from the business register for statistical purposes. The population includes about 28,000 objects.
3.7. Reference area
The whole country is covered.
3.8. Coverage - Time
In case of motor vehicles sale and repair enterprises and retail trade enterprises (NACE G45 and G47) the first data in NACE Rev. 2 is from 2001, in case of wholesale trade enterprises (NACE G46) from 2021.
3.9. Base period
Turnover – not relevant
Turnover value index and turnover volume index – the base year is 2021.
Turnover – published nationally in millions of euros.
Turnover value index – data are transmitted to Eurostat and published nationally as indices in current prices.
Turnover volume index – data are transmitted to Eurostat and published nationally as indices in constant prices.
Month.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Regulation (EC) No 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (Text with EEA relevance).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are transmitted to EUROSTAT.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 32, § 34, § 35, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.
Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website of Statistics Estonia. On 1 October each year, the release times of the Statistical Database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications are announced in the release calendar (in case of publications – the release month).
8.2. Release calendar access
The publication calendar of news releases and the statistical publications are available on the website of Statistics Estonia.
8.3. Release policy - user access
All users have been granted an equal access to official statistics: this means that the dissemination dates of official statistics have to be announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) can have access to the official statistics (results of official statistical surveys) before other users. Statistical information is first published in the Statistical Database. In case a news release is published based on the same data, the information provided in the relevant news release is simultaneously published in the Statistical Database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8.00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.
Monthly.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The news release "Retail trade” once a month. The news release can be viewed on the website.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not published.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Data are published under the heading "Economy/Internal trade” in the Statistical Database.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 33, § 34, § 35, § 36, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act. Access to micro-data and anonymisation of micro-data are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s "Procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes".
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Data are sent to Eurostat both to be used in European aggregates as well as to be released as national data.
The Quality Report sent to Eurostat is available at the Eurostat Website.
11.1. Quality assurance
To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the EFQM Excellence Model, EU Statistics Code of Practice and the ESS Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the requirements provided for in § 7. "Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process (this information includes, among other things, feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees). This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications,
Ministry of Finance,
Eurostat.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. All results are available on the website of Statistics Estonia in the section "User surveys".
12.3. Completeness
In compliance with the rules (regulations).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Trade enterprises turover is based on the administrative data. The population includes about 28,000 enterprises. The data may be revised (if errors are discovered) during the year after the end of the reference period, but in general the data are final after they are first published.
13.2. Sampling error
Sampling error cannot be calculated because we do not use probability sample.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not measured because of the usage of administrative data.
14.1. Timeliness
The data are published 30 days after the reference month (T+30).
14.2. Punctuality
The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The data are comparable with the data of European Union Member States.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Motor vehicles sale and repair enterprises and retail trade enterprises (NACE G45 and G47) data are comparable since 2001. Wholesale trade enterprises (NACE G46) data are comparable over time since 2021.
Since 2016, the sample survey replaced with a comprehensive survey and the statistical report of enterprises is replaced with data from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Monthly indicators of trade enterprises are coherent with same quarterly and yearly (SBS) indicators.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent. Higher level aggregations are derived from detailed data according to pre-defined procedures.
The same revision policy is applied to data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, if errors are discovered, if new or better data become available within a year from the end of the reference period.
If the data are adjusted or revised, then this is marked in footnotes in the published tables.
The quality indicators used in the data revision practice are MR (Mean Revision) and MAR (Mean Absolute Revision). The calculated values for the last 36 months (January 2022 to December 2024) are:
Turnover volume index (TOVV)
Section G45 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00%.
Section G46 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = -0.0060%, MAR = 0.6424%.
section G47 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = 0.0004%, MAR = 0.0115%.
Turnover (TOVT)
Section G45 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00%.
section G46 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = -0.0539%, MAR = 0.5867%.
section G47 annual growth rates for original data series (YoY) MR = MAR = 0.00% and for calendar/working day adjusted data series (YoY) MR = 0.0001%, MAR = 0.0044%.
18.1. Source data
The data of value added tax returns (form KMD) from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board are used. Turnover is calculated using the indicators of value added tax returns.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly.
18.3. Data collection
Data are gained from Estonian Tax and Customs Board through Data Exchange Layer X-Road.
18.4. Data validation
Arithmetic and qualitative controls are used in the validation process, including comparison with the data of previous periods and other surveys.
18.5. Data compilation
Turnover – published indicators are calculated on the basis of received data.
Turnover value index – output parameters are calculated by detailed aggregated turnover data.
Turnover volume index – output parameters are calculated by detailed aggregated turnover data and by detailed price indices.
18.6. Adjustment
The time series are seasonally and calendar adjusted, trend is calculated, using the TRAMO/SEATS method in JDemetra+ (version 2.2.2).
Calendar adjusted data:
Data in which the influence of varying number of working days has been eliminated.
Seasonally adjusted data:
Direct method is used for the seasonal adjustment. Model is fixed for the current year. The model is chosen after detailed analysis: 1 regressor (Trading days) is used, outliers are detected and corrected, national holidays calendar is used.
Diagnostic statistics are used to control the quality of seasonal adjustment. The significance levels, the number of outliers and statistics on residuals (residual normality, residual asymmetry, etc.) in data series are controlled.
Revisions:
Seasonal adjustment models and parameters are revised and fixed if necessary.
More information about the adjustment is found in added template.
Turnover is the income from sale of all products, goods and services received or to be received, which does not include VAT and excises. Turnover is equal with the pay received or to be received and is calculated on a accrual basis accounting. Turnover excludes subsidies.
Value index shows the change in the sales of goods in current prices compared to the sales of previous periods. The price index is not used when calculating the value index.
Volume index shows the change in the volume of sales of goods in constant prices compared to the sale of some previous period. Price indices of goods are used while calculating the index.
Enterprise.
List of active enterprises whose main activity is the wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, wholesale trade or retail trade from the business register for statistical purposes. The population includes about 28,000 objects.
The whole country is covered.
Month.
Trade enterprises turover is based on the administrative data. The population includes about 28,000 enterprises. The data may be revised (if errors are discovered) during the year after the end of the reference period, but in general the data are final after they are first published.
Turnover – published nationally in millions of euros.
Turnover value index – data are transmitted to Eurostat and published nationally as indices in current prices.
Turnover volume index – data are transmitted to Eurostat and published nationally as indices in constant prices.
Turnover – published indicators are calculated on the basis of received data.
Turnover value index – output parameters are calculated by detailed aggregated turnover data.
Turnover volume index – output parameters are calculated by detailed aggregated turnover data and by detailed price indices.
The data of value added tax returns (form KMD) from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board are used. Turnover is calculated using the indicators of value added tax returns.
Monthly.
The data are published 30 days after the reference month (T+30).
The data are comparable with the data of European Union Member States.
Motor vehicles sale and repair enterprises and retail trade enterprises (NACE G45 and G47) data are comparable since 2001. Wholesale trade enterprises (NACE G46) data are comparable over time since 2021.
Since 2016, the sample survey replaced with a comprehensive survey and the statistical report of enterprises is replaced with data from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board.
