The purpose of the United Nations International Comparison Project (ICP) is to compare the purchasing power of currencies and the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of different countries. It is well known that the usual method of converting the GDPs of different countries to a common currency, usually U.S. dollars, at existing exchange rates is misleading because exchange rates do not necessarily reflect the purchasing power of currencies. The ICP has found that the purchasing power of a country's currency over GDP can be as much as three times its dollar exchange rate, and thus the real GDP per capita is three times the value shown in an exchange-rate conversion. The unsatisfactory nature of exchange-rate conversions has become even clearer in the past few years under the new regime of managed floating rates. Changes in exchange rates of as much as 20 percent within the space of a year have not been unusual even among major currencies.

"This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions"--T.p. verso.

This publication provides estimates of purchasing power parities (PPPs) and real expenditures for 22 economies in Asia and the Pacific. These are summary regional results from the 2017 cycle of the International Comparison Program (ICP), a global statistical initiative carried out under the auspices of the United Nations Statistical Commission. The report provides estimates of PPPs, real expenditures for total and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and its component expenditures derived using PPPs, and price level indexes showing relative costs of living. The PPPs enable comparison in real terms across economies by removing the price level differences among them.

Describes the International Comparison Programme which intends to produce estimates, comparable in real terms, for the gross domestic product. Provides guidance for those working in national statistical offices on the Programme.

This manual gives a complete, detailed and up-to-date description of the Eurostat-OECD PPP Programme, including its organisation, the various surveys carried out by participating countries and the ways PPPs are calculated and disseminated. It also provides guidance on the use of PPPs.