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HELP / FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

In this section we have included the most frequently asked questions that we receive at our customer services department, as well as the corresponding responses. We hope to resolve in this manner a large number of doubts.

If you do not find the response to your question on this page, please do not hesitate in contacting us in electronic format. We will attempt to provide you with a response within a maximum period of three days.

Statistical information in general
CPI. Consumer Price Index
Population Data
Issue of certificates
Confidentiality of the data
Training and employment
Requirements for navigating throughout the INE web site
Security recommendations

1. Statistical information in general

1. Where can I find statistical data?

All the INE's statistical information is published on this web site, within the section INEbase, structured by topics and sections so that the localisation of same is as simple as possible. Select at INEbase the topic and section of interest to you, or write the related term in the search engine. The information that is available on the web site includes all the data that is published, both with regards to statistical data as well as information on methodology.

All enquiries made on this web site, in all sections, are free of charge.

2. At what time intervals is the data updated?

The statistical information available on the Internet is permanently updated, given that the diffusion of statistical results through this medium is given priority.

3. How do we know when the data is updated?

INE data follows a rigorous calendar that indicates the exact publication date of short term statistics (monthly or quarterly), and the month when dealing with structural statistics (annual or greater periods).

To facilitate the localisation of the latest information we have prepared on the following sections on the main page:

- New on INEbase, which contains the list of the latest publications incorporated into the database, with direct access to the menus of each operation

- Main data, which contains a summary of the main data

- Latest news, which contains an extract on the latest published press notes From here it is also possible to access the full contents of the press notes, as well as detailed information on the operation

And moreover, if you subscribe to the RSS news service you will receive via your computer a warning each time an updating of data takes place.

4. Is it possible to obtain data that is more detailed than that published on the web site?

Although it is not always possible, on occasions it is possible to obtain information that is more broken down (sectorial, territorial, etc.) than that published, but this must always be requested in the form of a customised petition. A customised petition is not always viable and it will be up to the unit responsible for the survey to decide on the viability of same. When the petition is viable programming costs are generated that are invoiced to the petitioner, the amount of same having been previously communicated.

5. Is it possible to view data from previous periods that the INE does not have published on the web site?

When on the desired date the operation on which information is sought was indeed elaborated, there will exist a publication containing the data, that may be consulted at the library of the Central Services in Madrid or INE provincial delegations.

It is advisable that you previously make a telephone call to verify that on the desired date the investigation that the data refers to was indeed elaborated, and the publication in question is available. Consult the address and telephone listing of the customer services department.

2. CPI. Consumer price index

1. Where may one find data on the latest published CPI?

Various query options are available, which may be accessed via a general menu. Updating a rental income with the CPI may be carried out with the option Do you wish to update a rental amount?. Ascertaining CPI variation rates between different periods may be carried out with the option How much has the CPI varied since....? And if you wish, you may also access the detailed information.

2. What months need to be included to calculate the CPI variation for a full year? Do the initial and final months need to be repeated?

To consider a period of 12 months, the initial month and the final month must be the same. In other words, if we wish to calculate the annual variation experimented by the CPI in September 2004 we must compare September 2003 with September 2004 (12 months), and not August 2003 with September 2004 (13 months), nor October 2003 with September 2004 (11 months). This must be done in this manner because the indices refer to the last day of the month, thus, by considering September 2003 this month would not be included within the calculation, but September 2004 would indeed be included.

3. What period needs to be selected to obtain the variation for the natural year?

The natural year is obtained by considering the period December – December. The explanation of why this needs to be done in this manner is found in the previous section.

4. Can the INE provide advice on the procedure for reviewing a rental contract?

The INE does not have the authority to advise with regards to the interpretation of contracts, it can only provide the CPI variations between the requested months at any given moment. To update a rental contract with the Consumer Price Index, the variation with the general CPI may be calculated very easily by using the sections that the INE publishes on its web site: Do you wish to update the rent? or How much has the CPI varied since...?

5. Is there any section where the INE publishes CPI forecasts?

The INE does not elaborate nor publish CPI forecasts. The CPI data are based on the prices of the selected articles, collected during the month to which the data refers to. Once the month has concluded and, subsequently, the collection of prices, the information is processed and the data is published pursuant to a fixed calendar.

6. What is the most convenient manner for calculating a retirement pension?

At the Social Security web site, within the section Virtual Office, there is a section titled Do it yourself: program for the self-calculation of the retirement pension, which will allow you to effect the calculations. You may access it directly through this address.

7. Does there exist a special index for rental premises?

The INE does not elaborate nor publish a special index for rental premises.

3. Population data

1. What is the population of Spain?

The official population figures are those that are derived from the administration of the municipal register, and which are published annually, with reference to January 1, by means of a Royal Decree. These figures may be consulted on a national, autonomous community, province and municipality level

Moreover, the INE publishes population figures obtained from the Population Censuses, which are purely statistical in nature.

2. To what territorial level may the population figures be broken down to?
The population figures may be obtained with a very broad territorial break down, although this would always be exclusively for statistical purposes. The Nomenclature or List of population units, which derives from the Municipal Register, contains the population of all the entities and nuclei of each municipality.

3. Where must one request the registration, de-registration or modification of a Municipal Register inscription?

The elaboration, maintenance, review and custody of the Municipal Register corresponds to the City Council, not to the INE. Consequently, for any registrations, de-registrations or modifications of the data on record at the Municipal Register it is necessary to request same at the City Council.

4. Issue of certificates

1. What information can be certified?

All the information published by the INE may be certified.

2. How may one obtain a statistical data certificate?

At the INE Central Services in Madrid and at any of the INE provincial delegations you may request and obtain, usually immediately, a certificate. You may consult the address and telephone listing for all the customer services on offer.

Anyone who wishes to avoid travel may provide via post, electronic mail or fax, the following details:
- Name, surnames, DNI and domicile of the person in the name of which the certificate must be issued
- Datum or data which you want certified

Once this communication is received a pre-payment form is forwarded to your domicile so that you may proceed with the payment, in advance, of the official fees, to be made effective at any one of the collaborating banking entities. This form must be forwarded to the INE, who will subsequently issue and mail the requested certificate to the designated domicile.

3. Is it possible to request telematic certificates?

There is a Electronic Headquarters where, nowadays, it's only possible to request telematically the issue of Consumer Price Index certificates (CPI), general national index for complete annual periods. A digital certificate is required to use this service. Furthermore, users will have to pay, telematically, the rate corresponding to the issue of the certificate

5. Confidentiality of the data

1. May information be obtained on a particular person or company from the INE?

No, the INE does not provide nominative data on any of the persons or companies collaborating in the surveys, or included in any type of registry which it administers, given that this type of information is always protected by statistical secret.

6. Training and employment

1. How may one ascertain the availability of vacancies that the INE offers both in the form of civil service employment as well as through labour contracts?

The availability of vacancies for working at the INE, both as a civil servant as well as via a contract, are duly advertised on the web site, in the section training and employment.

2. Does the INE offer any types of scholarships?

The INE offers annually scholarships for postgraduates who wish to initiate themselves in statistical research methods and techniques. To obtain more information on this issue you may visit the section postgraduate scholarships.

7. Requirements for navigating throughout the INE web site

1. Which navigator needs to have been installed?

With versions 5 and subsequent of the most popular navigators (Internet Explorer©, Netscape©, Mozilla Firefox V.1©) you should have no problems in viewing our web site. Notwithstanding, at some stages the navigation program that you use may request that you install an additional program, if same is not already installed, to access specific files, as may be Acrobat PDF (you need Acrobat Reader ©), Microsoft EXCEL (you need Excel Viewer ©), Microsoft WORD (you need Word Viewer ©) or compressed ZIP files (you need a program like Winzip © (payment) or 7ZIP (free)).