Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the most important measures of economic activity. GDP as a synthetic indicator and its components provide an overall picture of the state of the economy. In Switzerland, Annual National Accounts (ANA) are compiled by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), while quarterly national accounts (QNA) are calculated by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The conceptual framework of the QNA is similar to that of the ANA and the quarterly data are consistent with the corresponding annual data.
Revisions
With each release, seasonally unadjusted figures are revised back for several quarters. With the August/September release, they are revised back for three years. After main conceptual or methodological changes of the national accounts (benchmark revisions), the whole time series may be revised. For seasonally adjusted figures, the whole time series is revised each quarter. Benchmark revisions are coordinated with the FSO. Historical vintages of GDP and some expenditure side components can be found in the data set below. A more detailed description why revisions occur in the Swiss QNA can be found in the accompanying article.
Methods
The Swiss QNA are compiled by a so-called indirect estimation approach, based on temporal disaggregation techniques. Quarterly estimates are derived from the available annual data, using statistical methods and quarterly indicators. The accuracy of the preliminary annual estimates, obtained as the sum of the quarterly estimated values, depends to a large extent on the quality of the available and retained quarterly indicators. For seasonal and trading days adjustment, Swiss QNA currently relies on the X13-Arima-Seats method.
Software
The Swiss QNA are based on software routines written in the statistical software R. The core routines include a package with methods for temporal disaggregation of time series, as well as an interface to the new X13-ARIMA-SEATS software for seasonal adjustment. Both are publicly available and can be used and modified under the terms of the General Public Licence (GPL-3).
Further information
Documents
Technical Notes
Technical notes describe revisions and other particularities of the current implementation of Switzerland's QNA estimation.
Revisione del 2014 e del passaggio al SEC 2010 (PDF, 258 kB, 27.02.2023)Letzte Änderung: 30.09.2014 | Grösse: 337 kb | Typ: PDF
Revision des estimations trimestrielles (ET-PIB), 04.09.2012 (PDF, 169 kB, 05.09.2012)Letzte Änderung: 05.09.2012 | Grösse: 163 kb | Typ: PDF
Revisione della destagionalizzazione: effetto dei giorni lavorativi, effetto Pasqua (in tedesco) (PDF, 21 kB, 24.02.2016)Letzte Änderung: 20.09.2011 | Grösse: 19 kb | Typ: PDF
Destagionalizzazione del PIL: modifiche introdotte nel 4. trimestro 2008 (PDF, 52 kB, 24.02.2016)Letzte Änderung: 02.03.2009 | Grösse: 171 kb | Typ: PDF
Dati trimestrale: Prodotto interno lordo e Reddito nazionale lordo (RNL) secondo l'ottica dei redditi (da 1990) (in francese) (PDF, 99 kB, 24.02.2016)Letzte Änderung: 14.10.2008 | Grösse: 181 kb | Typ: PDF
Ultima modifica 18.01.2023
Contatto
Segreteria di Stato dell'economia SECO
Direzione politica economica
Congiuntura
Felicitas Kemeny
Holzikofenweg 36
CH-3003 Berna