Consumption Activity Index
Private consumption makes up roughly 50 percent of total GDP. Therefore, a timely and precise assessment of the developments in private consumption is deemed important for making judgments on business cycles in the macroeconomy.
From this viewpoint, the Research and Statistics Department of the Bank of Japan provides research data titled "Consumption Activity Index (CAI)" on a regular basis. The CAI is compiled by using a variety of sales and supply-side statistics on goods and services as its source statistics and is provided as a measure for capturing short-term consumption activity on both monthly and quarterly bases.
Various series of the CAI -- such as nominal and real indexes, indexes with/without adjustments of travel balance, and a breakdown by type of goods/services -- are available to meet various analytical needs.
The data are, in principle, released at 2:00 p.m. on the fifth business day of each month; however, this release schedule is subject to change.
Details on the compilation methodology are available in the following research papers.
- Nakamura, Kawata, Tanaka, and Uemae "The Consumption Activity Index," Bank of Japan Research Papers, May 2016.
- Nakamura, Miura, and Maruyama, "The Consumption Activity Index: Improvements of Release Contents and Revisions of Compilation Methodology," Bank of Japan Research Papers, October 2016.
- Kanafuji, Mandokoro, Kato, and Sugo, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index to Address the 2008 SNA and Improve Accuracy," Bank of Japan Research Papers, April 2018.
- Takahashi, Kondo, Munakata, Okubo, and Iwasaki, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index to Capture Recent Changes in Consumption Patterns," Bank of Japan Research Papers, July 2021.
- Takata, Ozaki, Nakazawa, Noro, and Kato, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index Following the 2020 Base Revision of GDP Statistics," Bank of Japan Research Papers, April 2026. (Currently only available in Japanese; an English version is under preparation.)
Research Data
| Date | Title | Data |
|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2026 | Chart | [PDF 14KB] |
| May 12, 2026 | Data | [XLSX 52KB] |
Explanation and Related Materials
Explanation
- Nakamura, Kawata, Tanaka, and Uemae "The Consumption Activity Index," Bank of Japan Research Papers, May 2016.
- Nakamura, Miura, and Maruyama, "The Consumption Activity Index: Improvements of Release Contents and Revisions of Compilation Methodology," Bank of Japan Research Papers, October 2016.
- Kanafuji, Mandokoro, Kato, and Sugo, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index to Address the 2008 SNA and Improve Accuracy," Bank of Japan Research Papers, April 2018.
- Takahashi, Kondo, Munakata, Okubo, and Iwasaki, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index to Capture Recent Changes in Consumption Patterns," Bank of Japan Research Papers, July 2021.
- Takata, Ozaki, Nakazawa, Noro, and Kato, "Revision of the Consumption Activity Index Following the 2020 Base Revision of GDP Statistics," Bank of Japan Research Papers, April 2026. (Currently only available in Japanese; an English version is under preparation.)
Seasonal Adjustment
Notices of Changes
- Apr. 30, 2026
- Updates on the Consumption Activity Index
- June 6, 2025
- Revision of the Consumption Activity Index
- Apr. 25, 2025
- Change in the Release Date of the Consumption Activity Index for March 2025
- June 7, 2022
- Revision of the Consumption Activity Index
- June 5, 2020
- Revision of the Consumption Activity Index
- May 1, 2020
- Change in the Release Date of the Consumption Activity Index for March 2020
- July 6, 2018
- Revision to the Consumption Activity Index
- May 10, 2017
- Revisions to the Consumption Activity Index
Notice
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Inquiries
Economic Assessment and Projection Group,
Economic Research Division, Research and Statistics Department
Tel : +81-3-3279-1111