The Eurostat-OECD compilation guide on inventories represents the first comprehensive overview of conceptual and practical issues related to the compilation of the balance-sheet item ‘inventories’ in the national accounts.

The estimation of inventories and changes in inventories in national accounts is often very difficult. Therefore it is the aim of this compilation guide to provide conceptual and practical guidance to statisticians on the estimation and valuation of inventories in mutual coherence with the transaction changes in inventories, and by doing so, to increase international comparability for these items. The guide clarifies theoretical concepts and possible data sources. It elaborates several estimation methods for both the asset inventories and the transaction changes in inventories, including their breakdowns into products, industries and institutional sectors. The compilation guide also addresses several special estimation cases and provides the results of a questionnaire — completed by 34 countries — on country practices regarding the estimation of inventories.

The Eurostat-OECD compilation guide on inventories was prepared by the Task Force on Land and other non-financial assets under the joint leadership of Eurostat and the OECD. Representatives from various European Union (EU) and non-EU OECD countries were represented as well as the European Central Bank.