Release candidate · v0.2 · 22 Aug 2026
MENA Series Compatibility Table
A practical answer to one question: when a statistical series changes base, method, survey design, classification or historical treatment, what can still be compared directly—and what should the researcher use instead?
Interpretation rule. A bridge can be official, partial/provisional, or not yet verified. “Comparable” never means the measurement system is identical. It means the producer supplies enough of a bridge for the stated use, or the user action explicitly tells the researcher how to preserve the break.
| Country | Series | Earlier regime | Later regime | Bridge class | Comparison decision | Recommended user action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | National accounts / GDP | Pre-comprehensive-revision vintages | Post-revision history; chain-linked real GDP | official_bridge | method version required | Use revised history now; preserve archived vintages for real-time analysis. |
| Jordan | Quarterly GDP | Archived pre-revision series | Revised 2008–Q2 2025 history; ISIC Rev.4 | official_bridge | method version required | Use revised history now; retain archived releases when reproducing older work. |
| Morocco | Labour-force survey / unemployment | ENE through 2025 | EMO2026 onward | partial_or_provisional_bridge | No with old ENE; yes with official backcast where available | Use EMO-compatible 2017–2025 backcasts; do not splice old ENE directly to EMO2026. |
| Tunisia | Residential real-estate price index | Pre-method-revision vintages | Revised post-2022/23 series | official_bridge | use current revised series | Use current revised series; preserve old vintages for real-time reconstruction. |
| Egypt | Consumer Price Index | Earlier CPI base regime | 2018/19-base tenth series | no_verified_bridge | index levels require base alignment | Do not compare raw index levels across regimes without rebasing or an official link. |
| Saudi Arabia | Consumer Price Index | Earlier fixed-base CPI | Chain-linked CPI; 2023=100 reference | official_bridge | yes with reconstructed history | Use GASTAT's reconstructed 2013-present series for current historical analysis. |
| Jordan | Consumer Price Index | 2010=100 | 2018=100 | official_bridge | yes after base alignment | Use one consistent base; prefer the official 2018=100 history. |
| Tunisia | Consumer Price Index | 2010-base CPI | 2015-base CPI | partial_or_provisional_bridge | yes after base alignment | Use one INS-published base series and document wider basket/weight/collection changes. |
| Oman | Consumer Price Index | 2012-base CPI | 2018-base CPI | no_verified_bridge | prefer growth rates across unbridged bases | Do not splice raw index levels without an official link or explicit rebasing. |
| Qatar | Consumer Price Index | 2013-base CPI | 2018-base CPI from 2020 | official_bridge | yes with official 2018-base history | Use PSA's 2018-base history across the change; preserve old releases for contemporaneous reconstruction. |
| United Arab Emirates | Consumer Price Index | 2007 weighting regime | 2014 weighting regime based on 2014–15 HIES | no_verified_bridge | method version required | Record the weighting regime; do not assume a fixed consumer basket across the transition. |
| Bahrain | Consumer Price Index | 2006-base / HIES 2005–06 weights | HIES 2014–15 weight regime | no_verified_bridge | method version required | Record the weight regime and seek a producer-linked history before comparing index levels across regimes. |
| Lebanon | Consumer Price Index | December 1998=100 | December 2007=100 | partial_or_provisional_bridge | yes after base alignment + weight-regime review | Use one CAS-published base regime or an explicit linking procedure. |
| Lebanon | Annual national accounts | Earlier published vintages | 2022–23 release with revisions to prior years | official_bridge | method version required for real-time analysis | Use current revised series now; preserve old vintages for reproduction of earlier work. |
| Kuwait | Annual establishment survey — non-financial services | Pre-2002 questionnaire/classification/frame regime | 2002 redesign onward | no_verified_bridge | classification bridge required | Treat 2002 as a regime boundary unless a documented classification concordance is applied. |
Pilot description
Within these 15 purposively selected, source-verified cases, 7 have a verified official bridge, 3 have a partial or provisional bridge, and 5 have no bridge the Lab has yet verified. These counts describe the pilot only.
Suggested citation
Aloreidi, L. (2026). MENA Series Compatibility Table, v0.2. MENA Open Data & Evidence Lab.
Independent non-author reproduction remains pending. Corrections and disagreements will be versioned publicly.