Source
Source Contact person/organisation Contact person/organisationIn this dataset, almost all OECD countries compile their data according to 2008 System of National Account (SNA).
The link to the file "ANA_changes.xls" is available for users to provide more information on where OECD countries and non member countries stand regarding the change over the 2008 SNA.
The readers' guide gives general information on the dataset and withheld criteria for this dataset.
Data Characteristics Data Characteristics Other data characteristics Other data characteristicsNon-financial assets held by households reflect the assets owned by unincorporated household enterprises and dwellings owned by households, with the latter component forming by far the bulk of non-financial assets. They form an important part of overall wealth and can provide an important additional source of revenue; either through their sale or refinancing, or as income via imputed rentals of residential property for example. Estimates of non-financial assets held by households also play an important role in economic analyses, such as studies of asset bubbles, and analyses of living standards.
Concepts & Classifications Concepts & Classifications Key statistical concept Key statistical conceptDefinition
Non-financial assets held by households include in theory both produced and non-produced non-financial assets and therefore include: produced assets: dwellings and other buildings and structures (including land improvements); machinery and equipment; cultivated biological resources (including livestock) and intellectual property products, such as software and literary and artistic originals; and non-produced assets: natural resources such as land and taxi-licenses.
In practice dwellings (and the underlying land) form by far the most significant component of non-financial assets of households.
Except for dwellings, only those assets owned by household unincorporated enterprises, and used in production, are included as non-financial assets. For example a car used by a household purely for household transport is not a non-financial asset whereas a car used by a self-employed taxi driver is.
Other manipulations Other manipulationsNon-financial assets are valued in the balance sheets at market prices at the time to which the balance sheet relates, and are recorded net of depreciation.
Other Aspects Other Aspects Recommended uses and limitations Recommended uses and limitationsComparability
Information on non-financial assets held by households typically relies on household based surveys and so the quality of such information, except for that pertaining to dwellings and land, is generally of lower quality than it is for similar information collected on incorporated businesses.
Moreover, in practice, countries use a variety of methods to differentiate between the value of dwellings and the land on which the dwellings sit, meaning that comparisons of these subcomponents across countries are challenging. Some countries, for example the United Kingdom, include the value of land under dwellings within the figures for dwellings. This matters not only for international comparability, and indeed temporal comparisons, but also because dwellings, as produced assets depreciate whereas (most) land, as a non-produced asset, does not. A particular challenge arises from capturing quality change and quality differences in the housing stock and valuing it accordingly.
The caveats above, pertaining to the distinction between land and dwellings, mean that users should be particularly careful in using the relevant figures in making international comparisons. The OECD Statistics Directorate is working with national statistical institutes, so that future versions of this publication reflect a greater coverage and a larger degree of international comparability.
Data are assets net of depreciation for all countries except for Denmark, and Slovak Republic (gross assets).
In this dataset, almost all OECD countries compile their data according to 2008 System of National Account (SNA).
The link to the file "ANA_changes.xls" is available for users to provide more information on where OECD countries and non member countries stand regarding the change over the 2008 SNA.
The readers' guide gives general information on the dataset and withheld criteria for this dataset.
Non-financial assets held by households reflect the assets owned by unincorporated household enterprises and dwellings owned by households, with the latter component forming by far the bulk of non-financial assets. They form an important part of overall wealth and can provide an important additional source of revenue; either through their sale or refinancing, or as income via imputed rentals of residential property for example. Estimates of non-financial assets held by households also play an important role in economic analyses, such as studies of asset bubbles, and analyses of living standards.
Definition
Non-financial assets held by households include in theory both produced and non-produced non-financial assets and therefore include: produced assets: dwellings and other buildings and structures (including land improvements); machinery and equipment; cultivated biological resources (including livestock) and intellectual property products, such as software and literary and artistic originals; and non-produced assets: natural resources such as land and taxi-licenses.
In practice dwellings (and the underlying land) form by far the most significant component of non-financial assets of households.
Except for dwellings, only those assets owned by household unincorporated enterprises, and used in production, are included as non-financial assets. For example a car used by a household purely for household transport is not a non-financial asset whereas a car used by a self-employed taxi driver is.
Non-financial assets are valued in the balance sheets at market prices at the time to which the balance sheet relates, and are recorded net of depreciation.
Comparability
Information on non-financial assets held by households typically relies on household based surveys and so the quality of such information, except for that pertaining to dwellings and land, is generally of lower quality than it is for similar information collected on incorporated businesses.
Moreover, in practice, countries use a variety of methods to differentiate between the value of dwellings and the land on which the dwellings sit, meaning that comparisons of these subcomponents across countries are challenging. Some countries, for example the United Kingdom, include the value of land under dwellings within the figures for dwellings. This matters not only for international comparability, and indeed temporal comparisons, but also because dwellings, as produced assets depreciate whereas (most) land, as a non-produced asset, does not. A particular challenge arises from capturing quality change and quality differences in the housing stock and valuing it accordingly.
The caveats above, pertaining to the distinction between land and dwellings, mean that users should be particularly careful in using the relevant figures in making international comparisons. The OECD Statistics Directorate is working with national statistical institutes, so that future versions of this publication reflect a greater coverage and a larger degree of international comparability.
Data are assets net of depreciation for all countries except for Denmark, and Slovak Republic (gross assets).