Notice: This page requires JavaScript to function properly.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings or update your browser.
Impara Descriptive Statistics for Economic Indicators | Economic Data Analysis with Python
Practice
Projects
Quizzes & Challenges
Quizzes
Challenges
/
Python for Economists

bookDescriptive Statistics for Economic Indicators

Descriptive statistics are essential tools for summarizing and understanding economic data. In economics, the mean (average) provides a central value, indicating the typical level of an indicator such as inflation or unemployment. The median represents the middle value when data are ordered, offering a measure that is robust to extreme values or outliers, which are common in economic datasets. The standard deviation quantifies how much values deviate from the mean, helping you gauge the volatility or stability of economic indicators. For example, a high standard deviation in inflation rates suggests greater variability and potential uncertainty in an economy, while a low standard deviation implies more stable conditions.

1234567891011121314151617
import pandas as pd # Sample inflation rate data for several countries (in percent) data = { "Country": ["USA", "Germany", "Brazil", "Japan", "Turkey", "India"], "InflationRate": [3.1, 2.8, 9.5, 0.5, 15.2, 5.4] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Compute descriptive statistics mean_inflation = df["InflationRate"].mean() median_inflation = df["InflationRate"].median() std_inflation = df["InflationRate"].std() print("Mean Inflation Rate:", mean_inflation) print("Median Inflation Rate:", median_inflation) print("Standard Deviation of Inflation Rates:", std_inflation)
copy

Analyzing the computed statistics for the inflation data above, you see that the mean inflation rate gives you a sense of the overall typical inflation across the countries. However, if one country, such as Turkey, has a much higher inflation rate, this can pull the mean upward, potentially distorting your impression of general inflation levels. The median is less sensitive to such extremes; it shows the middle value and can be a better indicator of the "typical" country's experience when outliers are present. A high standard deviation in this context means that inflation rates vary widely between countries, signaling economic instability or differing monetary environments. A low standard deviation would suggest that most countries in the sample have similar inflation rates, indicating more uniform economic conditions.

123456
# Identify the country with the highest and lowest inflation rates max_inflation_country = df.loc[df["InflationRate"].idxmax(), "Country"] min_inflation_country = df.loc[df["InflationRate"].idxmin(), "Country"] print("Country with highest inflation rate:", max_inflation_country) print("Country with lowest inflation rate:", min_inflation_country)
copy

1. What does the standard deviation of inflation rates indicate about an economy?

2. Fill in the blank: To find the country with the highest inflation rate, you would use _ _ _.

3. Why might the median be a better measure than the mean for some economic indicators?

question mark

What does the standard deviation of inflation rates indicate about an economy?

Select the correct answer

question-icon

Fill in the blank: To find the country with the highest inflation rate, you would use _ _ _.

Click or drag`n`drop items and fill in the blanks

question mark

Why might the median be a better measure than the mean for some economic indicators?

Select the correct answer

Tutto è chiaro?

Come possiamo migliorarlo?

Grazie per i tuoi commenti!

Sezione 1. Capitolo 4

Chieda ad AI

expand

Chieda ad AI

ChatGPT

Chieda pure quello che desidera o provi una delle domande suggerite per iniziare la nostra conversazione

bookDescriptive Statistics for Economic Indicators

Scorri per mostrare il menu

Descriptive statistics are essential tools for summarizing and understanding economic data. In economics, the mean (average) provides a central value, indicating the typical level of an indicator such as inflation or unemployment. The median represents the middle value when data are ordered, offering a measure that is robust to extreme values or outliers, which are common in economic datasets. The standard deviation quantifies how much values deviate from the mean, helping you gauge the volatility or stability of economic indicators. For example, a high standard deviation in inflation rates suggests greater variability and potential uncertainty in an economy, while a low standard deviation implies more stable conditions.

1234567891011121314151617
import pandas as pd # Sample inflation rate data for several countries (in percent) data = { "Country": ["USA", "Germany", "Brazil", "Japan", "Turkey", "India"], "InflationRate": [3.1, 2.8, 9.5, 0.5, 15.2, 5.4] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Compute descriptive statistics mean_inflation = df["InflationRate"].mean() median_inflation = df["InflationRate"].median() std_inflation = df["InflationRate"].std() print("Mean Inflation Rate:", mean_inflation) print("Median Inflation Rate:", median_inflation) print("Standard Deviation of Inflation Rates:", std_inflation)
copy

Analyzing the computed statistics for the inflation data above, you see that the mean inflation rate gives you a sense of the overall typical inflation across the countries. However, if one country, such as Turkey, has a much higher inflation rate, this can pull the mean upward, potentially distorting your impression of general inflation levels. The median is less sensitive to such extremes; it shows the middle value and can be a better indicator of the "typical" country's experience when outliers are present. A high standard deviation in this context means that inflation rates vary widely between countries, signaling economic instability or differing monetary environments. A low standard deviation would suggest that most countries in the sample have similar inflation rates, indicating more uniform economic conditions.

123456
# Identify the country with the highest and lowest inflation rates max_inflation_country = df.loc[df["InflationRate"].idxmax(), "Country"] min_inflation_country = df.loc[df["InflationRate"].idxmin(), "Country"] print("Country with highest inflation rate:", max_inflation_country) print("Country with lowest inflation rate:", min_inflation_country)
copy

1. What does the standard deviation of inflation rates indicate about an economy?

2. Fill in the blank: To find the country with the highest inflation rate, you would use _ _ _.

3. Why might the median be a better measure than the mean for some economic indicators?

question mark

What does the standard deviation of inflation rates indicate about an economy?

Select the correct answer

question-icon

Fill in the blank: To find the country with the highest inflation rate, you would use _ _ _.

Click or drag`n`drop items and fill in the blanks

question mark

Why might the median be a better measure than the mean for some economic indicators?

Select the correct answer

Tutto è chiaro?

Come possiamo migliorarlo?

Grazie per i tuoi commenti!

Sezione 1. Capitolo 4
some-alt