ABSTRACT
National statistical agencies get a moment in the spotlight when releasing economic data for gross domestic product (GDP) but, underneath the simple percentage change in GDP that gets all the attention, there are many layers of data about the flow of economic activity through the economy. One of those layers is output at the industry level, the production of goods and services measured as value added by the identifiable industries within the economy, as defined by the United Nations System of National Accounts. If there is a single number that defines an economy it is GDP, typically given as a country’s annual total output of goods and services and its aggregate demand for those goods and services. Supply and use tables are the building blocks for national accounts and are used to ensure GDP is balanced for all three approaches and together they provide the annual benchmarks and quarterly estimates.
