index number

American  

noun

Statistics.

1. a quantity whose variation over a period of time measures the change in some phenomenon.

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index number British  

noun

1. statistics a statistic indicating the relative change occurring in each successive period of time in the price, volume, or value of a commodity or in a general economic variable, such as the price level, national income, or gross output, with reference to a previous base period conventionally given the number 100

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Etymology

Origin of index number

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

index number

The higher the index number, the more confident builders feel.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 18, 2025

VTS produces a quarterly index number that gauges the interest among companies for new office space in seven major markets.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

A rational exponent is a fraction: the denominator of the fraction is the root or index number and the numerator is the power to which it is raised.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

While it is possible to reach a mass audience with the NFL, the audience has an index number of 118 among consumers with incomes of more than $100,000.

From Forbes ● Oct. 9, 2014

For instance the median of the forty-five percentages on which Mr. Sauerbeck's index number is based was, for 1892, 66; while the arithmetic mean was 68.

From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Chester Arthur Phillips