survey_idno,sid,file_id,vid,name,labl,var_intrvl,var_dcml,var_wgt,var_start_pos,var_end_pos,var_width,var_imputation,var_security,var_respunit,var_qstn_preqtxt,var_qstn_qstnlit,var_qstn_postqtxt,var_qstn_ivuinstr,var_universe,var_sumstat,var_txt,var_catgry,var_codinstr,var_concept,var_format,var_notes ALB_2017_DHS_v01_M,3404,F3,V174,hv270,"Wealth index combined",discrete,0,,,,,,,,,,,,,[],,"[{""value"":""1"",""labl"":""Poorest"",""is_missing"":null,""stats"":[]},{""value"":""2"",""labl"":""Poorer"",""is_missing"":null,""stats"":[]},{""value"":""3"",""labl"":""Middle"",""is_missing"":null,""stats"":[]},{""value"":""4"",""labl"":""Richer"",""is_missing"":null,""stats"":[]},{""value"":""5"",""labl"":""Richest"",""is_missing"":null,""stats"":[]}]",,[],"{""type"":""numeric"",""schema"":""other"",""category"":null,""name"":null}","Wealth index variables The wealth index is a composite measure of a household's cumulative living standard. The wealth index is calculated using easy-to-collect data on a household’s ownership of selected assets, such as televisions and bicycles; materials used for housing construction; and types of water access and sanitation facilities. Generated with a statistical procedure known as principal components analysis, the wealth index places individual households on a continuous scale of relative wealth. DHS separates all interviewed households into five wealth quintiles to compare the influence of wealth on various population, health and nutrition indicators. The wealth index is presented in the DHS Final Reports and survey datasets as a background characteristic"