The statistics bureau also reported that consumer prices were exactly 3 percent higher in March than a year earlier.

Unemployment, according to the national statistics bureau, is 5.7 percent, one of the lowest in Europe.

The figures for manufacturing, which cover 20 percent of the economy, were not affected by the error, the statistics bureau said.

Southwest's fuel costs now average $15 a passenger, according to a study by the federal statistics bureau that will be released this week.

Almost 7,000 new housing units are already under construction in the existing settlements, according to Israel's statistics bureau.

"We can hardly take the trend in the quarter as a sign of economic recovery," said an official at the ministry's research and statistics bureau.

The federal statistics bureau said growth was strongest in the auto and auto-parts sectors.

Indonesia's economy grew 4.1 percent in 2003, the country's statistics bureau said, driven by rising exports and strong consumer spending.

Indeed, the Statistics Bureau itself has recognized the problems for decades and struggled to find solutions.

Higher energy costs pushed prices excluding fresh food up 0.6% in April from a year ago, according to the Japanese statistics bureau.