[Isamu]

The Factbook dates from a time when this was the most convenient source of updated concise summaries of all countries. It didn’t necessarily go into great detail except for countries important to the US national interest. This has been eclipsed by Wikipedia, the information there is far more comprehensive and govt officials will go there to make updates and corrections.

[Antibabelic]

Where do you think the information on Wikipedia comes from? Not that Wikipedia strongly relies on The World Factbook, but it can't exist without other secondary sources like these.

[notRobot]

Wikipedia is actually the secondary source when someone reads a page on it, and it requires primary sources (like factbooks) to cite to exist.

[wongarsu]

Most countries have some kind of statistics department that publishes that kind of data in great detail.

The issues start when you try to compare data, because different sources will use different methodologies

[nikanj]

The Factbook dates from a time when facts mattered

[837263292029]

> govt officials will go there to make updates and corrections

That's one way of putting it.

[alex1138]

Can we please, please not outsource everything to Wikipedia? Many of the editors there are hardly impartial

[hk__2]

And the CIA is impartial? ;)