The World Factbook

The World Factbook, also called the CIA World Factbook, was a reference book made by the US Central Intelligence Agency from 1962 until 2026. It gave quick, almanac-style facts about the countries of the world. This included details on their demographics, geography, communications, government, economy, and military.

It was made to help U.S. government workers and was not secret after 1971. Since 1975, people could read it in print, first from the CIA and later the Government Publishing Office. People could also see it online and download it.

The Factbook had two to three pages of facts for each of 258 places. This included U.S.-recognized countries, areas that depend on other countries, and other regions.

It was often used for school projects and news stories. Because it was made by the U.S. government, it was free to use in the United States.

On February 4, 2026, the CIA stopped publishing The World Factbook without warning or a reason. Now, it is kept safe by The Mozilla Data Collective and the Factbook Archive.

Data

The World Factbook provides useful information about many countries. This includes facts about their land, people, government, economy, and communication systems.