I, too, found the World Factbook inconsistent.

Submitted by GWK (United States), Jan 15, 2015 at 12:08

In 2002 and 2003 I relied on the Factbook for a series of official presentations regarding demographic trends. A year later, when I wanted to update the presentation with additional data, I found the "new" data inconsistent with prior years'. Which led me to ask myself, was the CIA data that I used in 2002-2003 correct, but replaced with incorrect information? Or, was the 2002-2003 information i relied on inaccurate, meaning I gave an official presentation with incorrect information.

Rather than reach out to the CIA for an answer, I let the issue go. But I have to say, Dr. Pipes, I agree, the inconsistencies really diminish the authority of the CIA as an information resource.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".