The World Factbook was prepared by the CIA for the use ofU.S. government officials, and its style, format, coverage, and content are primarily designed to meet their requirements.[3] It was also frequently used as a resource for academic research papers and news articles.[4] As a work of the U.S. government, it was in the public domain in the United States.
On February 4, 2026, the CIA announced thatThe World Factbook was discontinued. All versions were removed from the CIA's website immediately, which was disruptive for academic users such as theBoston University Questrom School of Business which was using it foropen-book tests. No explanation for the action was given.[5][6] Following the cancellation of theFactbook, British programmerSimon Willison managed to retrieve and download the lastZIP file archive of the website, released in 2020, before extracting it into a freely accessibleGitHub repository.[6][7]
The World Factbook website as it appeared in January 2025
As a work of the U.S. government, theFactbook is in thepublic domain and may be redistributed in part or in whole without need for permission,[8][3] although the CIA requested that theFactbook becited if used.[8] Copying the official seal of the CIA without permission is prohibited by the US federalCentral Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C.§ 403m).
Before November 2001,The World Factbook website was updated yearly;[9] from 2004 to 2010 it was updated every two weeks;[9] From 2010 to 2026 it was updated weekly.[10] Generally, information available as of January 1 of the current year was used in preparing theFactbook.[11] Following efforts by CIA directorJohn Ratcliffe to "end programs that don't advance the agency's core missions", theFactbook was discontinued on February 4, 2026,[12][13] with all pages made inaccessible.[14] No official reason was given for the discontinuation.[13]
The firstclassified edition ofFactbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version in June 1971.[15]The World Factbook was first available to the public in print in 1975.[15] Until 2008 the CIA printed theFactbook; from then until its discontinuation, it was printed by the Government Printing Office[16] following a CIA decision to "focus Factbook resources" on the online edition.[17] In 2017, the printed book was officially discontinued.[18] TheFactbook was made available via theWorld Wide Web beginning October 1994,[19] receiving about six million visits per month in 2006;[4] it was also available for download.[20] The official printed version was sold[21] by theGovernment Printing Office andNational Technical Information Service. In past years, theFactbook was available onCD-ROM,[22]microfiche,[23]magnetic tape,[23] andfloppy disk.[23]
Many Internet sites use information and images from the CIAWorld Factbook.[24] Several publishers, including Grand River Books,[25] Potomac Books (formerly known as Brassey's Inc.),[26] andSkyhorse Publishing[27] have published theFactbook in recent years. Older editions since 2000 were available for download (but not browsing) from theFactbook website until 2026.[8][14]
Map of the world published by theCIA World Factbook in 2016
As of July 2011[update],The World Factbook comprised 266 entities,[2] which can be divided into the following categories:[28]
Independent countries
The CIA defines these as people "politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory."[28] In this category, there are 195 entities.
Others
Places set apart from the list of independent countries. There are two of these:Taiwan and theEuropean Union.
Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty
Places affiliated with another country. They may be subcategorized by affiliated country:
Reference Reviews reviewedThe World Factbook in 2016, praising its "up-to-date facts and figures" through its weekly updates while expressing concern over its usability due to difficultcontent navigation and inadequatefont sizes.[29]
^abcDirectorate of Intelligence."About The World Factbook—Copyright and Contributors".Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. RetrievedDecember 30, 2021.The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of US Government officials, and the style, format, coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific requirements. Information is provided by other public and private sources. TheFactbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
^abc"CIA World Factbook 2006 Now Available" (Press release). Central Intelligence Agency. April 5, 2006. Archived fromthe original on June 13, 2007. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2007.The World Factbook remains the CIA's most widely disseminated and most popular product, now averaging almost 6 million visits each month. In addition, tens of thousands of government, commercial, academic, and other Web sites link to or replicate the online version of the Factbook. * * * Included among the 271 geographic entries is one for the "World", which incorporates data and other information summarized where possible from the other 270 country listings.
^Directorate of Intelligence (November 24, 2010)."World Factbook Updates – October 22, 2010". Archived fromthe original on May 14, 2011. RetrievedDecember 1, 2010.Since 2004, The World Factbook website has been updated on a bi-weekly schedule. Culminating a three-month trial effort, we are pleased to announce that the Factbook will now be updated on a weekly basis.
^Directorate of Intelligence."The World Factbook – Notes and Definitions: Date of information". Archived fromthe original on June 12, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 23, 2006.In general, information available as of 1 January 2007 was used in the preparation of this edition. Effective 31 December 2025, The CIA has terminated the World Factbook program. Although it may continue to appear online, the information it contains is no longer updated.
^abDirectorate of Intelligence."The World Factbook – History". Archived fromthe original on June 12, 2007. RetrievedMarch 3, 2007.The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971.
^Directorate of Intelligence (2008).CIA – The World Factbook 2008: Purchasing Information. Government Printing Office.ISBN9780160873614.Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. RetrievedApril 19, 2015.The Government Printing Office has assumed production of The World Factbook print edition. The CIA has decided to focus Factbook resources exclusively on the World Wide Web online edition...
^Directorate of Intelligence."The World Factbook – Purchasing Information". Archived fromthe original on June 12, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 23, 2006.Other users may obtain sales information about printed copies from the following: Superintendent of Documents...National Technical Information Service
^Texas A&M University Libraries (January 30, 2007)."Introduction to Comparative Politics POLS 329". Archived fromthe original on October 11, 2007. RetrievedJanuary 2, 2008.The world factbook (Handbook of the Nations). Detroit, Mich.: Grand River Books, 1981–.
^abDirectorate of Intelligence."The World Factbook – Notes and Definitions: Entities". Archived fromthe original on June 12, 2007. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011."Independent state" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory. * * * There are a total of 266 separate geographic entities in The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows...
On stephansmap.org – TheCIA World Factbook accessible by location and date range; covers the years 2001–2007. AllFactbook entries are tagged with "cia". Requires graphical browser with JavaScript.
