Introducction The 2005 edition of the Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean introduces a series of important modifications, both in content and design, the objective being to reflect the changes in the demand of researchers who analyse the economic and social situation of the region and to incorporate the technological advances that modify the modes of dissemination and use of statistical information.
This year's issue of the Yearbook is made up of four chapters. The first covers demographic and social indicators, which attest to the special effort made to incorporate the gender dimension in statistical information. The second chapter presents basic economic, trade and balance of payments statistics as well as national accounts. Reflecting the growing concern of the regional and international community for sustainable development, the third chapter provides available information on the environment and natural resources.
Given the abundance of different and, at times, contradictory data now accessible to researchers through the Internet, special attention must be paid to the technical specifications relating to the source of the data as well as their definition and coverage. This information is presented in the fourth chapter, which deals with methodology and metadata. This chapter serves to supplement the more specific information contained in the footnotes to each of the tables of this Yearbook.
The changes introduced in the present edition also affect the presentation of the Yearbook, with more significant differences now existing between the printed book and electronic version. The latter is available on CD-ROM as well as online through the ECLAC website.
The printed version of the Yearbook contains a selection of tables which seek to provide statistical information from the regional perspective, with emphasis on the international comparability of data such as national accounts statistics in dollars, prepared by the ECLAC Statistics and Economic Projections Division. In addition, information is provided on the progress made by the countries of the region towards fulfilment of the priorities defined for the regional and international community in the Millennium Development Goals.
The electronic version includes additional tables, which provide more detailed information on each country's economic and social situation. In all cases where it was possible to ensure homogeneity of the time series, the data presented in the electronic version cover a greater number of years. For ease of reference, the set of tables is presented in a single index available in both versions of the Yearbook.
As regards the redesign of the Yearbook, the overriding concern was to ensure the continuity of the principal statistical series that ECLAC has been publishing in this publication since 1973. Nevertheless, in recent years, the Statistics and Economic Projections Division has intensified its efforts to disseminate statistical information by providing to the public a series of thematic databases which cover social issues (BADEINSO), environmental issues (BADEIMA), external trade (BADECEL) and economic statistics and national accounts (BADEPAG). These databases are available on the Division's website . Readers are urged to consult the online version of the Yearbook and the database portal of the ECLAC Statistics and Economic Projections Division, which contain more up-to-date information.
The reader is encouraged to consult the other ECLAC databases, which can be accessed through the main ECLAC website.
