Author(s): Economist

Reference

New edition of this annual bestseller of fascinating facts and figures about the world we live in. The 2012 edition of this perennial favourite has been completely updated, revised and expanded with many new features. Full of facts and figures about the world today - on subjects as diverse as geography, population and demographics, business, finance and the economy, transport, tourism and the environment, society, culture and crime - it is a mine of fascinating data that will both inform and entertain.
Where else would you discover that: the advanced economies account for 69 per cent of the world's GDP but only 15 per cent of its population; China's current account surplus is $426 billion; America's current account deficit is $706 billion; the Portuguese and Swiss buy the most wine per head, the Finns and Australians the most alcohol; married women in the UK are the third highest users of modern methods of contraception after China and Norway; over 1 per cent of the population of Zimbabwe is dying each year from AIDS; more than 30 per cent of men and women in America are obese; close to half of Swedes live alone; Qataris consume two and a half times as much energy per head as Americans; and, China emits over 6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, America more than 5.7 billion tonnes and Russia more than 1.5 billion tonnes. With rankings on more than 200 topics, data on more than 180 countries, detailed profiles of more than 65 of the world's major economies, and special profiles on the Euro area, "The Economist Pocket World in Figures" is always eagerly awaited by its many thousands of fans. No one who wants to be well-informed can afford to be without this new edition.