Beginning with the 2002 edition, the Yearbook is also being made available on CD-ROM. To facilitate the analysis of the information, this version includes statistical tables (in Excel) covering the entire series from 1980 on.

This year's edition does not differ from the 2003 edition in terms of its structure. The tables given in the chapter on the balance of payments continue to be based on the analytical approach recommended in the fifth edition of the Balance of Payments Manual published by the International Monetary Fund in 1993.

Part One consists of derived social and economic indicators (growth rates, ratios or coefficients) which provide an overview of each area of interest, along with the background material needed to make the information suitable for use in specialized analyses. This group of indicators includes those used in the periodic regional appraisals of the development process of Latin America and the Caribbean conducted by the ECLAC secretariat.

Part Two provides historical series in absolute figures which can be used for a large variety of purposes. The majority of the statistical tables provide figures on a single topic, organized in such a way as to facilitate comparisons between countries as well as between individual countries and regional totals or averages. The tables on the balance of payments and national accounts are the only exceptions in this respect.

Although there are currently 33 Latin American and Caribbean member countries of the Commission, the tables giving regional totals generally correspond to the sum of data on 25 countries. In this connection, it should be noted that the statistics of the Caribbean countries are less complete, which is why the regional coverage varies according to the subject area addressed. Efforts continue to be made to overcome this situation and it is hoped that in the medium term complete information will become available, at least on the macroeconomic summary statistical systems such as national accounts, the balance of payments and foreign trade.

In most of the tables, the countries appear in alphabetical order; those for which there are no data or for which the amounts are zero or negligible are not included.

In Part One of the Yearbook, most of the indicators correspond to the years 1990 and 1995, and to the period 1995-2003. In cases where the data have not been updated, the most recent figures available for each country are given. Some of the indicators that are based on census data are given only for the years when censuses were conducted. The country and regional series included in Part Two cover 1990 and 1995 and the period 2000-2003.

Preliminary estimates for the year of issue of the Yearbook are published in the Annex. These estimates were produced during preparation of the Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2004 with a view to providing timely information on the macroeconomic trends observed in the countries of the region. In this connection, it is important to note that since these estimates are based on the compilation and analysis of data drawn from several national sources, in certain cases the historical figures given for recent years may differ slightly from the official data presented in the tables of the Yearbook.

This document is only available in electronic version