Germany Yearbook - 2005_ocr

Preface
Dear reader,
The data provided by official statistics are an indispensable basis for the reforms which are currently in the forefront of public
and political debate, namely of the labour market, the tax policy and the healthcare System. Knowing the facts - underpinned
by figures wherever possible - is a prerequisite for serious participation in public discussion and sound decision-making in
our society. The figures you need are provided by the Federal Statistical Office through its internet portal, which is the largest
German portal to access Statistical Information, and in its wide ränge of printed and electronic publications on multi-domain
and specific issues.
This Statistical Yearbook for the Federal Republic of Germany is the »classic publication« of the Federal Statistical Office. It is
the most comprehensive Statistical reference book offered in the German market. For 54 years now, this »Statistical report on
the state of the nation« has provided a complete overview of the conditions prevailing in Germany.
The 2005 edition is a largely revised edition of the Yearbook. A detailed introduction has been added to the total of 25
chapters referring to the various Statistical areas. And the individual chapters have been restructured. Information on the
applied methodology (»Methodological notes«) and the terms used in the tables (»Definitions«) is provided in separate
sections in Order to facilitate a quick selection of the Information you require to properly read the relevant tables. An
additional chapter on the »Information society« has been included to take adequate account of the increasing importance of
Information and communication technologies. The chapter on the »Labour market« for the first time includes data on
employed and unemployed persons in line with the internationally comparable concept of the International Labour
Organization (ILO). For the first time, too, the chapter on »Enterprises« provides Information on the number of enterprises,
their local units, persons employed and turnover for all sectors of economic activity. More detailed Information on the large
number ofother innovative changes is included in the introduction to the Yearbook for the Federal Republic of Germany.
I would like to thank all the staff members of the Federal Statistical Office who have contributed to the production of the
Yearbook 2005. Likewise, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all citizens for responding to surveys of official
statistics and thereby creating the preconditions for compiling this Yearbook, and to all organisations and institutions, in
particularthe Statistical Offices of the Länder, for supplying us with data.
Certainly, the world cannot be described by figures alone - though figures contribute to our understanding of the world. I invite
you to dive into our world of figures, that is the Statistical Yearbook.
Yours,
Johann Hahlen
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The President of the Federal Statistical Office