Arab Society: A Compendium of Social Statistics is the latest in a series of biennial compendia of the Statistics Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). It provides a general view of Arab society in the ESCWA region and the changes it has encountered over time. Drawing on data provided mainly from national statistics offices (NSOs), it focuses on issues of population, labour, housing conditions, education, poverty, health and culture. Each issue of the Compendium focuses on a single theme. The twelfth issue of the Compendium concerns household composition and family formation