What happened to division 45?

Division 45 was eliminated in NACE Rev. 2.1. The Eurostat manual states that the smaller number of divisions in NACE Rev. 2.1, 87 against 88 in NACE Rev. 2, results from the suppression of the former division 45. The activities from the division were not removed from the classification. They were moved to other divisions, as set out in the same passage, and the number 45 is now listed among the unused division numbers.

Where did the activities from division 45 move?

The manual states the moves in three parts. Wholesale activities for motor vehicles and motorcycles were moved to division 46 for wholesale trade, in the new group 46.7. Retail trade activities for motor vehicles and motorcycles were moved to division 47 for retail trade, in the new group 47.8. Maintenance and repair activities for motor vehicles and motorcycles were moved to division 95 for repair and maintenance of computers, personal and household goods, and motor vehicles and motorcycles, in Section T. The passage for Section T confirms the repair move, stating that a new group 95.3 for repair and maintenance of motor vehicles and motorcycles was integrated, containing two classes, 95.31 for motor vehicles and 95.32 for motorcycles, both moved from division 45.

The elimination therefore separates three kinds of activity that the old division had combined: wholesale, retail, and repair. Each kind now sits in the division that covers that kind of activity for all goods, rather than in a division defined by the product, motor vehicles and motorcycles. The manual states the purpose as consistent application of classification rules within Section G, for the trade moves, and the repair move follows the same logic for repair activities, placing motor vehicle repair with other repair activities in division 95. A reader who needs the new place for a specific activity from the old division must check the correspondence table for the class concerned, because the three moves are stated at division and group level, and the class level detail is in the table.

Former division 45 activity kind	New division stated in the manual	New group stated in the manual
Wholesale of motor vehicles and motorcycles	46 wholesale trade	46.7
Retail trade of motor vehicles and motorcycles	47 retail trade	47.8
Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	95 repair and maintenance	95.3, classes 95.31 and 95.32

Why was the division eliminated rather than renamed?

The division was eliminated because its defining principle, grouping by product across trade and repair, did not fit the classification rules applied consistently within Section G. The manual states the elimination in terms of consistent application of rules, not in terms of the activities disappearing or becoming less important. Wholesale and retail trade in NACE Rev. 2.1 are structured by the kind of trade and by the product sold, within divisions 46 and 47, and repair is structured by the kind of goods repaired, within division 95. A separate division for one product across all three kinds would cut across those structures, and would require a separate rule for that product alone. Elimination removes the exception, and places each kind of activity in the division that already covers that kind.

The elimination also explains the division count. Without the suppression of division 45, the division count would not have fallen by one, even though new divisions may have been created elsewhere in the structure. The net figure of 87 divisions is the result of the suppression combined with any other division level creations and removals, as the manual states for groups and classes in general terms. This guide does not state a gross count of divisions created, because the manual passage relied on does not give a gross division figure, and a gross figure derived without the full structure comparison would be unverified.

What does the unused number 45 mean now?

The number 45 is listed in the manual among the division code numbers left unused in NACE Rev. 2.1, with the note vacated and a cross reference to the passage on its elimination. An unused number is not a category. It has no heading, no note, and no classes. A dataset on NACE Rev. 2.1 that shows a gap between division 44 and division 46 is showing the numbering gap, not a missing division. A dataset on NACE Rev. 2 that shows division 45 is showing the old division, and its codes must be converted through the correspondence table before they can be compared with NACE Rev. 2.1 data.

The vacated status also warns against reusing the number by analogy. A reader must not assume that a code beginning with 45 in a new dataset denotes the old division, or that a code beginning with 45 in a national version denotes the same thing as the old European division. National versions add detail below class level, and a five digit national code beginning with 45 must be checked in the national publication. The European number 45, at division level, is unused in NACE Rev. 2.1, and that is the only statement this guide makes about it.

What does the elimination not decide?

The elimination does not decide the new class for a specific activity from the old division, and it does not decide an entry for a business. The division and group moves stated in the manual are the framework for the conversion. The class level conversion is in the correspondence table, where each old class shows its relationship to the new classes, as one to one, many to one, one to many, or many to many. The explanatory notes for the new classes state what each includes and excludes. The institute or register that holds the record confirms an entry. A reader who knows that division 45 was eliminated has learned the framework. That reader must still trace the class.

Read the manual passages on Section G and Section T for the moves, check the correspondence table for the class, and confirm any entry with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record.