18 / 20 NACE and ISIC: how the two classifications relate

NACE and ISIC: how the two classifications relate

How NACE relates to the United Nations ISIC classification, and where to check the current ISIC version.

The four levels

1. Level 1 Section One letter
2. Level 2 Division Two digits
3. Level 3 Group Three digits
4. Level 4 Class Four digits

Guides in this cluster

• What alignment between ISIC Rev 5 and regional classifications is claimed?

  The Division claims only increased alignment with existing regional classifications in general, and no specific NACE alignment detail is asserted here.

• How is a correspondence table between NACE and ISIC read?

  A NACE to ISIC correspondence table shows the relationship between all positions of the two classifications, and its mapping type must be recorded for each pair.

• How is an ISIC reference cited?

  An ISIC citation names the classification, the revision, the category, the document consulted, and the check date, so the reference can be repeated.

• How does ISIC relate to product classifications?

  ISIC classifies activities, while CPC, CPA, PRODCOM and the Combined Nomenclature classify products and goods, in one integrated system described by Eurostat.

• How is ISIC used in national classifications?

  Most countries use ISIC directly or derive a national classification from it, and the national version adds detail below the levels shared with ISIC.

• What is ISIC Revision 4?

  ISIC Rev 4 was the version in use since 2008, replaced as the international standard by ISIC Rev 5, and it remains the basis of many datasets.

• What is ISIC Revision 5 and when was it endorsed?

  ISIC Rev 5 structure was endorsed in March 2023 and its introduction and explanatory notes in March 2024, and the Division lists it as operational.

• What does same at the top, more detail below mean?

  NACE and ISIC share the same items at the highest levels, while NACE adds detail at group and class level for European use.

• How do the ISIC Rev 5 and NACE Rev 2.1 structures compare?

  ISIC Rev 5 and NACE Rev 2.1 match at section and division level and differ at group and class level, because NACE adds European detail.

• What is ISIC?

  ISIC is the United Nations classification of economic activities, the international standard from which national and regional classifications are derived.

• What does ISIC not decide?

  ISIC is a statistical classification only. It does not determine a code, a licence, a tax position, or eligibility for any reader.

• How is the ISIC version used in a dataset identified?

  A dataset's ISIC version is identified from its metadata and its reference period, because Rev 4 and Rev 5 datasets coexist during the transition.

All guides or home.