What Is an ISIC Code? (ISIC Rev. 5) | International Industry Classification
What is an ISIC code? The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) is the United Nations’ global reference system for classifying economic activity. ISIC supports international comparability by standardizing how activities are grouped and reported in official statistics (for example: national accounts, employment, and structural business statistics).
ISIC is primarily a statistical standard. National and regional systems—such as NAICS (North America) and NACE (European Union)—are designed for jurisdiction-specific measurement needs and are commonly mapped to ISIC to support international comparability.
ISIC Rev. 5 in 2026 (status and practical use)
ISIC Rev. 5 is the current UN-endorsed revision. In practice, many datasets still reference ISIC Rev. 4 while national statistical systems transition on phased timelines. For auditability, treat the revision as part of the data’s provenance: record the revision used for coding, and document any cross-revision mapping when harmonizing longitudinal data.
- Use case fit: ISIC is the “comparability layer” for cross-border reporting and multi-country datasets.
- Revision handling: Cross-revision conversions should be treated as analytical mappings, not identities.
- Boundary clarity: Revisions refine definitions where real-world business models span multiple activities or where new activities require clearer delineation.
Practical rule: When assigning or converting codes, start from the predominant activity (the activity that generates the majority of value) and validate boundary cases such as outsourcing, multi-activity operations, and platform-enabled models.
ISIC conversion and lookup tools
Many users reference ISIC to translate data between global and regional systems. The tools below are designed for that workflow.
ISIC-to-NAICS cross reference
Identify likely NAICS equivalents for North American datasets. Conversions may return multiple candidates and should be validated against the unit’s primary activity.
NAICS-to-ISIC cross reference
Translate NAICS into ISIC for cross-country comparability, global benchmarking, and multi-region harmonization.
Workflow note: For multi-country datasets, standardize to ISIC (recording the revision), then map into NAICS or NACE for region-specific reporting and execution. For EU context, see: What is a NACE code?
How to read an ISIC code
ISIC is a four-level hierarchy that moves from broad groupings to detailed activity classes:
Worked hierarchy example
This example shows how a detailed class nests within a section and division.
Manufacturing
Manufacture of textiles
Manufacture of other textiles
Manufacture of carpets and rugs
ISIC broad structure (top-level sections)
At the highest level, ISIC organizes economic activity into sections that span the full economy. The section set below reflects the commonly used structure for ISIC Rev. 4, which remains a widely implemented baseline during transition planning.
| Section | Scope label | Typical coverage |
|---|---|---|
| A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | Crop and animal production; forestry; fishing/aquaculture |
| B | Mining and quarrying | Extraction of minerals; mining support |
| C | Manufacturing | Transformation of materials into products |
| D | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | Utilities production and distribution |
| E | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation | Water/waste systems and remediation activities |
| F | Construction | Building and civil engineering; specialized construction |
| G | Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | Wholesale/retail distribution and vehicle repair |
| H | Transportation and storage | Transport services; warehousing; logistics support |
| I | Accommodation and food service activities | Hotels, lodging, restaurants, catering |
| J | Information and communication | Publishing, media, telecom, IT services and related activities |
| K | Financial and insurance activities | Banking, insurance, auxiliary financial activities |
| L | Real estate activities | Real estate operations and services |
| M | Professional, scientific and technical activities | Legal, accounting, engineering, R&D, consulting |
| N | Administrative and support service activities | Office/admin support, facilities services, travel, security |
| O | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | Government administration and defence functions |
| P | Education | Schooling and training |
| Q | Human health and social work activities | Medical services; residential care; social work |
| R | Arts, entertainment and recreation | Cultural activities, sports, recreation |
| S | Other service activities | Membership orgs, repair, personal services |
| T | Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households | Household employment and own-use production |
| U | Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies | International organizations and similar bodies |
Global vs regional classification systems
ISIC is global by design. NAICS and NACE are jurisdictional implementations designed for regional statistical and administrative needs.
| System | Scope | Primary role | Common use cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISIC (UN) | Global | International comparability | Cross-country reporting, global research, harmonizing multi-region datasets |
| NAICS | North America | Regional industry measurement | U.S./Canada/Mexico statistics, operational segmentation in North America |
| NACE | European Union | EU statistical and administrative alignment | EU reporting, procurement/regulatory context, European datasets |
| SIC | Primarily U.S. (legacy) | Historical and legacy comparability | Historical datasets and legacy administrative or vendor files |
Conversion reality: A single ISIC code can map to multiple NAICS or NACE codes (and vice versa). Treat crosswalks as candidate mappings and validate against the unit’s primary activity and included/excluded definitions.
Applications of ISIC codes
- Economic and social statistics: National accounts, employment, productivity, and industry composition.
- Structural analysis: Monitoring economic change over time using consistent activity categories.
- Statistical unit assignment: Classifying establishments and enterprises to support reporting and comparability.
- International comparability: A common activity framework used across countries and international organizations.
- Research and benchmarking: Comparative analysis of industry structure across markets and regions.
FAQ
- Is ISIC used directly by businesses?
ISIC is primarily a statistical standard. Many businesses primarily reference regional systems (such as NAICS or NACE) and map to ISIC for cross-country comparability. - What ISIC revision should I use in 2026?
ISIC Rev. 5 is the current UN-endorsed revision. ISIC Rev. 4 remains widely implemented in existing datasets; transitions occur on phased national timelines. For defensible work, record the revision used and document any cross-revision mapping. - Can ISIC be converted to NAICS?
Yes, but mappings can be non-unique. Convert, then validate the best-fit match against the unit’s predominant activity and category definitions.
ISIC-to-NAICS Conversion Tool - Can NAICS be converted to ISIC?
Yes. This is commonly used for multi-country reporting and harmonization. Validate the mapping against the organization’s primary activity.
NAICS-to-ISIC Conversion Tool - How does ISIC relate to NACE?
NACE is the European Union’s activity classification. It is designed to align with ISIC for international comparability while retaining EU-specific detail.
What is a NACE code?
Guidance sources
These sources provide UN definitions, published ISIC materials, and UN documentation related to ISIC Rev. 5. They are provided as guidance references and do not represent endorsement by SICCODE.com.