International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities Revision 4 (ISIC Rev.4)

The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), Rev. 4 from 2008 defines its categories differently at the various hierarchical levels. At the highest aggregated levels, general characteristics of goods and services are the relevant factors. At the more detailed aggregation levels, the similarities in the production process are decisive (United Nations 2008: 10f.).
The ISIC Rev. 4 is organised into: 21 sections, 88 divisions, 238 groups and 419 classes (ibid.: 12).

Origin/Creator:	United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division
Method/Structure:	The delimitation criterion of the top level of classification, the sections, of the ISIC Rev. 4 are general characteristics of the produced goods respectively services as well as the possible area of application of the statistics (United Nations 2008: 11). The sections are identical to those of the NACE Rev. 2 and the WZ 2008. The delimitation criteria of the second and third levels, the divisions and groups, are, in varying depth, the type and intended use of the produced goods respectively services, factor input, procedures and production technology (ibid.: 10). The divisions are identical to those of the NACE Rev. 2 and the WZ 2008. The allocation criterion for the lowermost level of classification, the classes, is the similarity and distribution of activities (ibid.: 10).
Development/implementation for Germany:	The ISIC Rev. 4 is the result of the update of the ISIC Rev. 3.1. In contrast to its previous version, the ISIC Rev. 4 has more sections. Furthermore, some categories have been split up to consider more recent developments. However, care was taken to ensure that the structure of the ISIC Rev. 3 has been left unchanged as far as possible (Eurostat 2008: 11f.).

Related classifications:

Statistical Classification of Economic Activities (NACE Rev. 2)

Classification of Economic Activities 2008 (WZ 2008)

Knowledge and technology-intensive industries

International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities Revision 3.1 (ISIC Rev. 3.1)

Keywords

produced goods, services, intended use, production technology, production process, production activity, international classification of economic activities