NACE is an abbreviation for the French term “Nomenclature statistique des Activités économiques dans la Communauté Européenne” (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community). It is a standard classification system used across the European Union (EU) to categorize the activities of organizations based on their nature. It is comparable to the “Japan Standard Industrial Classification (JSIC)” in Japan or the “North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)” in the United States.
Origin and History of NACE
NACE was developed to maintain consistency with the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), which is the global standard.
- 1970: The first version was formulated.
- 2008: “Rev. 2,” which is currently widely used, was implemented to align with changes in economic structures (such as the rise of the IT industry).
- 2023–Present: Work is underway to revise it to “Rev. 2.1,” which more accurately reflects contemporary economic realities like digitalization and environmental considerations. It is being introduced in stages.
Current Usage of NACE
NACE is not merely a statistical tool; it is utilized in a wide range of practical scenarios:
- Statistical Surveys and Reporting: It serves as a common language when EU member states report economic indicators (GDP, employment statistics, etc.) to the European Commission (Eurostat).
- Company Identification: When establishing a legal entity within the EU, it is necessary to register the company’s primary economic activity using a NACE code.
- Legal Regulation and Compliance: It is referenced to define the scope of EU directives (environmental regulations, labor safety, etc.) targeting specific industries.
- Market Research: It is used for identifying target companies in the European market and for segmenting competitor analysis.
List of NACE Classification Sections (Rev. 2)
NACE has a hierarchical structure ranging from “Sections (alphabetic letters),” which are broad categories, to “Classes (4-digit numbers),” which are more detailed. The list of sections is as follows:
| CODE | English Description |
| A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| B | Mining and quarrying |
| C | Manufacturing |
| D | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply |
| E | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities |
| F | Construction |
| G | Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
| H | Transportation and storage |
| I | Accommodation and food service activities |
| J | Information and communication |
| K | Financial and insurance activities |
| L | Real estate activities |
| M | Professional, scientific and technical activities |
| N | Administrative and support service activities |
| O | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security |
| P | Education |
| Q | Human health and social work activities |
| R | Arts, entertainment and recreation |
| S | Other service activities |
| T | Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use |
| U | Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies |
NACE Classification: List of Sections and Divisions
| CODE | English Description |
| SECTION A | AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHING |
| 1 | Crop and animal production, hunting and related services |
| 2 | Forestry and logging |
| 3 | Fishing and aquaculture |
| SECTION B | MINING AND QUARRYING |
| 5 | Mining of coal and lignite |
| 6 | Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas |
| 7 | Mining of metal ores |
| 8 | Other mining and quarrying |
| 9 | Mining support service activities |
| SECTION C | MANUFACTURING |
| 10 | Manufacture of food products |
| 11 | Manufacture of beverages |
| 12 | Manufacture of tobacco products |
| 13 | Manufacture of textiles |
| 14 | Manufacture of wearing apparel |
| 15 | Manufacture of leather and related products |
| 16 | Manufacture of wood, cork, straw and plaiting materials |
| 17 | Manufacture of paper and paper products |
| 18 | Printing and reproduction of recorded media |
| 19 | Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products |
| 20 | Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products |
| 21 | Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products |
| 22 | Manufacture of rubber and plastic products |
| 23 | Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products |
| 24 | Manufacture of basic metals |
| 25 | Manufacture of fabricated metal products (excl. machinery) |
| 26 | Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products |
| 27 | Manufacture of electrical equipment |
| 28 | Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. |
| 29 | Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers |
| 30 | Manufacture of other transport equipment |
| 31 | Manufacture of furniture |
| 32 | Other manufacturing |
| 33 | Repair and installation of machinery and equipment |
| SECTION D | ELECTRICITY, GAS, STEAM AND AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY |
| 35 | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply |
| SECTION E | WATER WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE, WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES |
| 36 | Water collection, treatment and supply |
| 37 | Sewerage |
| 38 | Waste collection, treatment and disposal |
| 39 | Remediation activities |
| SECTION F | CONSTRUCTION |
| 41 | Construction of buildings |
| 42 | Civil engineering |
| 43 | Specialised construction activities |
| SECTION G | WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE; REPAIR OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES |
| 45 | Wholesale/retail trade and repair of motor vehicles |
| 46 | Wholesale trade (except motor vehicles) |
| 47 | Retail trade (except motor vehicles) |
| SECTION H | TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE |
| 49 | Land transport and transport via pipelines |
| 50 | Water transport |
| 51 | Air transport |
| 52 | Warehousing and support activities |
| 53 | Postal and courier activities |
| SECTION I | ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES |
| 55 | Accommodation |
| 56 | Food and beverage service activities |
| SECTION J | INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION |
| 58 | Publishing activities |
| 59 | Motion picture, video and TV production |
| 60 | Programming and broadcasting activities |
| 61 | Telecommunications |
| 62 | Computer programming and consultancy |
| 63 | Information service activities |
| SECTION K | FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE |
| 64 | Financial service (except insurance/pension) |
| 65 | Insurance, reinsurance and pension funding |
| 66 | Activities auxiliary to financial services |
| SECTION L | REAL ESTATE ACTIVITIES |
| 68 | Real estate activities |
| SECTION M | PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES |
| 69 | Legal and accounting activities |
| 70 | Activities of head offices; consultancy |
| 71 | Architectural and engineering activities |
| 72 | Scientific research and development |
| 73 | Advertising and market research |
| 74 | Other professional and scientific activities |
| 75 | Veterinary activities |
| SECTION N | ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICE ACTIVITIES |
| 77 | Rental and leasing activities |
| 78 | Employment activities |
| 79 | Travel agency and tour operator |
| 80 | Security and investigation activities |
| 81 | Services to buildings and landscape |
| 82 | Office administrative and support |
| SECTION O | PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE; COMPULSORY SOCIAL SECURITY |
| 84 | Public administration and defence |
| SECTION P | EDUCATION |
| 85 | Education |
| SECTION Q | HUMAN HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES |
| 86 | Human health activities |
| 87 | Residential care activities |
| 88 | Social work activities without accommodation |
| SECTION R | ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION |
| 90 | Creative, arts and entertainment |
| 91 | Libraries, archives, museums |
| 92 | Gambling and betting activities |
| 93 | Sports and recreation activities |
| SECTION S | OTHER SERVICE ACTIVITIES |
| 94 | Activities of membership organisations |
| 95 | Repair of computers and personal goods |
| 96 | Other personal service activities |
| SECTION T | ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS AS EMPLOYERS; UNDIFFERENTIATED GOODS- AND SERVICES-PRODUCING ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR OWN USE |
| 97 | Households as employers |
| 98 | Goods/services-producing for own use |
| SECTION U | ACTIVITIES OF EXTRATERRITORIAL ORGANISATIONS AND BODIES |
| 99 | Extraterritorial organisations |
Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union)
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, please be sure to check official primary sources for the latest revisions and detailed scope of application.