Country System: Industries
Get an overview of the industries that make up a country's economy – organised so the full economic system is visible at a glance.
Built on ISIC Rev.5 – the United Nations' international standard for industrial classification, which governments and their statistical agencies worldwide adapt for their own use.
This has been translated into simpler, everyday language with additional groupings for clarity.
How to Read
Read bottom to top – broadly follows the flow from raw materials through to goods, services and society
Goods – industries that create physical products
Services – industries that create non-physical products and experiences
Primary Industries and Utilities sit at the base – both depend directly on natural resources
Manufacturing – organised by related product types, ranging from primary processing of raw materials through to complex fabricated and composite products
Construction – creates the built environment that other industries operate inside
Services Infrastructure – Finance, Technology, Trade, and Transport underpin the flow of money, goods, people and information across all other industries
Real Estate – the physical layer that Finance funds, Construction builds, and other industries operate inside
Education & Health – classically paired and a key indicator of social development; both are partially or fully publicly funded, placing them outside normal market logic
Professional & Technical Services – where intellectual and knowledge capital is concentrated; the knowledge work used to design, create and support other industries
Admin, Support & Other – activities that enable other industries to focus on their core functions, as well as activities that don't fit cleanly elsewhere
Government – sets the rules, administers the system, redistributes resources, and keeps citizens safe and secure
Leisure & Entertainment – serves the enjoyment of the population and represents a major share of discretionary household spending; among the first sectors to feel pressure when household incomes fall
Reference Tables
The tables below map each industry to its official ISIC Rev.5 code and name – tracing any item on the diagram back to the United Nations source classification.
Goods
Primary Industries
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
| Agriculture, Farming & Hunting | A01 | Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities |
| Forestry & Logging | A02 | Forestry and logging |
| Fisheries | A03 | Fishing and aquaculture |
| Mining & Quarrying | B | Mining and quarrying |
| Coal & Lignite | B05 | Mining of coal and lignite |
| Crude Oil & Natural Gas | B06 | Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas |
| Metal Ores | B07 | Mining of metal ores |
| Stone, Sand, Clay & Other | B08 | Other mining and quarrying |
| Exploration & Support | B09 | Mining support service activities |
Utilities
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | D | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply |
| Electricity | D351 | Electric power generation, transmission and distribution activities |
| Gas | D352 | Manufacture of gas; distribution of gaseous fuels through mains |
| Steam & Air Conditioning | D353 | Steam and air conditioning supply |
| Energy Markets | D354 | Activities of brokers and agents for electric power and natural gas |
| Water & Waste | E | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities |
| Clean Water | E36 | Water collection, treatment and supply |
| Wastewater | E37 | Sewerage |
| Waste & Recycling | E38 | Waste collection, treatment and disposal, and recovery activities |
| Clean-up & Remediation | E39 | Remediation and other waste management service activities |
Manufacturing
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | C | Manufacturing |
| Textiles & Apparel | ||
| Textiles | C13 | Manufacture of textiles |
| Clothing | C14 | Manufacture of wearing apparel |
| Leather Goods & Footwear | C15 | Manufacture of leather and related products |
| Food, Beverage & Tobacco | ||
| Food | C10 | Manufacture of food products |
| Beverage | C11 | Manufacture of beverages |
| Tobacco | C12 | Manufacture of tobacco products |
| Pharmaceuticals | ||
| Pharmaceuticals | C21 | Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations |
| Petroleum & Chemicals | ||
| Coke & Petroleum | C19 | Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products |
| Chemicals | C20 | Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products |
| Electrical & Electronics | ||
| Electrical Equipment | C27 | Manufacture of electrical equipment |
| Computers, Electronics & Optical Products | C26 | Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products |
| Rubber & Plastic Products | ||
| Rubber & Plastic Products | C22 | Manufacture of rubber and plastic products |
| Wood & Paper Products | ||
| Timber, Wood, Cork & Straw Products | C16 | Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials |
| Paper & Paper Products | C17 | Manufacture of paper and paper products |
| Metals | ||
| Basic Metals | C24 | Manufacture of basic metals |
| Fabricated Metals | C25 | Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment |
| Machinery & Equipment | ||
| Machinery & Equipment | C28 | Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. |
| Repair, Maintenance & Installation | C33 | Repair, maintenance and installation of machinery and equipment |
| Glass, Ceramics & Concrete | ||
| Glass, Ceramics & Concrete | C23 | Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products |
| Transportation | ||
| Motor Vehicles & Trailers | C29 | Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers |
| Ships, Trains, Aircraft & Other | C30 | Manufacture of other transport equipment |
| Other | ||
| Printing & Recorded Media Reproduction | C18 | Printing and reproduction of recorded media |
| Furniture | C31 | Manufacture of furniture |
| Jewellery, Instruments, Sports, Toys & Medical | C32 | Other manufacturing |
Construction
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | F | Construction |
| Buildings | F41 | Construction of residential and non-residential buildings |
| Civil Engineering & Infrastructure | F42 | Civil engineering |
| Trades & Site Works | F43 | Specialized construction activities |
Services
Services Infrastructure
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | L | Financial and insurance activities |
| Financial Services | L64 | Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding |
| Insurance & Pension Funds | L65 | Insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security |
| Finance & Insurance Support | L66 | Activities auxiliary to financial service and insurance activities |
| Trade | G | Wholesale and retail trade |
| Wholesale | G46 | Wholesale trade |
| Retail | G47 | Retail trade |
| Transport & Logistics | H | Transportation and storage |
| Land | H49 | Land transport and transport via pipelines |
| Water | H50 | Water transport |
| Air | H51 | Air transport |
| Warehousing & Logistics | H52 | Warehousing and support activities for transportation |
| Post & Courier | H53 | Postal and courier activities |
| Technology | K | Telecommunications, computer programming, consultancy, computing infrastructure, and other information service activities |
| Telecommunications | K61 | Telecommunications |
| Software & Technology Services | K62 | Computer programming, consultancy and related activities |
| Technology Infrastructure | K63 | Computing infrastructure, data processing, hosting, and other information service activities |
Real Estate
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | M | Real estate activities |
| Renting & Property Development | M681 | Real estate activities with own or leased property |
| Real Estate Agents & Property Services | M682 | Real estate activities on a fee or contract basis |
Education & Health
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Q | Education |
| Pre-school | Q851 | Pre-primary education |
| Primary School | Q852 | Primary education |
| Secondary & Post-Secondary | Q853 | Secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education |
| University & Higher Education | Q854 | Tertiary education |
| Other Education | Q855 | Other education |
| Educational Support | Q856 | Educational support activities |
| Health & Welfare | R | Human health and social work activities |
| Healthcare | R86 | Human health activities |
| Residential Care | R87 | Residential care activities |
| Social Work | R88 | Social work activities without accommodation |
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | N | Professional, scientific and technical activities |
| Business Services | ||
| Legal & Accounting | N69 | Legal and accounting activities |
| Head Offices & Management Consulting | N70 | Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities |
| Advertising, Market Research & PR | N73 | Activities of advertising, market research and public relations |
| Science & Engineering | ||
| Architecture, Engineering & Testing | N71 | Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis |
| Research & Development | N72 | Scientific research and development |
| Creative & Specialist | ||
| Design, Photography & Specialist Services | N74 | Other professional, scientific and technical activities |
| Veterinary Services | N75 | Veterinary activities |
Admin, Support & Other
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Admin & Support | O | Administrative and support service activities |
| Rental & Leasing | O77 | Rental and leasing activities |
| Employment Services | O78 | Employment activities |
| Travel & Tourism Services | O79 | Travel agency, tour operator, and other travel related activities |
| Security & Investigation | O80 | Investigation and security activities |
| Building & Landscaping Services | O81 | Services to buildings and landscape activities |
| Office Admin & Business Support | O82 | Office administrative, office support and other business support activities |
| Other | T | Other service activities |
| Membership Organisations | T94 | Activities of membership organizations |
| Computer, Consumer Goods & Vehicle Repair & Maintenance | T95 | Repair and maintenance of computers, personal and household goods, and motor vehicles and motorcycles |
| Personal Services | T96 | Personal service activities |
| Domestic Staff | U97 | Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel |
| Domestic Production (Own Use) | U98 | Undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of private households for own use |
Government
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Government | P | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security |
| Public Administration & Policy | P841 | Administration of the State and the economic, social and environmental policies of the community |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence & Public Safety | P842 | Provision of services to the community as a whole |
| Social Security | P843 | Compulsory social security activities |
| International Organisations | V | Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies |
Leisure & Entertainment
| Reference | ISIC Code | ISIC Name |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | I | Accommodation and food service activities |
| Accommodation | I55 | Accommodation |
| Food & Beverage | I56 | Food and beverage service activities |
| Arts, Sports & Recreation | S | Arts, sports and recreation |
| Arts & Performing Arts | S90 | Arts creation and performing arts activities |
| Libraries, Archives, Museums & Cultural Heritage | S91 | Library, archives, museum and other cultural activities |
| Gambling & Betting | S92 | Gambling and betting activities |
| Sports & Recreation | S93 | Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities |
| Media & Content | J | Publishing, broadcasting, and content production and distribution activities |
| Publishing | J58 | Publishing activities |
| Film, Video & TV Production; Sound Recording & Music Publishing | J59 | Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities |
| Programming, Broadcasting, News & Content Distribution | J60 | Programming, broadcasting, news agency and other content distribution activities |