What is ATECO 2025?

ATECO 2025 is the new Italian classification of economic activities, developed under the coordination of Istat, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, as the institute responsible for the classification of economic activities. Istat states that ATECO 2025 is the result of a detailed revision carried out in collaboration with other institutions, and that it is consistent with the European reference classification, NACE Rev. 2.1. ATECO 2025 replaces ATECO 2007, in its 2022 update, as the Italian classification. It is a statistical classification. It describes activities so that statistics can be produced and compared.

It does not, on its own, decide tax, licensing, funding or any other matter for a specific business, and this guide does not determine any reader’s code.

How does ATECO 2025 relate to NACE Rev. 2.1?

ATECO 2025 is the national version of NACE Rev. 2.1. The European classification is set by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137 of 10 October 2022 (FIXED), which entered into force on 9 February 2023 (FIXED). Istat states that the reference legislation for the new classification is that delegated regulation, as amended by a later corrigendum, and that ATECO 2025 is therefore consistent with NACE Rev. 2.1. The EUR-Lex summary states that the European legislation only applies to statistical purposes, and that it does not oblige member states to collect, publish or supply data. The Italian classification follows the European structure at the levels that the two classifications share, and adds Italian detail where Istat publishes it. A reader should check the European structure in Eurostat documents and the Italian structure on the Istat website together. The European documents show the common backbone. The Istat documents show the Italian headings, titles and codes.

Level	Identifier	Scope in ATECO 2025
Section	One letter	Broad area, shared with NACE
Division	Two digits	Narrower field, shared with NACE
Group	Three digits	Narrower field, shared with NACE
Class	Four digits	Most detailed European level, shared with NACE

The table above shows the shared levels. Italian detail below class level, where Istat publishes it, must be read on the Istat website. This guide does not list Italian codes or titles, because a list copied from a secondary summary could misstate a heading, and the Istat site is the authoritative place for the structure.

Who developed ATECO 2025, and with whom?

Istat developed ATECO 2025 in collaboration with other institutions, under its coordination as the body responsible for the classification. Istat states that the revision was carried out with other institutions, and that a joint press note in December 2024 (FIXED, as dated by Istat) communicated a common implementation strategy involving Istat, the chamber system, the ministry responsible for enterprises, and the tax system, as the bodies responsible for registers of economic units, both statistical and administrative. The collaboration matters because the same classification is used in statistical registers and in administrative registers, and a change in the classification therefore touches both. The bodies that hold registers apply the classification in their own processes, under their own rules. Istat remains responsible for the classification itself: its structure, its notes, and its correspondence tables.

What does ATECO 2025 not do?

ATECO 2025 does not determine the code for any reader, and it does not decide any question that belongs to another authority. Istat states that the explanatory notes of NACE Rev. 2.1, from which ATECO 2025 derives, are defined and harmonised at European level for the statistical purpose of ensuring internal consistency and comparability of data between EU countries, and that those notes were all adopted at national level. The notes describe activities. They do not grant rights or impose obligations. A code does not grant a licence, set a tax rate, decide employment status, or decide eligibility for funding or a collective agreement. Those matters rest with the authorities and registers that apply their own rules. The classification groups activities. It decides nothing else.

Where is ATECO 2025 checked?

ATECO 2025 is checked on the Istat website, in the section dedicated to the ATECO classification, where Istat states that all official documentation is available. The structure, the explanatory notes, and the correspondence tables are published there. The entry for a specific business is confirmed with Istat or with the business register holding the record. This site holds no register and decides no entry. A reader who needs the meaning of a heading should check the Istat section. A reader who needs the entry for a specific unit should check the register that holds it, with the version stated beside the code.

ATECO 2025 is the Italian classification coordinated by Istat, it is consistent with NACE Rev. 2.1, and the Istat website is where its structure, notes and tables are published. ”