01 / 20 The regulation behind NACE Rev. 2.1
What came before NACE Rev. 2?
Published Updated
Statistical classification only
Statistical classification only. This guide does not determine any reader's code. Confirm a code with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record. This is general information, not advice on any reader's registration.
Before NACE Rev. 2 there were earlier versions of NACE, developed in stages from 1970 (FIXED) onward. The Central Statistics Office in Ireland gives the sequence in a history table: NACE 70 in 1970 (FIXED), NACE Rev. 1 in 1990 (FIXED), NACE Rev. 1.1 in 2002 (FIXED), and NACE Rev. 2 in 2006 (FIXED). Each version superseded the one before it for statistical use, and the EUR-Lex summary notes that the earlier regulation establishing NACE Rev. 1 is now only of historical interest.
How did the early versions develop?
The background article lists the predecessors that led to the first NACE. Between 1961 and 1963 (FIXED range), the Nomenclature des industries établies dans les Communautés européennes, known as NICE, covered industries established in the European Communities. In 1965 (FIXED), a classification for trade and commerce was developed, and in 1967 (FIXED), a classification for services was developed, followed by one for agriculture, both in broad divisions. In 1970 (FIXED), NACE itself was developed as a classification covering the whole range of economic activities. The article states that NACE Rev. 1 in 1990 (FIXED) took the structure of ISIC Rev. 3 as its point of departure, with additional detail to reflect European activities inadequately represented in ISIC, and that NACE Rev. 1.1 in 2002 (FIXED) was a minor update of NACE Rev. 1.
The Irish history table gives the legal basis for each version where one exists. NACE 70 had no formal European Union regulation or directive. NACE Rev. 1 was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90. NACE Rev. 1.1 was established by Regulation (EC) 29/2002. NACE Rev. 2 was established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006. The table therefore shows a move from a classification with no formal legal basis to a classification set by regulation, and the EUR-Lex summary confirms the consequence: Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 is still in force, but it is no longer in practical use, because NACE Rev. 1, as subsequently amended, has been superseded by NACE Rev. 2 and NACE Rev. 2.1.
| Version | Year established in the Irish table | Legal basis in the Irish table |
|---|---|---|
| NACE 70 | 1970 (FIXED) | No formal regulation or directive |
| NACE Rev. 1 | 1990 (FIXED) | Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 |
| NACE Rev. 1.1 | 2002 (FIXED) | Regulation (EC) 29/2002 |
| NACE Rev. 2 | 2006 (FIXED) | Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 |
Why does the earlier history matter for reading old statistics?
The earlier history matters because statistics carry the version under which they were compiled. Eurostat states that for European statistics referring to the period from 2008 to 2024 (FIXED range), members of the European Statistical System use the version of NACE Revision 2 published in 2006 (FIXED). Statistics for earlier periods were compiled under earlier versions, and a series that crosses a version change will show a break unless it has been backcast or presented under both versions. A reader who compares a figure from a period before 2008 (FIXED) with a figure from a later period must therefore check which version each figure used, and whether a correspondence table or a backcast series is available for the comparison.
The manual makes the same point in general terms. Any update of a classification, particularly one that includes structural changes, leads to breaks in the time series of the statistics depending on it. The intervals between updates must not be too long, since relevance diminishes with time, nor too short, since comparability over time is adversely affected. The history of NACE is therefore a history of balancing relevance against comparability, with each revision accepting some break in order to reflect new activities and new economic structures.
What does the history not show?
The history does not show a continuous code system in which a code keeps the same meaning across versions. Codes were restructured at each revision, and the correspondence tables for each revision record the moves. A code from NACE Rev. 1 must not be read as if it were a NACE Rev. 2 code, and a NACE Rev. 2 code must not be read as if it were a NACE Rev. 2.1 code, without checking the correspondence table for that revision. The history also does not show that an old entry in a register automatically changed when a version changed. Registers recode entries on their own timetables, under their own rules, and the entry for a specific unit must be confirmed with the institute or register that holds it.
The history also does not support a claim that NACE Rev. 2.1 is the last version that will ever be needed. The manual records that the review was launched because economic structures, organisations and technology had changed since the previous revision. The same forces will continue, and the sources cited do not fix a date for a further revision. This guide therefore states no date for a future revision, and treats any such date as not fixed.
Where is the history confirmed?
The sequence is confirmed in the Eurostat background article, in the historical background section, and in the Irish history table on the Central Statistics Office page. The supersession of the earlier regulation is confirmed in the EUR-Lex summary, in the background section. For the current version, the manual and the EUR-Lex summary are the sources. For an entry, the institute or register that holds the record is the source.
Read the background article for the sequence, read the Irish table for the legal basis of each version, and confirm any entry with the institute or register that holds it.