The European IBAN system for bank account numbers also uses this code. ISO 3166 is an international standard which defines codes representing names of countries and their subdivisions. The standard specifies basic guidelines for the implementation and maintenance of country and subdivisions codes.
Current country codes
Most people refer to ISO 3166, but actually it is divided into three parts. The purpose of ISO 3166 is to define internationally recognized codes of letters and/or numbers that we can use when we refer to countries and their subdivisions. However, it does not define the names of countries – this information comes from United Nations sources (Terminology Bulletin Country Names and the Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use maintained by the United Nations Statistics Divisions). If a country changes its name without any territorial change, its numeric code remains the same. For example, when Burma was renamed Myanmar without territorial change in 1989, its alphabetic codes were changed, but its numeric code 104 has remained the same. Following notification from the United Nations (UN), the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency assigns alpha-2 and alpha-3 country code elements to new UN member states.
It contains the codes from Parts 1, 2 and 3 of ISO 3166 in three different formats (.xml, .csv, and .xls) for easy integration into your own systems. You will be notified when changes are made so you can download the latest versions. In this way, you can be sure that your database is always using the most up-to-date information from ISO. © All Rights Reserved All ISO publications and materials are protected by copyright and are subject to the user’s acceptance of ISO’s conditions of copyright. Read more about the different types of codes in the Glossary for ISO 3166. The information on the OBP is always up to date and you can sign up for notifications to be informed when changes are made by clicking on the follow function in the top right-hand corner.
Overall, ISO 3166 country codes provide a standardized way to refer to countries and their subdivisions in a variety of contexts. They are widely used in international trade, logistics, and other fields that require clear and unambiguous identification of countries. The International Organization for Standardization has other country codes. Somewhat impractical, due to hardly being legible, is the numeric variant, such as 840 for the United States. It is almost only used in information technology, where it is no longer important that the code be human readable.
- They are widely used in international trade, logistics, and other fields that require clear and unambiguous identification of countries.
- The country code table includes the WITS System country names for statistical purposes and both the International Standards Organization (ISO) 3-digit alphabetic codes and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) 3-digit equivalent numeric codes.
- For example, all national postal organizations throughout the world exchange international mail in containers identified with the relevant country code.
- The standard specifies basic guidelines for the implementation and maintenance of country and subdivisions codes.
User-assigned code elements
The list of names in Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use of the UN Statistics Division is based on the bulletin Country Names and other UN sources.
Officially assigned code elements
ISO 3166 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. These codes are typically iso 3166 country code of india two or three letters long and are used in various applications, such as international trade, customs clearance, and transportation. ISO 3166 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, special areas of geographical interest, and their principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states). The official name of the standard is Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions. However, the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency may assign country codes to dependencies of countries that are member states of the UN.
The country code table includes the WITS System country names for statistical purposes and both the International Standards Organization (ISO) 3-digit alphabetic codes and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) 3-digit equivalent numeric codes. As a consequence, for example, the United Kingdom is officially assigned the alpha-2 code GB rather than UK, based on its official name “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (although UK is reserved on the request of the United Kingdom). For example, Germany is assigned the alpha-2 code DE, based on its native name “Deutschland”.
