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, iso 3166 country code of india based on its native name “Deutschland”.
Current ISO 3166 country codes
These changes are done by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (ISO 3166/MA). Each country’s alpha-2 code is linked to more information about the assignment of its code elements. There are also reserved code elements that do not represent a country but reserved for a certain use. How the alpha-4 codes are constructed depends on the reason why the country name has been removed. ISO allows free-of-charge use of its country, currency and language codes from ISO 3166, ISO 4217 and ISO 639, respectively. We also have a product, the Country Codes Collection, which you can preview free of charge on the OBP (where you will also find a decoding table).
How are country code elements assigned?
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.
Officially assigned code elements
A list of all international calling codes is also available separately. Users of ISO country codes can consult an archive of changes to the standard on our server. Using codes saves time and avoids errors as instead of using a country’s name (which will change depending on the language being used), we can use a combination of letters and/or numbers that are understood all over the world. This part of the standard defines codes for countries that have been replaced or renamed. These codes are no longer in use but are retained for historical reasons. ISO 3166 is regularly updated to reflect changes in country names and subdivisions.
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 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.
By using ISO 3166 codes, clarity is provided in communicating information to people and organizations around the globe, without having to know local languages and dialects.See also How ISO codes connect the world. The codes for subdivisions are represented as the alpha-2 code for the country, followed by up to three characters. For example ID-RI is the Riau province of Indonesia and NG-RI is the Rivers province in Nigeria. Names and codes for subdivisions are usually taken from relevant official national information sources. As a general rule, the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency does not assign official country code elements to other geopolitical areas or countries that are not member states of the UN.
- If a country changes its name without any territorial change, its numeric code remains the same.
- Using codes saves time and avoids errors as instead of using a country’s name (which will change depending on the language being used), we can use a combination of letters and/or numbers that are understood all over the world.
- By using ISO 3166 codes, clarity is provided in communicating information to people and organizations around the globe, without having to know local languages and dialects.See also How ISO codes connect the world.
- 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).
To be considered, some criteria, amongst others, include that the area be physically separated from its parent country and outside its territorial waters. Even if all criteria are met, the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency may decide not to assign a code element, for example, due to the very limited number of official alpha-2 code elements available. For example, all national postal organizations throughout the world exchange international mail in containers identified with the relevant country code. Internet domain name systems use the codes to define top-level domain names such as “.fr” for France, “.au” for Australia. In addition, in machine-readable passports, the codes are used to determine the nationality of the user and, when we send money from one bank to another, the country codes are a way to identify where the bank is based.
Users are advised that, because these code elements are defined by themselves, they are not compatible between different entities.There is no ISO procedure for the assignment of user-assigned code elements. Part 1 establishes codes that represent the current names of countries, dependencies, and other areas of particular geopolitical interest, on the basis of country names obtained from the United Nations. Another advantage is that when countries merge or split, they will get a new numeric code, while the alphabetic code stays in use for (a part of) that country. A persistent number is needed in datasets with historical country information. An even more detailed version of these country codes can also be obtained as a CSV file in the download area.
