UK SIC 2026 guidance

Purpose of Standard Industrial Classification

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is used to classify business establishments and other statistical units by their primary economic activity.

It provides a consistent framework for the collection, tabulation, presentation, and analysis of data. Using SIC promotes uniformity across statistics, which enables meaningful comparisons within the UK and internationally.

SIC may also be used for administrative purposes and by non-government organisations as a practical way of categorising industrial activities into a common structure.

Implementation timeline

Though SIC 2026 was finalised in April 2026, it cannot be used in outputs immediately. Implementation requires substantial preparation to ensure changes are introduced safely, consistently, and without disruption to time series continuity.

Implementation will progress in three stages:

• introduction into Business Registers
• use in sampling for business surveys
• full adoption within National Accounts

The earliest anticipated use of SIC 2026 in National Accounts is the 2031 Blue Book publication.

Adoption and use

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not mandate the use of SIC classifications by external organisations. However, users are strongly encouraged to adopt the latest version and align any adaptations to it.

Using SIC 2026 consistently will support comparability of data across organisations, sectors, and international frameworks.

Benefits of Standard Industrial Classification 2026

SIC 2026 has undergone a public consultation and revision exercise. As a result, it better reflects changes in the UK economy and improves measurement of modern industrial activity, while maintaining alignment with international classifications.

Important improvements include:

• more detailed classifications for software activities, including artificial intelligence (AI)
• expanded coverage of energy-related activities (for example, capture, supply, storage, and recovery)
• substantial updates to financial services classifications to align with the System of National Accounts 2025

These changes ensure the classification remains relevant and supports emerging policy needs, including those linked to the Government's Industrial Strategy.

For more information, see Section 3: Alignment with Industrial Strategy .

Changes to the classification framework

The SIC 2026 framework structure has been finalised and published. No further changes to the structure will be accepted to maintain comparability. This is because it aligns with the Classification of Economic Activities in the European Union (NACE) and International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) international standards.

Updates to explanatory notes

The explanatory notes forming part of SIC 2026 have also been finalised.

However, we will accept notifications of:

• errors
• anomalies
• legal issues

These updates must involve only minor amendments, such as small wording changes, rather than substantive revisions.

Ongoing review and maintenance

Explanatory note updates will be reviewed annually. Approved changes will be published each year at the end of March.

Future structural revisions to SIC will occur only in line with international updates to NACE and ISIC. The timing of future revisions is currently under international discussion and has not yet been scheduled.

Maintaining relevance over time

SIC balances the need for consistency over time with the need to reflect economic change. Updates are introduced carefully to preserve comparability while improving relevance.

We are exploring ways to support more dynamic classification of emerging sectors. This includes engagement with industry and policy stakeholders.

In addition, we have developed an open-source AI tool that can classify text into statistical categories. This tool supports:

• assignment of businesses to industries
• flexible classification against alternative frameworks
• improved responsiveness to emerging economic activities

International classifications

SIC is aligned with the following international frameworks:

• Eurostat's Classification of Economic Activities in the European Union (NACE) 
• Eurostat's Statistics Explained resources
• the United Nations's International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) 

These alignments ensure international comparability of economic data.

Statistical Business Register

Implementation of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2026 will involve major updates to the Statistical Business Register.

This work is part of our International Macro-Economic Standards (IMSS) programme. IMSS is a multi-year initiative, involving:

• system updates
• survey redesign
• cross-government coordination

Stakeholder engagement will include:

• an Office for National Statistics (ONS)-led external stakeholder group
• a cross-government statistical steering group

Business surveys

Following updates to the business register:

• surveys will be sampled and reported using SIC 2026
• re-coding methods will be developed, using correlation tables (to be published) and automated matching tools

Social surveys

Social surveys are assessing how best to incorporate SIC 2026 into:

• online survey systems
• face-to-face data collection

Automated classification tools are also being explored to support this transition.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2026 supports the Government's Industrial Strategy through updates that are informed by cross-government collaboration.

Examples of supported areas include:

• battery materials recovery
• electric vehicle charging infrastructure
• more detailed treatment of temporary employment activities

Artificial intelligence (AI)-related activities are explicitly recognised in SIC 2026.

Important changes include the separation of general-purpose AI software and AI model development from broader software categories at the 5-digit level.

Future updates to explanatory notes will allow further refinement as AI activities evolve.

AI classification will also be considered in future product classification reviews.

Publication of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2026 was briefly delayed to allow for formal ratification by the Ad Hoc Panel for Assurance of Key Government Statistical Service Guidance.

This process ensured appropriate governance, in the absence of a National Statistician. The delay did not affect implementation timelines.

For further information or queries, users and producers of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) data should contact SIC.revision@ONS.gov.uk.