CAEN: Clasificarea Activitatilor din Economia Nationala - National Classification of Economic Activities, Romania

Clasificarea Activitatilor din Economia Nationala (CAEN), or National Classification of Economic Activities, is a system used to categorize economic activities in Romania. CAEN is based entirely on the European Union's NACE classification system, thereby facilitating international comparability of Romanian data. CAEN is structured into four levels ranging from broad sections to more detailed classes. CAEN is widely used in Romania across government agencies and businesses for a range of purposes including business registration, tax identification, and economic analysis.

Metadata

Publisher type National
Publisher(s)
Jurisdictions Romania

Current version: CAEN Rev. 2

CAEN Rev. 2 took effect in Romania on 1 January 2008. It is based entirely on NACE Rev. 2, except for adjustments in the code descriptions.

Changes between CAEN Rev. 1 and CAEN Rev. 2

The changes between CAEN Rev. 1 and CAEN Rev. 2 align entirely with the changes between NACE Rev. 1.1 and NACE Rev. 2. There was an expansion at all classification levels, reflecting major economic and technological developments in Europe and Romania. Four new sections were added in CAEN Rev. 2 along with more detail for emerging activities related to information and communication technology (ICT) and business services as well as software development, biotechnology, and renewable energy.

Structure of CAEN Rev. 2

CAEN Rev. 2 is hierarchically structured into four classification levels, as follows:

  • Sections: 21 sections identified by the English alphabets A to U.

  • Divisions: 88 divisions identified by two-digit codes.

  • Groups: 272 groups identified by three-digit codes.

  • Classes: 615 classes identified by four-digit codes. This is the finest level of detail in CAEN Rev. 2.

The table below breaks down each of the 21 sections of CAEN Rev. 2. The section C (Manufacturing) has the most class-level detail with 230 classes which is about 37% of the 615 classes in CAEN Rev. 2. Section G (Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) and section A (Agriculture, forestry and fishing) are respectively the second and third most detailed with 91 and 39 classes. These three most detailed sections jointly constitute 58% of the 615 classes in CAEN Rev. 2.

Section

Title

Divisions

Groups

Classes

A

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

3

13

39

B

Mining and quarrying

5

10

15

C

Manufacturing

24

95

230

D

Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

1

3

8

E

Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

4

6

9

F

Construction

3

9

22

G

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

3

21

91

H

Transportation and storage

5

15

23

I

Accommodation and food service activities

2

7

8

J

Information and communication

6

13

26

K

Financial and insurance activities

3

10

18

L

Real estate activities

1

3

4

M

Professional, scientific and technical activities

7

15

19

N

Administrative and support service activities

6

19

33

O

Public administration and defence; compulsory social security

1

3

9

P

Education

1

6

11

Q

Human health and social work activities

3

9

12

R

Arts, entertainment and recreation

4

5

15

S

Other service activities

3

6

19

T

Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use

2

3

3

U

Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies

1

1

1

Total

88

272

615

Previous versions

CAEN Rev. 1

CAEN Rev. 1 operated in Romania from 2003 to 2008. It was based entirely on the EU's NACE Rev 1.1.

Structure of CAEN Rev. 1

CAEN Rev. 1 was structured into four levels, as follows:

  • Sections: 17 sections identified by the English alphabets A to Q.

  • Divisions: 62 divisions identified by two-digit codes.

  • Groups: 224 groups identified by three-digit codes.

  • Classes: 514 classes identified by four-digit codes. This was the finest level of detail in CAEN Rev. 1.

Versions prior to CAEN Rev. 1

In Romania, CAEN was preceded by CREN (Clasificarea Revizuită a Activităților Economice din România) which was in use from 1963 until its gradual replacement by CAEN in the 1990s.

Where is it used?

  • National statistics: CAEN is primarily used by INSSE to categorize business and economic activity in Romania. CAEN codes are indispensable for business registration in Romania and will also likely be used in processes related to tax administration, application for licensing and permits, and government contracts.

  • Private sector: CAEN codes merged with other databases can be used for different aspects of market research and industry analysis to inform investment decisions.

  • Academic studies: CAEN codes have been used to study the spatial pattern of business agglomerations in Romania.

Upcoming version

Following the release of NACE Rev. 2.1 to which CAEN is exactly aligned, INSSE has informed that CAEN Rev. 3 will come into force on 1 January 2025.

Further resources

Download CAEN

Other resources