Nomenclature Générale des Activités Économiques (NOGA) known in English as the General Classification of Economic Activities, is a classification framework used to categorize the economic activities of businesses and organizations in Switzerland. Maintained by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), it is based on the NACE, but with adaptations for the Swiss economic context. NOGA is a hierarchical five-level system ranging from Sections at the broadest level to NOGA Types at the finest level.
Current Version: NOGA 2008
NOGA 2008 took official effect in Switzerland from 1 January 2008. It is the Swiss adaptation of the EU's NACE Rev. 2 which also came into force in 2008.
Changes between NOGA 2002 and NOGA 2008
The changes between NOGA 2002 and NOGA 2008 at the classification levels 1-4 reflect the changes between NACE Rev 1.1 and NACE Rev. 2. This includes for example the creation of four new sections reflecting the shift toward a service-based economy and knowledge-based industries. Consequently, several activities across classification levels in NOGA 2002 were redefined and restructured in NOGA 2008 in line with changes in the global economy. At the most detailed level which reflects the Swiss context, 70 new Types were added to NOGA 2008, mostly across the service-related sections. NOGA 2008 added more detailed classifications for environmental activities such as waste management, recycling, and renewable energy production, e-commerce and online services within the retail and communication sectors. Considering Switzerland's position as a global financial hub, NOGA 2008 also provided more detail for investment funds, pension management, and risk management.
Structure of NOGA 2008
NOGA 2008 is structured hierarchically into four levels of aggregation, as follows:
Sections: 21 sections represented by capital letters from A to U. While this is the broadest classification level, it is not directly used for coding activities. It only serves to divide all economic activities into 21 broad categories.
Divisions: 88 divisions represented by two-digit codes.
Groups: 272 groups represented by three-digit codes.
Class: 615 classes represented by four-digit codes.
Types: 794 types represented by six-digit codes. This is the most detailed classification level in NOGA 2008. While NOGA is aligned with NACE up to the class level, the 794 types are specific to the Swiss business and economic context.
The table below gives a breakdown of each of the 21 sections in NOGA. As in most other classification systems, the manufacturing division has the highest number of finely defined industries (267), followed by "Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles" (135) and "Agriculture, forestry and fishing" (40).
Section | Title | Divisions | Groups | Classes | Types |
A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 3 | 13 | 39 | 40 |
B | Mining and quarrying | 5 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
C | Manufacturing | 24 | 95 | 230 | 267 |
D | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
E | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 4 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
F | Construction | 3 | 9 | 22 | 39 |
G | Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 | 21 | 91 | 135 |
H | Transportation and storage | 5 | 15 | 23 | 25 |
I | Accommodation and food service activities | 2 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
J | Information and communication | 6 | 13 | 26 | 26 |
K | Financial and insurance activities | 3 | 10 | 18 | 38 |
L | Real estate activities | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
M | Professional, scientific and technical activities | 7 | 15 | 19 | 30 |
N | Administrative and support service activities | 6 | 19 | 33 | 36 |
O | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
P | Education | 1 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
Q | Human health and social work activities | 3 | 9 | 12 | 24 |
R | Arts, entertainment and recreation | 4 | 5 | 15 | 18 |
S | Other service activities | 3 | 6 | 19 | 26 |
T | Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
U | Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Total | 88 | 272 | 615 | 794 |
Previous versions
NOGA 2002
NOGA 2002 was in effect in Switzerland from January 2002 to December 2007. It was the Swiss adaptation of NACE Rev 1.1 which came into force in the same year. Earlier in 1995, the Federal Statistical Office released "NOGA 95" which was an adaptation of NACE Rev. 1. However, with the transition to NACE Rev 1.1, NOGA 95 was revised to NOGA 2002.
Changes between NOGA 1995 and NOGA 2002
The changes between NOGA 1995 and NOGA 2002 mirrors the switch in international standards from NACE Rev. 1 to NACE Rev. 1.1. NOGA 2002 made adjustments to certain industry categories to account for new sectors and technologies, particularly in information technology and services. Additionally, NOGA 2002 refined definitions and classifications in areas such as telecommunications, business services, and trade. At the finer levels, 11 new classes were added while 10 Types were dropped.
Structure of NOGA 2002
NOGA 2002 was structured hierarchically into four levels of aggregation, as follows:
Sections: 17 sections represented by capital letters from A to Q.
Divisions: 62 divisions represented by two-digit codes.
Groups: 224 groups represented by three-digit codes.
Class: 514 classes represented by four-digit codes.
Types: 724 types represented by six-digit codes. This was the most detailed classification level in NOGA 2002.
NOGA 1995
NOGA 1995 was in effect in Switzerland from 1995 to 2002. It was the Swiss version of NACE Rev. 1, adapted for the Swiss economic context.
Structure of NOGA 1995
NOGA 1995 was structured hierarchically into five levels of aggregation, as follows:
Sections: 17 sections represented by capital letters from A to Q. Some sections were further split into a total of 31 subsections represented by two capital letters.
Divisions: 60 divisions represented by two-digit codes.
Groups: 222 groups represented by three-digit codes.
Class: 503 classes represented by four-digit codes.
Types: 734 types represented by four-digit codes and one capital letter. This was the most detailed classification level in NOGA 1995.
Where is it used?
The NOGA is primarily used by Switzerland's Federal Statistical Office (FSO) to categorize economic activity in Switzerland. Various national economic and industrial statistics produced by the FSO are normally broken down by different levels of NOGA. Moreover, because of the neutral and objective classification provided by NOGA, a range of private companies such as insurance companies, fund managers, pension funds, etc. use it in their analyses (e.g. to calculate risk premiums). The NAF is also widely used in academic research across disciplines, for example:
Ownership of Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs): Switzerland's national vehicle register has been matched with its national business register to identify the activities (NOGA 2008) of the companies owning LCVs.
Politicians' Connections: NOGA codes have been used to trace politicians' connections based on their mandates in enterprises, associations and other organizations.
Upcoming versions
The release of NACE Rev. 2.1 obliges EU Member States to update their national systems accordingly. The FSO is currently in the process of reviewing the current NOGA 2008. It is expected that NOGA 2025 will be published in January 2025 and enter into force on in 2026.
Further Resources
Download NOGA
Other Resources
Martin Péclat and Stefano Puddu. Swiss Politicians' Ties: A Comprehensive Dataset.
Raphaël Ancel & Nicole A. Mathys. Who owns Light Commercial Vehicles? An empirical analysis for Switzerland.
Federal Statistics Office. KUPP coding assistance application.
Federal Statistics Office. Nomenclature Générale des Activités Économiques (NOGA).