International Organization for Standardization

What International Organization for Standardization does

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental international organization founded in 1947 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that develops and publishes voluntary International Standards through a globally distributed consensus process. Its work is coordinated by a Central Secretariat of 101-250 employees and executed through a network of 177 national standards body members, more than 45,000 participating experts, and 834 technical bodies including 238 technical committees. ISO's catalog spans more than 26,364 standards across sectors including health, IT, management, security, transport, energy, environment, food, materials, construction, and engineering. Its core standards family includes ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management, certifying 670,000+ organizations), ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), and ISO 37001 (anti-bribery).

ISO's core technology platform comprises the ISO Online Browsing Platform (OBP) for searching and previewing standards, the ISO Store for direct e-commerce purchases in CHF (paper, PDF, and ePub formats), the ISO Applications Portal for committee work, and the ISO Open Data platform launched in March 2025 providing machine-readable datasets (Parquet, JSONLines, CSV) covering deliverables metadata, technical committee metadata, and the International Classification for Standards (ICS). ISO does not operate a public or partner-facing API; data access is via file downloads. The standards-development system uses technical committees and working groups operating under a multi-stage consensus process including 12-week public consultations and final approval by national member bodies.

ISO's business model rests on three revenue streams: (1) one-time/perpetual license sales of individual standards through the ISO Store and 177 national member bodies (paper, PDF, ePub), contributing more than one-third of Central Secretariat budget; (2) recurring national member subscriptions calculated as a proportion of each country's Gross National Product and trade figures; and (3) recurring annual subscriptions for specific data products such as ISO 3166 country codes (XML, CSV, XLS) and graphical symbol collections (AI, DWG, EPS). Pricing is denominated exclusively in Swiss Francs. Distribution is multi-channel: direct e-commerce to end users, channel sales via national members in local currencies, and free preview via the OBP to drive purchase conversion. ISO maintains Vienna Agreement cooperation with CEN and operational partnerships with IEC, ITU, ASTM, NIST, IEEE, and BSI, and is governed by a General Assembly, Council, and Secretary-General (Sergio Mujica since July 2017).

Name

International Organization for Standardization

Legal name

International Organization for Standardization

Website

https://iso.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ISO is an independent non-governmental international organization founded in 1947 that develops and publishes voluntary International Standards through a consensus-based network of 177 national standards bodies, 45,000+ experts, and more than 26,364 standards across all major industry sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Standards Development and Publishing

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards Development & Publishing (SDOs, Technical Standards) (MPAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA)

Keywords

• International standards development
• Standards publishing
• Management systems certification
• Technical committee coordination
• Consensus-based standardization

Headquarters

HQ city

Vernier

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Standards Sales: Revenue from selling ISO standards through the ISO Store and national member bodies. Prices are in Swiss Francs (CHF). Standards are available in paper, PDF, and ePub formats. The sale of standards contributes more than a third of the budget.
2. National Member Subscriptions: ISO's national members pay subscriptions calculated as a proportion of their country's Gross National Product and trade figures to meet the operational cost of ISO's Central Secretariat.
3. Annual Subscriptions: Country codes collection is available as an annual subscription providing updated lists of official country codes from ISO 3166 in XML, CSV and XLS formats with automatic renewal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISO develops and publishes voluntary International Standards through a consensus-based process coordinated by technical committees and a network of 177 national standards bodies. Standards are sold in paper, PDF, and ePub formats through the ISO Store and national members, supported by digital platforms including the Online Browsing Platform (OBP) for browsing and the ISO Open Data platform for machine-readable datasets. The portfolio includes more than 26,364 standards spanning quality, environmental, information security, AI, occupational health and safety, and anti-bribery management systems.

Product overview

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a non-governmental international organization that develops and publishes voluntary International Standards. The organization operates a portfolio of digital platforms including the ISO Store for purchasing standards, the Online Browsing Platform (OBP) for previewing and accessing standards content, the ISO Open Data platform providing machine-readable datasets, and the ISO Applications Portal for standards development participants. ISO's core offerings include individual International Standards covering quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001), information security (ISO/IEC 27001), AI management (ISO/IEC 42001), occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), and anti-bribery management (ISO 37001), among more than 26,000 standards in total. The organization also publishes guidance documents, strategic plans, and supports public policy through its Policy Support Platform. ISO's work is conducted through a network of 177 national standards bodies coordinated by the ISO Central Secretariat in Geneva, with technical work managed through over 250 technical committees and subcommittees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems International Standard specifying requirements for a quality management system, providing a framework for organizations to deliver consistent products and services, improve efficiency, and meet customer and regulatory expectations.
• ISO 14001:2026 Environmental Management Systems International Standard specifying requirements with guidance for use for an environmental management system, helping organizations improve environmental performance, minimize impact, and comply with regulations; the 2026 edition strengthens alignment with climate change, biodiversity, and resource efficiency. Currently certifies more than 670,000 organizations worldwide.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security Management Systems International Standard specifying requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system, addressing information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection.
• ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI Management Systems International Standard providing requirements and guidance for organizations that develop, provide, or use AI systems, establishing an AI management system within the context of the organization.
• ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems International Standard specifying requirements for an occupational health and safety management system, with guidance for use, helping organizations provide safe and healthy workplaces, prevent work-related injury and ill health, and continually improve OHS performance.
• ISO 37001:2025 Anti-Bribery Management Systems International Standard specifying requirements and providing guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, reviewing, and improving an anti-bribery management system.
• ISO 14060 Net Zero Transition Plans International standard providing the first internationally independently verifiable framework for organizations to develop credible net-zero transition strategies; opened for a 12-week public consultation in June 2026 with the final standard expected in 2027.
• ISO 32212 Net Zero for Financial Institutions International standard for net zero transition planning designed for financial institutions including banks, insurers, and investors, providing a common framework covering strategic planning, financing decisions, engagement activities, and governance to mobilize capital toward decarbonization.
• ISO 27914:2026 Carbon Dioxide Geochemical Storage International standard for carbon dioxide geochemical storage that could serve as a permanent replacement framework for the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program's Subpart RR, following ANSI endorsement.
• ISO Store E-commerce platform for purchasing International Standards, guidelines, collections, and checklists in Paper, PDF, and ePub formats, priced in Swiss Francs; payment by credit card or bank transfer.
• Online Browsing Platform (OBP) Web-based platform for searching and accessing ISO standards online, offering free preview of Foreword, Introduction, Scope, Normative references, and Terms & definitions to help users decide whether to purchase the full standard.
• ISO Open Data Freely available machine-readable datasets describing the international standards ecosystem, including ISO deliverables metadata, technical committees metadata, and the International Classification for Standards (ICS), provided in Parquet, JSONLines, and CSV formats.
• ISO Applications Portal Portal providing access to ISO applications for standards development participants, committee managers, and other authorized users.
• ISO Policy Support Platform Online support platform helping public policy-makers, regulators, and standards developers understand how ISO International Standards can be used to support policy initiatives, with national examples and sector-specific guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO 14001:2026 certifies over 670,000 organizations worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Standards Institution (BSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026BSI co-leads the development of ISO 14060, the world's first international standard for net-zero transition plans, as part of the largest working group in ISO's history representing 177 national standards bodies.
• ICONTEC (Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026ICONTEC co-leads the development of ISO 14060, the international net-zero transition planning standard, following nearly two years of international negotiations.
• Australia and UNIDOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Australia and UNIDO supported Cambodia's STRACAP 2026-2032 roadmap to strengthen national quality infrastructure and align with international trade standards.
• IEC and ITUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025ISO, IEC, and ITU jointly launched the Seoul Statement at the International AI Standards Summit in South Korea in December 2025, establishing international technical standards for AI governance tied to human rights and sustainable development.
• 21 Global Standards Organizations including IEC and ULSEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Coalition of international standards organizations united at COP30 in Belém, Brazil to promote the role of standards in advancing climate action and facilitate measurable climate solutions.
• ASTM International, NIST, IEEE, BSIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Standards bodies collaborating to develop safety frameworks for humanoid robots, creating a multi-axis classification framework that categorizes robots by physical capabilities, behavioral intelligence, and operational context.
• CEN (European Committee for Standardization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVienna Agreement between ISO and CEN for technical cooperation, allowing information sharing, attendance at each other's meetings, and collaboration on standards at international and European levels.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission): Direct peer and joint co-developer of standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001. IEC is the world's leading organization for electrotechnical standards and shares ISO's consensus-based international standards model.
• ITU (International Telecommunication Union): United Nations-affiliated standards body for telecommunications; co-signatory with ISO of the Seoul Statement on AI standards and long-standing partner on joint standards (e.g., ISO/IEC JTC 1). Directly comparable in mission, governance, and global standards development.
• CEN (European Committee for Standardization): Regional counterpart under the Vienna Agreement with ISO for technical cooperation on standards at international and European levels. Highly comparable consensus-based standards developer with similar member-body structure.
• ASTM International: One of the world's largest voluntary standards development organizations, particularly strong in industrial, materials, and testing standards. Collaborates with ISO on emerging areas (e.g., humanoid robot safety) and competes in overlapping technical domains.
• IEEE Standards Association: Global standards body heavily active in IT, telecom, AI, and emerging tech domains. Direct competitor in fast-moving digital standards (e.g., AI, blockchain, quantum) where speed of publication is a key differentiator.

Broad incumbents

• BSI (British Standards Institution): UK national standards body and a key ISO member; also a commercial certification and standards reseller. Co-leading the development of ISO 14060 with ICONTEC and active globally in certification services that monetize the ISO brand.
• DIN (German Institute for Standardization): Germany's national standards body and an influential ISO member, particularly in industrial, automotive, and mechanical engineering standards. Comparable in operating model as a national member body serving both domestic and international standardization.
• ANSI (American National Standards Institute): US national standards body coordinating private-sector standardization and representing the US in ISO and IEC. Operates a similar consensus-driven model and is critical to ANSI endorsement of ISO standards (e.g., ISO 27914:2026).

Regional players

• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology): US government agency developing technical standards and frameworks (e.g., AI Risk Management Framework, cybersecurity frameworks) that overlap with and sometimes compete with ISO standards. A collaborating standards developer rather than direct commercial competitor.

Emerging players

• SAE International: Global association focused on mobility and engineering standards, particularly in aerospace, automotive, and powertrain. Collaborates with ISO in adjacent technical domains and competes for developer mindshare in engineering standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isostandards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/ISO
• Facebookfacebook.com/isostandards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isostandards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Organization for Standardization