This post examines the International Standards Organisation’s (ISO) survey on the global growth of ISO’s seven most popular standards over 2012 and 2013 with a particular focus on the growth in the UK.
Figures released from the ISO show an increase of 65,285 in the number of certificates issued globally in 2013, compared with those issued in 2012. This represents a 4% increase for 2013 which is in line with last year’s figure of 4% demonstrating steady growth in ISO certification overall.
A summary of the statistics is shown in the table below:
Table 1: Global Distribution of Certificates 2012 & 2013 (ISO, 2014)
|
Standard |
No. of Certs Issued 2013 |
No. of Certs Issued 2012 |
Increase |
Increase (%) |
| ISO 9001 (Quality) |
1,129,446 |
1,096,987 |
32,459 |
3% |
| ISO 14001 (Environmental) |
301,647 |
284,654 |
16,993 |
6% |
| ISO 50001 (Energy) |
4,826 |
2,236 |
2,590 |
116% |
| ISO 27001 (Information Security) |
22,293 |
19,620 |
2,673 |
14% |
| ISO 22000 (Food Safety) |
26,847 |
23,278 |
3,569 |
15% |
| ISO/TS 16949 (Quality Automotive) |
53,723 |
50,071 |
3,652 |
7% |
| ISO 13485 (Quality Medical Devices) |
25,666 |
22,317 |
3,349 |
15% |
| Total |
1,564,448 |
1,499,163 |
65,285 |
4% |
From Table 1 above, it can be seen that the uptake for the seven most popular standards have all increased over the past year.
While overall growth is steady at 4%, ISO 14001 and ISO 22001 have seen the only percentage increase between ‘11/’12 and ‘12/’13. Growth across all other standards has slowed.
The greatest increase has again been in the uptake of ISO 50001, with an increase of 116%. This is down in comparison to ’11/’12 which registered growth of 332%. The previous large increase in uptake was due to ISO 50001 being released in June 2011 and may have resulted in companies with existing standards upgrading their systems to comply with the requirements of ISO 50001.
ISO 9001 makes up the majority of the certificates issued with over 72% of the global total awarded in 2013.
Table 2: Distribution of Certificates 2012 & 2013 in the UK (Source: ISO, 2014)
| Standard | Intro Year |
No. of Certs Issued 2013 |
No. of Certs Issued 2012 |
Change (%) |
| ISO 9001 (Quality) |
1993 |
44,585 |
44,670 |
-0.19% |
| ISO 14001 (Environmental) |
1999 |
16,879 |
15,884 |
5.9% |
| ISO 50001 (Energy) |
2011 |
330 |
136 |
58.8% |
| ISO 27001 (Information Security) |
2006 |
1,923 |
1,701 |
11.5% |
| ISO 22000 (Food Safety) |
2007 |
82 |
71 |
13.4% |
| ISO/TS 16949 (Automotive Quality) |
2004 |
572 |
567 |
0.87% |
| ISO 13485 (Medical Devices Quality) |
2004 |
1,812 |
1,573 |
15.8% |
| Total |
66,183 |
64,602 |
2.4% |
From Table 2, it can be seen that the distribution of ISO 9001 makes up the majority (67%) of the total number of certificates distributed in the UK but is the only standard which registered a drop in growth.
The largest growth area is seen in ISO 50001 which was also the case in 2012. This is in line with global trends as its recent release has stoked growth. ISO 14001 & 27001 continue to perform well with continued year on year growth registered.
ISO 9001
In the UK, the number of certificates decreased by 0.19% in 2013 to 44,585. This was in contrast to growth in the European region of 3.4% with only the East Asia & Pacific region registering a fall in uptake of ISO 9001.
The top three countries in the world for the total number of certificates issued were China, Italy and Germany while the top three for growth in the number of certificates in 2013 were Italy (2012 also), India and USA.
ISO 14001
In the UK, the number of certificates issued grew by 5.9% in 2013 to 16,879 which is just below the EU average of 6%. This is quite good considering the UK has the second highest number of ISO 14001 certifications in Europe behind Italy which also saw strong growth.
The top three countries in the world for the total number of certificates issued were China, Italy and Japan, while the top three for growth in the number of certificates in 2012 were China, Italy and India.
In Terms of regional growth, Central & South Asia saw a 34% increase in certifications followed by Africa with 22% and Central/South America & Middle East both registering 21% growth in certifications.
ISO 50001
In the UK, the number of ISO 50001 certificates issued grew by 58.8% in 2013 to 330.
Regional growth of ISO 50001 has been massive, all registering over 100% growth. In terms of actual numbers of certificates it is still quite low with just over 4800 certificates being issued in 2013 and Europe making up 81% of the regional share. This area does look like it will continue to grow into the near future.
The top three countries in the world for the total number of certificates were Germany, UK and Italy, while the top three for growth in the number of certificates in 2012 were also Germany, UK and Italy.
ISO 27001
In the UK, the number of certificates issued grew by 14% in 2013 to 2,293. This is in line with Global growth (also 14%) but below European growth of 25%.
The top three countries in the world for the total number of certificates were Japan, India and the UK, while the top three for growth in the number of certificates in 2013 were Italy, India and the UK.
Source: ISO Survey 2014
