Standards in action
Learn about how International Standards work in the real world, and the benefits they bring to business, society and the environment.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of national standards bodies of 162 countries, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
ISO standards are voluntary and we don’t regulate or legislate, although countries may decide to adopt our standards as regulations or refer to them in legislation. We have more than 21561 standards in our portfolio. Our programme ranges from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, manufacturing and distribution, to transport, medical devices, the environment, safety, information and communication technologies and to standards for good practice and for services.
More than 100 of our members are from developing countries and every full member has the right to take part in standards development, no matter what the size or strength of their economy. Currently the ISO standards-development system comprise 3921 technical bodies including 238 ISO technical committees.
Read more about ISO
Read more about how ISO develops standards
Read more about the benefits of International Standards
From the Greek isos, meaning equal. Whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of our name is always ISO.
The ISO logo is a registered trademark and, unless we specifically authorise it, its use is not allowed. If you’d like to use our logo, contact our press team.
Kevin took up the post in August 2015. He was formerly Deputy Secretary General from 2003. Prior to this he was Director at the Standards Council of Canada.
Official Twitter account: @isosecgen
