The classification of sectors is a basic classification applied to economic and social statistics for classifying the activities, financing modes, owner types and legal forms of decision-making units into equivalent categories. The sectors (non-financial corporations, general government, households, etc.) formed with the help of the classification are sufficiently similar in their economic behaviour for national economic monitoring and analysis.
The sector level is needed as the main summation level between the economic units and the whole national economy when describing output, income formation, secondary distribution of income, accumulation, and the structure and development of financing. The monitoring of the Growth and Stability Pact of the EU's Economic and Monetary Union also requires close application of the classification of sectors in the definition of general government (general government deficit and debt).
Relationship with international classifications
The classification of sectors is a basic classification of the European System of Accounts ESA 1995 (European System of Accounts ESA 1995, Eurostat 1997) of the European Union.The uniform accounting system and details of its introduction have been decreed by an EU regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No. 2223/96 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community) that binds all Member States. Finland's national application is compiled as uniformly as possible with the basic ESA structure and codes. National information needs and special economic features as well as additional classifications required by the European Union are adjusted to this basic hierarchy.
The main division of the classification comprises domestic sectors and the rest of the world. Domestic institutional units are broken down into sectors by ownership, legal form, purpose of activity and financing mode. Finnish institutional units are legal units and households situated in the economic territory of Finland.
The rest of the world comprises the economic territory of countries outside Finland, supranational and international organisations. Foreign extraterritorial enclaves in Finland are embassies and consulates of foreign countries and units of the European Union and international organisations including land areas and buildings owned by them.
Classification of Sectors 2000. Helsinki: Statistics Finland, 2000. Handbooks / Statistics Finland, 5 (in Finnish, Swedish, English summary)
Ms Eeva Hamunen, Economic Statistics/National accounts, or Ms Tuulikki Lund, Economic Statistics/Financial markets. Tel. +358 9 17341 (exchange).
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