ISO Certifications Up By Six Percent

Certifications to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards increased by six percent in 2010, according to the latest edition of The ISO Survey of Certifications.

The biggest increases in certification were to ISO 22000:2005, which relates to food safety management, and to ISO/IEC 27001:2005, which relates to information security management. Certifications to ISO 22000 increased by 34 percent and certifications to ISO/IEC 27001 rose by 21 percent. In total, certifications to ISO standards amounted to 1,457,912 certificates in 178 countries.

“Indicating nearly a million and a half users at the end of 2010, these figures illustrate the continuing attraction of the ISO management system model pioneered by ISO 9001 for quality management and since extended to meet other challenges faced by public- and private-sector organizations,” comments Rob Steele, ISO Secretary-General.

ISO 9001:2008

The ISO survey indicated that ISO 9001:2008 remains firmly established as the preferred standard for providing assurance about an organization’s ability to satisfy quality requirements and to enhance customer satisfaction in supplier-customer relationships.

Up to the end of December 2010, at least 1,109,905 ISO 9001 certificates had been issued in 178 countries and economies. This represents an increase of 45,120 (4%) over 2009, when the total topped one million for the first time with 1,064,785 certificates.

China retains its number-one position as the country with the most ISO 9001 certificates, with Italy in second place, and the Russian Federation taking the third position. The highest growth in the number of certificates was also in China, followed by the Russian Federation, and Italy.

ISO 14001:2004

As of December 2010, there were 250,972 ISO 14001:2004 certificates in 155 countries and economies, a growth of 27,823 (12%).

China, Japan, and Spain were the top three countries for the total number of certificates; China, the United Kingdom, and Spain were the top three for annual growth.

ISO/TS 16949:2009

As of December 2010, there were 43,946 ISO/TS 16949:2009 certificates around the world—an increase of 7 percent. The three countries with the highest numbers of certificates to ISO/TS 16949 were China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. The top three for growth were China, India, and the Republic of Korea.

ISO 13485:2003

ISO 13485:2003 gives quality management requirements for medical devices. As of December 2010, 18,834 ISO 13485:2003 certificates had been issued in 93 countries and economies. The 2010 total represents an increase of 15 percent over 2009.

The top three countries for the total of certificates were the United States, Germany, and Italy. The top three for growth since the 2009 survey were Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

ISO/IEC 27001:2005

As of the end of 2010, 15,625 ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificates had been issued in 117 countries and economies. This represents an increase of 2,691 (21%) over 2009.

The three countries with the most ISO/IEC 17025 certificates were Japan, India, and the United Kingdom. Japan, China, and the Czech Republic showed the most growth in certifications to the standard.