ISO 3166-2:GB
Entry for the United Kingdom in ISO 3166-2
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ISO 3166-2:GB is the entry for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GBNI) in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which defines codes for the names of the principal divisions and subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.[1] The codes and structures for the United Kingdom (UK) are provided to the ISO in Geneva by the British Standards (BS) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Primary divisions
Currently for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, ISO 3166-2 codes are defined for the following primary divisions and subdivisions:
- Three countries and one province, as follows:
- England
- 25 two-tier counties, 36 metropolitan districts, 58 unitary authorities, 32 London boroughs, and one city corporation
As of August 2025,[update] the standard has codes for the divisions in place until 31 March 2023. On 1 April 2023, the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria was abolished and replaced by two unitary authorities (Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness), as well as the non-metropolitan counties of North Yorkshire and Somerset became unitary authorities, which as of August 2025[update] are not reflected in ISO 3166-2.
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Wales
Each ISO 3166-2:GB code consists of two parts; both parts are in upper-case capital letters, and are separated by a hyphen (without spaces). The first part for the is GB, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The second part is three letters, which is the British Standard BS 6879 three-letter code of the individual subdivision.
Though GB is the United Kingdom's ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code, UK is exceptionally reserved for the United Kingdom on the request of the country (United Kingdom). Its main usage is the .uk internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) and, on 28 September 2021, UK replaced GB as the official country code on motor vehicle registration plates.[2]
Current codes
Subdivision names are listed as in the ISO 3166-2 standard, as published by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (ISO 3166/MA).
BS 6879 gives alternative name forms in Welsh (cy) for some of the Welsh unitary authorities (together with alternative code elements). Since this part of ISO 3166 does not allow for duplicate coding of identical subdivisions, such alternative names in Welsh and code elements are shown for information purposes only in square brackets after the English name of the subdivision.[1]
Countries and province
| code | subdivision name (en-gb) | subdivision type |
|---|---|---|
| GB-ENG | England | country |
| GB-NIR | Northern Ireland | province |
| GB-SCT | Scotland | country |
| GB-WLS | Wales [Cymru GB-CYM] | country |
Wales was changed from being described as a 'principality' to being described as a 'country' in the December 2011 update to the standard. England and Scotland were maintained as 'country', and Northern Ireland was maintained as 'province'.[3]
Included for completeness
| code | name | reason |
|---|---|---|
| GB-EAW | England and Wales | legislative |
| GB-GBN | Great Britain | geographic land mass |
| GB-UKM | United Kingdom | entire entity |
The codes GB-EAW, GB-GBN, and GB-UKM are only mentioned in remark part 2 in the ISO website, where they are 'included for completeness'.[1]
Second-level subdivisions
| code | subdivision name (en-gb) | subdivision category | parent division |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB-CAM | Cambridgeshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-CMA | Cumbria | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-DBY | Derbyshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-DEV | Devon | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-DOR | Dorset | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-ESX | East Sussex | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-ESS | Essex | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-GLS | Gloucestershire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-HAM | Hampshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-HRT | Hertfordshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-KEN | Kent | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-LAN | Lancashire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-LEC | Leicestershire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-LIN | Lincolnshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-NFK | Norfolk | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-NYK | North Yorkshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-NTT | Nottinghamshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-OXF | Oxfordshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-SOM | Somerset | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-STS | Staffordshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-SFK | Suffolk | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-SRY | Surrey | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-WAR | Warwickshire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-WSX | West Sussex | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-WOR | Worcestershire | two-tier county | ENG |
| GB-LND | London, City of | city corporation | ENG |
| GB-BDG | Barking and Dagenham | London borough | ENG |
| GB-BNE | Barnet | London borough | ENG |
| GB-BEX | Bexley | London borough | ENG |
| GB-BEN | Brent | London borough | ENG |
| GB-BRY | Bromley | London borough | ENG |
| GB-CMD | Camden | London borough | ENG |
| GB-CRY | Croydon | London borough | ENG |
| GB-EAL | Ealing | London borough | ENG |
| GB-ENF | Enfield | London borough | ENG |
| GB-GRE | Greenwich | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HCK | Hackney | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HMF | Hammersmith and Fulham | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HRY | Haringey | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HRW | Harrow | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HAV | Havering | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HIL | Hillingdon | London borough | ENG |
| GB-HNS | Hounslow | London borough | ENG |
| GB-ISL | Islington | London borough | ENG |
| GB-KEC | Kensington and Chelsea | London borough | ENG |
| GB-KTT | Kingston upon Thames | London borough | ENG |
| GB-LBH | Lambeth | London borough | ENG |
| GB-LEW | Lewisham | London borough | ENG |
| GB-MRT | Merton | London borough | ENG |
| GB-NWM | Newham | London borough | ENG |
| GB-RDB | Redbridge | London borough | ENG |
| GB-RIC | Richmond upon Thames | London borough | ENG |
| GB-SWK | Southwark | London borough | ENG |
| GB-STN | Sutton | London borough | ENG |
| GB-TWH | Tower Hamlets | London borough | ENG |
| GB-WFT | Waltham Forest | London borough | ENG |
| GB-WND | Wandsworth | London borough | ENG |
| GB-WSM | Westminster | London borough | ENG |
| GB-BNS | Barnsley | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-BIR | Birmingham | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-BOL | Bolton | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-BRD | Bradford | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-BUR | Bury | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-CLD | Calderdale | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-COV | Coventry | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-DNC | Doncaster | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-DUD | Dudley | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-GAT | Gateshead | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-KIR | Kirklees | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-KWL | Knowsley | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-LDS | Leeds | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-LIV | Liverpool | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-MAN | Manchester | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-NET | Newcastle upon Tyne | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-NTY | North Tyneside | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-OLD | Oldham | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-RCH | Rochdale | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-ROT | Rotherham | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SHN | St. Helens | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SLF | Salford | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SAW | Sandwell | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SFT | Sefton | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SHF | Sheffield | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SOL | Solihull | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-STY | South Tyneside | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SKP | Stockport | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-SND | Sunderland | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-TAM | Tameside | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-TRF | Trafford | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-WKF | Wakefield | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-WLL | Walsall | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-WGN | Wigan | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-WRL | Wirral | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-WLV | Wolverhampton | metropolitan district | ENG |
| GB-BAS | Bath and North East Somerset | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BDF | Bedford | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BBD | Blackburn with Darwen | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BPL | Blackpool | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BCP | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BRC | Bracknell Forest | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BNH | Brighton and Hove | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BST | Bristol, City of | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-BKM | Buckinghamshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-CBF | Central Bedfordshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-CHE | Cheshire East | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-CHW | Cheshire West and Chester | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-CON | Cornwall | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-DAL | Darlington | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-DER | Derby | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-DUR | Durham, County | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-ERY | East Riding of Yorkshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-HAL | Halton | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-HPL | Hartlepool | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-HEF | Herefordshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-IOW | Isle of Wight | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-IOS | Isles of Scilly | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-KHL | Kingston upon Hull | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-LCE | Leicester | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-LUT | Luton | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-MDW | Medway | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-MDB | Middlesbrough | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-MIK | Milton Keynes | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NEL | North East Lincolnshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NLN | North Lincolnshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NNH | North Northamptonshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NSM | North Somerset | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NBL | Northumberland | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-NGM | Nottingham | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-PTE | Peterborough | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-PLY | Plymouth | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-POR | Portsmouth | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-RDG | Reading | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-RCC | Redcar and Cleveland | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-RUT | Rutland | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-SHR | Shropshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-SLG | Slough | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-SGC | South Gloucestershire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-STH | Southampton | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-SOS | Southend-on-Sea | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-STT | Stockton-on-Tees | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-STE | Stoke-on-Trent | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-SWD | Swindon | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-TFW | Telford and Wrekin | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-THR | Thurrock | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-TOB | Torbay | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WRT | Warrington | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WBK | West Berkshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WNH | West Northamptonshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WIL | Wiltshire | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WNM | Windsor and Maidenhead | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-WOK | Wokingham | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-YOR | York | unitary authority | ENG |
| GB-ANN | Antrim and Newtownabbey | district | NIR |
| GB-AND | Ards and North Down | district | NIR |
| GB-ABC | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | district | NIR |
| GB-BFS | Belfast City | district | NIR |
| GB-CCG | Causeway Coast and Glens | district | NIR |
| GB-DRS | Derry and Strabane | district | NIR |
| GB-FMO | Fermanagh and Omagh | district | NIR |
| GB-LBC | Lisburn and Castlereagh | district | NIR |
| GB-MEA | Mid and East Antrim | district | NIR |
| GB-MUL | Mid-Ulster | district | NIR |
| GB-NMD | Newry, Mourne and Down | district | NIR |
| GB-ABE | Aberdeen City | council area | SCT |
| GB-ABD | Aberdeenshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-ANS | Angus | council area | SCT |
| GB-AGB | Argyll and Bute | council area | SCT |
| GB-CLK | Clackmannanshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-DGY | Dumfries and Galloway | council area | SCT |
| GB-DND | Dundee City | council area | SCT |
| GB-EAY | East Ayrshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-EDU | East Dunbartonshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-ELN | East Lothian | council area | SCT |
| GB-ERW | East Renfrewshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-EDH | Edinburgh, City of | council area | SCT |
| GB-ELS | Eilean Siar | council area | SCT |
| GB-FAL | Falkirk | council area | SCT |
| GB-FIF | Fife | council area | SCT |
| GB-GLG | Glasgow City | council area | SCT |
| GB-HLD | Highland | council area | SCT |
| GB-IVC | Inverclyde | council area | SCT |
| GB-MLN | Midlothian | council area | SCT |
| GB-MRY | Moray | council area | SCT |
| GB-NAY | North Ayrshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-NLK | North Lanarkshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-ORK | Orkney Islands | council area | SCT |
| GB-PKN | Perth and Kinross | council area | SCT |
| GB-RFW | Renfrewshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-SCB | Scottish Borders | council area | SCT |
| GB-ZET | Shetland Islands | council area | SCT |
| GB-SAY | South Ayrshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-SLK | South Lanarkshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-STG | Stirling | council area | SCT |
| GB-WDU | West Dunbartonshire | council area | SCT |
| GB-WLN | West Lothian | council area | SCT |
| GB-BGW | Blaenau Gwent | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-BGE | Bridgend [Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr GB-POG] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-CAY | Caerphilly [Caerffili GB-CAF] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-CRF | Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-CMN | Carmarthenshire [Sir Gaerfyrddin GB-GFY] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-CGN | Ceredigion [Sir Ceredigion] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-CWY | Conwy | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-DEN | Denbighshire [Sir Ddinbych GB-DDB] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-FLN | Flintshire [Sir y Fflint GB-FFL] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-GWN | Gwynedd | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-AGY | Isle of Anglesey [Sir Ynys Môn GB-YNM] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-MTY | Merthyr Tydfil [Merthyr Tudful GB-MTU] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-MON | Monmouthshire [Sir Fynwy GB-FYN] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-NTL | Neath Port Talbot [Castell-nedd Port Talbot GB-CTL] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-NWP | Newport [Casnewydd GB-CNW] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-PEM | Pembrokeshire [Sir Benfro GB-BNF] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-POW | Powys | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-RCT | Rhondda Cynon Taff [Rhondda CynonTaf] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-SWA | Swansea [Abertawe GB-ATA] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-TOF | Torfaen [Tor-faen] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-VGL | Vale of Glamorgan, The [Bro Morgannwg GB-BMG] | unitary authority | WLS |
| GB-WRX | Wrexham [Wrecsam GB-WRC] | unitary authority | WLS |
The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands (and the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey as of 2006) have their own ISO 3166-1 codes and are not included in the United Kingdom's entry in ISO 3166-2. There are no ISO 3166-2 codes for:
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia
- British Antarctic Territory (part of Antarctica with country code AQ)
Changes
The following changes to the entry have been announced in newsletters by the ISO 3166/MA since the first publication of ISO 3166-2 in 1998. ISO stopped issuing newsletters in 2013.
| newsletter | date issued | description of change in newsletter | code / subdivision change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newsletter I-2 | 2002-05-21 | Various corrections of name forms, i.e., deletion of name adjuncts | |
| Newsletter I-8 | 2007-04-17 | Modification of the administrative structure | Subdivisions deleted: GB-CHA – Channel Islands GB-IOM – Isle of Man (see ISO 3166-2:IM) GB-GSY – Guernsey (see ISO 3166-2:GG) GB-JSY – Jersey (see ISO 3166-2:JE) |
| Newsletter I-9 | 2007-11-28 | Modification of administrative structure | |
| Newsletter II-2 | 2010-06-30 | Update and reorganisation of the subdivision data, update of the list source | Subdivisions added: GB-BDF – Bedford GB-CBF – Central Bedfordshire GB-CHE – Cheshire East GB-CHW – Cheshire West and Chester Subdivisions deleted: GB-BDF – Bedfordshire GB-CHS – Cheshire GB-IOS – Isles of Scilly |
| Newsletter II-3 | 2011-12-13 (corrected 2011-12-15) | NL II-2 correction for administrative name changes | Status change: WLS – Wales principality → country |
The following changes to the entry are listed on ISO's online catalogue, the Online Browsing Platform:[1]
| effective date of change | short description of change (en-gb) |
|---|---|
| 2022-11-29 | Deletion of two-tier county GB-NTH; addition of unitary authorities GB-NNH, GB-WNH; change of category name from two-tier county to unitary authority for GB-BKM; update list source. |
| 2022-03-03 | Correction of parent subdivision of GB-PEM |
| 2021-11-25 | Addition of subdivision categories country and province in eng & fra; modification of remark part 2; addition of country GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-SCT; addition of province GB-NIR; addition of parent subdivisions |
| 2020-11-24 | Deletion of GB-BMH, GB-POL; addition of GB-BCP; correction of spelling for GB-BFS, GB-DRS, GB-DUR, GB-MUL, GB-RCT, GB-SCB; modification of remark, part 2; update list source |
| 2019-11-22 | Change of subdivision name of GB-ABC, GB-DRS; modification of remark part 2; update list source |
| 2015-11-27 | Deletion of Northern Ireland district council areas GB-ANT, GB-ARD, GB-ARM, GB-BLA, GB-BLY, GB-BNB, GB-CKF, GB-CSR, GB-CLR, GB-CKT, GB-CGV, GB-DRY, GB-DOW, GB-DGN, GB-FER, GB-LRN, GB-LMV, GB-LSB, GB-MFT, GB-MYL, GB-NYM, GB-NTA, GB-NDN, GB-OMH, GB-STB; change of subdivision category from district council area to district GB-BFS; addition of Northern Ireland districts GB-ANN, GB-AND, GB-ABC, GB-CCG, GB-DRS, GB-FMO, GB-LBC, GB-MEA, GB-MUL, GB-NMD; update list source |
| 2014-12-18 | Alignment of the English and French short names upper and lower case with UNTERM; update of the remarks in French |
| 2014-10-30 | Re-add GB-IOS |
| 2011-12-13 | NL II-2 correction for administrative name changes |
| 2010-06-30 | Update and reorganization of the subdivision data and update of the list source |