UN M49

The UN M49 series is a United Nations standard for country or area codes used for statistical purposes. Officially titled "Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use," M49 provides a three-digit numerical code for each country, territory, or area in the world.

The purpose of the M49 standard is to facilitate data processing and analysis by providing a consistent and unambiguous numerical identifier for geographical entities. It is primarily used by the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) and other international organizations, as well as by national statistical agencies, for collecting, compiling, and disseminating statistics.

The M49 codes are based on the geographic regions defined by the UN and are periodically updated to reflect changes in geopolitical boundaries and the emergence of new countries or territories. The codes are maintained by the UNSD and are freely available for use. The M49 coding system complements other geographical coding systems, such as ISO 3166, but it is specifically designed for statistical applications. It allows for aggregate reporting based on geographic regions or economic groupings without relying on textual country names that can vary across languages and datasets. The system is hierarchical to some extent, with larger regions encompassing smaller entities.