International geographies

To distinguish the replacement UK classification from its EU predecessor, the UK-managed classification is referred to as International Territorial Levels (ITLs) and adopts a convention used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries. These ITLs therefore align with international standards, enabling comparability internationally.

The ITLs have been established as a mirror to the previous Eurostat NUTS system used by the UK and will follow a similar timetable to the review of the NUTS system, meaning ITLs will be reviewed roughly every three years.

The upcoming ITL update has been delayed to allow further time for consideration of potential boundary changes. For example, there are proposed changes to the ITL2 and ITL3 boundaries for Scotland that would ensure that they align with administrative boundaries, bringing them more closely in line with the methodology used in the rest of the UK. The Scottish Government are undertaking consultation on the proposed changes to the Scottish ITL and the results from this will feed into the update process. It is anticipated that the new set of ITL boundaries will be delivered later in 2024 for adoption from Jan 2025.

Within the UK, three International Territorial Levels (ITLs) are determined as follows.

ITL areas are stable and will only be amended periodically.

England

• ITL 1: Regions
• ITL 2: Counties and groups of counties
• ITL 3: Counties and groups of unitary authorities

Scotland

• ITL 1: Scotland
• ITL 2: Combinations of council areas, local enterprise companies (LECs), and parts thereof
• ITL 3: Combinations of council areas, LECs, and parts thereof

Wales

• ITL 1: Wales
• ITL 2: Groups of unitary authorities
• ITL 3: Groups of unitary authorities

Northern Ireland

• ITL 1: Northern Ireland
• ITL 2: Northern Ireland
• ITL 3: Local government districts

UK total

In the UK in total there are:

• 12 ITLs 1
• 41 ITLs 2
• 179 ITLs 3

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

North East (England) is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas within the North East (England) are Tees Valley and Durham, and Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

These two ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Tees Valley and Durham

• Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees
• South Teesside
• Darlington
• Durham

Northumberland and Tyne and Wear

• Northumberland
• Tyneside
• Sunderland

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

North West (England) is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in the North West (England) are Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside.

These five ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Cumbria

• West Cumbria
• East Cumbria

Cheshire

• Warrington
• Cheshire East
• Cheshire West and Chester

Greater Manchester

• Greater Manchester South East
• Greater Manchester South West
• Greater Manchester North East
• Greater Manchester North West
• Manchester

Lancashire

• Blackburn and Darwen
• Blackpool
• Chorley and West Lancashire
• East Lancashire
• Mid Lancashire
• Lancaster and Wyre

Merseyside

• East Merseyside
• Liverpool
• Sefton
• Wirral

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

Yorkshire and The Humber is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in Yorkshire and The Humber are East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire.

These four ITL 2 areas are subdivided into the following ITL 3 areas.

East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire

• Kingston upon Hull, City of
• East Riding of Yorkshire
• North and North East Lincolnshire

North Yorkshire

• York
• North Yorkshire CC

South Yorkshire

• Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham
• Sheffield

West Yorkshire

• Bradford
• Leeds
• Calderdale and Kirklees
• Wakefield

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

East Midlands (England) is one of 12 ITL level 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas within the East Midlands (England) are Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire.

These three ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

• Derby
• East Derbyshire
• South and West Derbyshire
• Nottingham
• North Nottinghamshire
• South Nottinghamshire

Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire

• Leicester
• Leicestershire CC and Rutland
• West Northamptonshire
• North Northamptonshire

Lincolnshire

• Lincolnshire CC

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

West Midlands (England) is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

 The ITL 2 areas in the West Midlands (England) are Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire and West Midlands.

These three ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire

• Herefordshire, County of
• Worcestershire CC
• Warwickshire CC

Shropshire and Staffordshire

• Telford and Wrekin
• Shropshire
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Staffordshire CC

West Midlands

• Birmingham
• Solihull
• Coventry
• Dudley
• Walsall
• Sandwell
• Wolverhampton

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

East is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas within the East of England are East Anglia, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, and Essex.

These three ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

East Anglia

• Norwich and East Norfolk
• North and West Norfolk
• Breckland and South Norfolk
• Peterborough
• Suffolk CC
• Cambridgeshire CC

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

• Luton
• Bedford
• Central Bedfordshire
• Hertfordshire CC

Essex

• Heart of Essex
• Essex Thames Gateway
• Essex Haven Gateway
• West Essex
• Southend-on-Sea
• Thurrock

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

London is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas within London are Inner London - West, Inner London - East, Outer London - East and North East, Outer London - South, Outer London - West and North West.

These ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Inner London - East

• Haringey and Islington
• Hackney and Newham
• Lambeth
• Lewisham and Southwark
• Tower Hamlets

Inner London - West

• Camden and City of London
• Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham
• Wandsworth
• Westminster

Outer London - East and North East

• Barking and Dagenham, and Havering
• Bexley and Greenwich
• Enfield
• Redbridge and Waltham Forest

Outer London - South

• Bromley
• Croydon
• Merton, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton

Outer London - West and North West

• Barnet
• Brent
• Ealing
• Harrow and Hillingdon
• Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

South East (England) is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in the South East (England) are Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and Kent.

These four ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire

• Berkshire
• Milton Keynes
• Buckinghamshire
• Oxfordshire CC

Surrey, East and West Sussex

• Brighton and Hove
• East Surrey
• East Sussex CC
• West Surrey
• West Sussex (North East)
• West Sussex (South West)

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

• Portsmouth
• Southampton
• Isle of Wight
• Central Hampshire
• South Hampshire
• North Hampshire

Kent

• Kent Thames Gateway
• Mid Kent
• West Kent
• East Kent
• Medway

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

South West (England) is one of 12 ITL level 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in the South West (England) are Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol and Bath area, Dorset and Somerset, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, and Devon.

These four ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol and Bath area

• Bristol, City of
• Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
• Gloucestershire CC
• Swindon
• Wiltshire

Dorset and Somerset

• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
• Dorset
• Somerset CC

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

Devon

• Plymouth
• Torbay
• Devon CC

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

Scotland is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in Scotland are Eastern Scotland, Highlands and Islands, North Eastern Scotland, South Western Scotland, and Southern Scotland.

These five ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

Eastern Scotland

• Angus and Dundee City
• Clackmannanshire and Fife
• East Lothian and Midlothian
• City of Edinburgh
• Falkirk
• Perth and Kinross, and Stirling
• West Lothian

Highlands and Islands

• Caithness and Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty
• Inverness and Nairn, Moray, and Badenoch and Strathspey
• Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh, Arran and Cumbrae, and Argyll and Bute
• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• Orkney Islands
• Shetland Islands

North Eastern Scotland

• Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire

West Central Scotland

• East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire and Helensburgh and Lomond
• Glasgow City
• Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire
• North Lanarkshire

Southern Scotland

• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• Scottish Borders

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

Wales is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

The ITL 2 areas in Wales are East Wales and West Wales.

These two ITL 2 areas are divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

West Wales and The Valleys

• Isle of Anglesey
• Gwynedd
• Conwy and Denbighshire
• South West Wales
• Central Valleys
• Gwent Valleys
• Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot
• Swansea

East Wales

• Monmouthshire and Newport
• Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
• Flintshire and Wrexham
• Powys

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) is a hierarchical classification of administrative areas, used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes.

Northern Ireland is one of 12 ITL 1 areas in the UK.

As well as being a ITL 1 area, Northern Ireland also has the status of a ITL 2 area. Thereafter, it is divided into the following ITL 3 areas.

• Belfast
• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
• Antrim and Newtownabbey
• Ards and North Down
• Causeway Coast and Glens
• Derry City and Strabane
• Fermanagh and Omagh
• Lisburn and Castlereagh
• Mid Ulster
• Mid and East Antrim
• Newry, Mourne and Down