A new survey by the International Organization for Standardization finds that the service sectors are the largest users of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The worldwide number of ISO 9001 certificates at the end of 2004 was 670,399, up 35 percent over 2003 and up 64 percent from 2000, the year before the transition to ISO 9001:2000 began. Registrations to ISO 14001 also saw dramatic increases in use: There were 90,569 registrations to the environmental standard at the end of 2004, an increase of 37 percent over the previous year. Certificates were issued in 127 countries, up from 113 in 2003. The increase in the number of ISO 14001 registrations in 2004 is the largest recorded in the 10 surveys in which the standard’s use has been measured.

The survey shows significant market penetration of ISO 9001-based sector-specific standards such as ISO/TS 16949:2002, which posted 10,056 certificates in 62 economies; and ISO 13485:2003, which had 3,068 certificates in 56 countries. ISO/TS 16949 outlines quality management systems requirements for automotive industry suppliers and ISO 13485 outlines quality management processes for the medical device sector.

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