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For a general country identifier, start with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2—but use the exact code system and version required by the receiving database or API. “Country code” can also mean a telephone calling code, currency code, subdivision code, or an internal label; these are different schemes and are not interchangeable.
What are country codes?
ISO 3166 is the international standard for representing country and subdivision names in code form. Its parts cover different needs:
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- ISO 3166-1: codes for current country names.
- ISO 3166-2: codes for subdivisions, such as states or provinces.
- ISO 3166-3: codes for formerly used country names, useful for historical records and compatibility rather than a current-country dropdown.
ISO 3166-1 is identified as ISO 3166-1:2020, fourth edition, published in August 2020 and confirmed current in 2025. That edition record does not mean the maintained code list is frozen: updates can occur through the maintenance process. See ISO’s overview of country codes and the ISO 3166-1 standard record.
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How do I choose between alpha-2, alpha-3, and numeric-3?
| Format | What it looks like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha-2 | Two letters | ISO’s recommended general-purpose country-code format. Use it when the receiving system expects ISO 3166-1 alpha-2. |
| Alpha-3 | Three letters | Use it when a data specification requires it; it may be easier to associate with a country name, but it is not an automatic substitute for alpha-2. |
| Numeric-3 | Three digits | Useful where avoiding Latin script matters. Store it as a code or string if numeric handling could remove leading zeroes or alter formatting. |
In all cases, the API or file schema takes precedence over a general preference. Check the accepted values and the version in use: an API enum may permit fewer values than the full ISO standard.
Are telephone calling codes the same as ISO country codes?
No. Telephone calling codes and phone-number region metadata belong to the numbering and phone-data context, not ISO 3166-1. A phone library can update its metadata without any corresponding change to ISO country identifiers.
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For example, Google libphonenumber’s release notes identify version 9.0.40, dated September 23, 2026, as including phone metadata changes for several region codes, as well as geocoding and carrier-data changes. That is a dated update to the library’s phone data, not evidence that ISO country codes changed. See the libphonenumber v9.0.40 release notes.
Where can I get the latest official country-code list?
Use ISO’s Online Browsing Platform to consult official entries. For teams that need maintained data files, ISO offers a Country Codes Collection with official lists for countries, subdivisions, and formerly used codes in XML, CSV, and XLS, plus notifications when changes are made. ISO says the codes may be used free of charge; the collection is a paid service.
For implementation, use the official ISO list to validate standard values, then also consult the particular API, phone library, or data provider your product depends on. Their supported fields and metadata may change on separate schedules.
How are official and user-assigned codes handled?
Code assignment is governed rather than improvised. Following notification from the United Nations, the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency assigns alpha-2 and alpha-3 code elements to new UN member states; the UN assigns numeric codes. ISO generally does not assign official country codes to geopolitical areas or countries that are not UN members, though dependencies of UN member states may be considered under its criteria. See ISO’s country-code guidance.
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ISO documents reserved and user-assigned ranges, but values chosen by users are not compatible across different entities. A private system can define local codes where needed, provided it clearly documents their ownership and maps them deliberately. Do not present a locally defined or reserved value as a globally interoperable ISO code. See ISO’s guidance on reserved and user-assigned codes.
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How do I build a reliable country-code feature?
- Confirm the data contract. Identify whether the field expects ISO 3166-1, ISO 3166-2, or another scheme; whether it uses alpha-2, alpha-3, or numeric-3; which areas it accepts; and which API version applies.
- Separate identifiers from display names. Store the stable code value separately from the country name shown to users. Names can be localized; they should not replace the identifier in data exchange.
- Decide what records you need. A current-country selector may need only ISO 3166-1. Historical records may require formerly used names from Part 3, while addresses or administrative forms may require Part 2 subdivisions.
- Validate against maintained sources. Use ISO for official standard values, and use the provider’s current release for API-specific or phone-number metadata.
- Document local values. If you need private codes, record their namespace, owner, intended meaning, and mappings so another system will not mistake them for universally assigned values.
- Date and version your implementation. Record the API version or data release used by examples, imports, and validation rules; country, currency, phone, and platform datasets may update independently.
What changed in country-related data in September 2026?
Several dated updates illustrate why a data source and its version matter, but they do not represent a single change to ISO country identifiers.
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- Currency data: REST Countries’ September 2026 changelog reports Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG) replacing the retired Zimbabwean dollar (ZWL), and the Caribbean guilder (XCG) replacing the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) for Curaçao and Sint Maarten. It also notes additions or corrections to descriptions and flag descriptions. These are changes to that dataset’s currency and descriptive data, not evidence of ISO country-code changes. See the REST Countries changelog.
- Phone metadata: Google libphonenumber’s v9.0.40 release on September 23, 2026, updated phone metadata for several region codes, alongside geocoding and carrier data.
- Shopify API fields: Shopify’s September 8, 2026 changelog says Customer Account API version 2026-10 adds
countryCodeto customer address input and objects, using aCountryCodeenum with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 values. In that version,territoryCodeis deprecated but remains supported. Versions 2026-07 and earlier are unchanged, and the changelog states that no removal version had been announced. This guidance applies to that API version, not every Shopify API. See Shopify’s changelog entry.
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