EMTAK industry codes explained
Last updated 2026-09-20
EMTAK (Eesti majandustegevuse klassifikaator) is Estonia's classification of economic activities. Every company declares at least one activity code when it registers. The code on a company page tells you which line of business the company says it is in.
What the code looks like
An EMTAK code has five digits, for example 73111. The digits work as a hierarchy, and each extra digit narrows the description.
- The first two digits give the division, a broad field such as retail trade, construction or advertising and market research.
- The third and fourth digits split the division into a group and a class.
- The fifth digit is a national subdivision that Estonia adds to the international structure.
The classification follows the European NACE classification, which is why the register data also carries a NACE code such as 73.11 next to the EMTAK code. Statistics offices across the EU use NACE, so an EMTAK code can be matched to industry statistics from other countries.
Two versions in the data
Estonia has replaced EMTAK 2008 with a new version, EMTAK 2025. The register data marks the version next to each activity, and both versions occur in the data today. The wording of a description can change between versions. In the register, an advertising agency has appeared as Reklaamiagentuuridunder one version and as Reklaamiagentuuride tegevus under the other, with the same code 73111. Company pages show the description in Estonian exactly as the register gives it, so the wording on two pages can differ for the same kind of business.
Declared, main and current activity
A company can declare several activities. One of them is marked as the main activity (põhitegevusala). Each declaration has a start date and can have an end date. The company page shows the main activity that is current, meaning it has no end date.
A company with no declared main activity has no activity line on its page. The site does not guess one.
What the code does not tell you
- It is self-declared. The company chooses the code. Nobody checks it against the accounts.
- It says nothing about the revenue mix. A company can hold a construction code and earn most of its revenue from renting property.
- It can be out of date. A company that changed its business may not have changed its code.
Use the code as a starting point for grouping and searching, then confirm the business from the company's own materials.
The most common main activities on this site
Among the 3,000 published companies, these codes occur most often as the main activity. The description is the register's Estonian text.
| EMTAK code | Description (Estonian) | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| 49411 | Kaubavedu maanteel | 137 |
| 41001 | Elamute ja mitteeluhoonete ehitus | 86 |
| 01411 | Piimakarjakasvatus | 80 |
| 46901 | Spetsialiseerimata hulgikaubandus | 60 |
| 62101 | Programmeerimine | 50 |
| 47811 | Mootorsõidukite jaemüük | 43 |
| 25119 | Muude metallkonstruktsioonide ja nende osade tootmine | 40 |
| 55101 | Hotellid | 39 |
The counts reflect the site's selection rules. They are not a census of Estonian industry.
How EMTAK is used in the selection
When the site chooses which companies to publish, it aims to include at least 20 companies from every two-digit division, provided that many qualify. Without such a rule the largest industries would fill the whole list and small divisions would not appear at all. The first two digits of the code decide the division.
The site does not yet have pages that group companies by industry. Company pages carry the code and description, and the rankings and county pages cover the other ways to browse.
Comparing companies by code
Two companies with the same five-digit code are the closest match the data offers. Compare their revenue, their revenue per employee and their profit margin on the company pages, and keep the size difference in mind: a margin of 4% means something different for a company with a handful of employees than for one with several hundred. If you compare at division level, the first two digits, the group grows and the differences inside it grow too. A division such as retail trade holds a corner shop and a supermarket chain.
Finding a company's code
The activity appears as a chip in the header of every company page, in the form "Activity (EMTAK 73111)" followed by the description. The tax board also lists an activity for each company in its quarterly file, but this site uses the register's declaration.