ISO Survey 2025: Global Certification and a Vietnamese Perspective

The three leading standards account for almost 90% of certificates

In 2025, ISO 9001 leads with 1,611,729 certificates, followed by ISO 14001 with 739,390 and ISO 45001 with 599,532. These three standards for quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety management account for 89.7% of all certificates across the 18 standards surveyed, maintaining their dominant position in global management system certification. [2]

Compared with 2024, the total number of recorded certificates increased by 324,055, equivalent to 10.9%. Considering only the 16 standards covered in both editions, the certificate count increased by 322,766, also equivalent to 10.9% after rounding. The two standards added to the 2025 survey, ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO 37301, account for a combined 1,289 certificates.

These increases reflect differences in the figures between the two editions; the effects of changes in data sources and completeness have not been isolated.

ISO 50001 for energy management recorded 47,394 certificates, up 23.2% compared with 2024; ISO 22301 for business continuity management reached 6,282 certificates, up 36.7%.

Two standards were included in the survey for the first time: ISO/IEC 42001 for artificial intelligence management, with 271 certificates, and ISO 37301 for compliance management, with 1,018 certificates. As the survey dataset contains no 2024 figures for these standards, no percentage change is calculated for either.

Sources: ISO Survey 2024 and ISO Survey 2025. “—” indicates a standard not covered in the 2024 edition. [2][4]

Five-year comparisons must account for changes in data sources

For all seven standards in Table 2, the certificate counts recorded in 2025 exceed those in 2021. However, the figures fluctuate considerably between editions. For ISO 9001 alone, the counts were 1.08 million, 1.27 million, 0.84 million, 1.47 million and 1.61 million certificates in 2021–2025, respectively.

This series should not simply be interpreted as a cycle of “decline followed by recovery”, because data sources and survey participation changed between years.

Figures from Excel File No. 1 are used consistently. Some figures in the 2021–2022 explanatory PDFs differ from those in the Excel files; see the reconciliation table in the sources section. [Reconciliation]

17,991 certificates: ISO 9001 leads, ISO 22000 stands out

As at 31/12/2025, Vietnam recorded 17,991 certificates and an aggregate of 23,758 sites, summed across the 18 standards surveyed. Compared with 14,624 certificates in 2024, the count increased by 3,367, equivalent to 23.0%. Considering only the 16 standards covered in both editions, the 2025 total is 17,989 certificates, also an increase of 23.0% after rounding. This is a change in recorded certificate counts, not the growth rate in the number of certified businesses.

ISO 9001 reached 9,415 certificates, accounting for approximately 52.3% of Vietnam’s total certificate count in the survey; ISO 14001 reached 4,323, accounting for approximately 24.0%. Calculated from the original figures, the two standards together account for 76.4%, showing that quality and environmental management continue to dominate Vietnam’s certification mix.

Sources: ISO Survey 2021, ISO Survey 2022, ISO Survey 2023, ISO Survey 2024 and ISO Survey 2025. [2]

Three notable findings

First, ISO 22000 stands out in international comparisons.

Vietnam recorded 1,410 ISO 22000 certificates, an increase of 419 certificates, equivalent to 42.3% compared with 2024. This places Vietnam 8th by ISO 22000 certificate count in the survey’s country/territory table, accounting for approximately 2.07% of the global total. This share is substantially higher than Vietnam’s shares for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, both approximately 0.58%.

Second, environmental management and information security show notable increases.

ISO 14001 recorded an additional 858 certificates, equivalent to 24.8%. ISO/IEC 27001 increased from 430 to 555 certificates, equivalent to 29.1%, with 1,020 sites covered by certification. Meanwhile, ISO 45001 reached 1,785 certificates, up 14.4% compared with 2024.

These figures reflect changes in the recorded scale of certification; they do not directly measure improvements in businesses’ environmental, occupational health and safety, or information security performance.

Third, certificate counts develop differently across standards.

ISO 13485 reached 264 certificates, up 34.7% compared with 2024, but still below the 334 certificates recorded in 2021. ISO 50001 reached 206 certificates, up 8.4% compared with 2024. Each standard and period therefore needs to be considered separately, rather than assuming uniform increases across all management areas.

Among standards with smaller recorded certificate counts, Vietnam has 17 ISO 22301 certificates, 11 ISO/IEC 20000-1 certificates, 2 ISO 37001 certificates and 1 ISO 55001 certificate.

The two standards included in the survey for the first time, ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO 37301, each recorded 1 certificate in Vietnam. The ISO/IEC 42001 certificate covers 9 sites; this site count does not mean that 9 organisations are certified.

Vietnam among six Southeast Asian economies

In the comparison group comprising Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, Vietnam ranks fourth by ISO 9001 certificate count, third for ISO 14001 and first for ISO 22000. For both ISO 45001 and ISO/IEC 27001, Vietnam ranks fifth.

These rankings reflect results only among the six selected economies, not across Southeast Asia as a whole.

Source: Excel File No. 1 for 2025. Rows are ordered by ISO 9001 certificate count in descending order; figures are not normalised for population, number of businesses, GDP or sector composition. [2]

The results show that ISO 22000 is a notable feature of Vietnam’s results within the comparison group. However, certificate counts do not directly reflect a country’s food safety levels or management quality. Comparisons should take account of differences in economic scale, sector composition and data completeness.

Manufacturing sectors stand out in the classified data

Within Vietnam’s 2025 ISO 9001 data classified by sector, the three groups with the highest numbers of sector entries are basic metals and fabricated metal products: 311 entries, electrical and optical equipment: 281 entries, rubber and plastic products: 254 entries. These results show the prominence of manufacturing in the data for which sector information is available.

For ISO 14001, electrical and optical equipment leads the classified data with 185 entries, followed by basic metals and fabricated metal products with 146 entries, and rubber and plastic products with 132 entries.

For ISO/IEC 27001, information technology records 52 entries, while transport, storage and communication records 45 entries. These results provide a reference point for further investigation of certification by sector and supply chain. [3]

From certificate counts to management priorities

The survey results provide a reference for Vietnamese businesses when considering management priorities. The suggestions below are the article’s analysis, not official recommendations or market forecasts from the ISO Survey.

Data sources and analytical methodology

This article uses a set of 20 PDF and Excel files from ISO Survey 2021-2025, comprising:

1. Explanatory reports (PDF): Define the scope, data sources and comparison limitations. The 2025 edition reports valid certificates and the sites covered by certification as at 31/12/2025.

2. Excel File No. 1 – Certificates and sites: The consistent source for certificate counts, sites and related calculations in this article. Global figures are taken from the Overview worksheet; Vietnam’s figures are taken from the Viet Nam row in each standard’s worksheet.

3. Excel File No. 2 – Sector distribution: The sector analysis uses 2025 data classified into 39 sectors. Sector entries are not converted into numbers of businesses or treated as fully representative of the certification mix.

4. Excel File No. 3 – Comparisons between editions: Used to cross-check changes and comparison coverage. It is not assumed that data for different years comes from the same group of providers, particularly following the change in data sources from the 2024 edition.

Analytical approach: Percentage changes, shares and rankings are calculated from the original figures. Differences between editions may be affected by data completeness and coverage and should not be interpreted directly as actual market growth. Discrepancies between source files are documented in the reconciliation section.

Access the data: IAF CertSearch - ISO Survey and ISO - The ISO Survey.