Classification of Territorial Units for Statistics (also known as Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) – abbreviated to NUTS (French: Nomenclature des Unités territoriales statistiques) is a geographical standard used for statistical division of EU member states (their economic territories) into three regional levels by particular ranges of population size. It was established with the purpose of collecting, mining and distributing comparable data for particular regional statistics across the EU area. The NUTS classification is also used for shaping regional policies of EU member states and is vital for conducting analyses of the level of social and economic development of regions. It was introduced by the Regulation of European Parliament and European Council of 26 May 2003, and went into effect on 11 July 2003, superceding the earlier „Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)”, established ad hoc by Eurostat in cooperation with statistical offices in each country.

The end of 2016 saw the publication in the European Journal of Laws of the Regulation of European Commission 2016/2066 of 21 November 2016 amending the appendices of the Regulation 1059/2003 of European Parliament and European Council on establishing common NUTS classification (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R2066). This Regulation is a result of the fourth round of revisions to the common NUTS classification (so called 2016 NUTS revision). The amendments came into effect on 1 January 2018.

With respect to the territorial division of Poland into NUTS units, changes were introduced to divisions of all levels. The fundamental change concerns the statistical division of the mazowieckie voivodship, which so far constituted one unit of NUTS 2 level, into two NUTS 2 regions: Warszawski stołeczny, and Mazowiecki regionalny. The consequence of changing the division of Poland into NUTS 2 units is the modification of divisions on remaining levels. On NUTS 1 level, the change implies creation of a new unit spanning solely the mazowieckie voivodship (macroregion województwo mazowieckie) and change of borders of what so far constituted centralny and wschodni region (within its new borders, the centralny macroregion spans łódzkie and świętokrzyskie voivodships, and wschodni macroregion – podlaskie, lubelskie and podkarpackie voivodships). Analogous changes on NUTS 3 level span creation of a new żyrardowski subregion and change of borders of three subregions (siedlecki, warszawski wschodni and warszawski zachodni).

One of the consequences of NUTS 2016 revision is withdrawal as of 1 January 2018 of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NTS) – Decree of the Council of Ministers of 7 April 2017 superceding the Decree on introduction of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NTS) was published on 24 April 2017 in the Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland, item 825.

NUTS 2016 classification divides Poland into hierarchically linked territorial units on 3 levels:

  • NUTS 1 - macroregions [7 macroregions were established, each consisting of 2-3 voivodships],
  • NUTS 2 - regions [total of 17 units, of which 15 correspond to voivodhips; mazowieckie voivodship was divided into 2 regions],
  • NUTS 3 - subregions [total of 73 units – corresponding to selected cities with powiat status or groups of powiats],

Detailed information can be found on Statistics Poland website by following: GUS -> Statystyka regionalna: (http://stat.gov.pl/statystyka-regionalna/jednostki-terytorialne/klasyfikacja-nuts/).