What is Industry: Definition, Types & Role in Economic Development

An industry is a group of companies that do similar types of work. These industries are organised under larger sections of the economy known as sectors.

For example, Rahul runs a small company that installs and maintains solar panels. His business is part of the renewable energy industry, which belongs to the energy sector.

To better understand how a business operates within a specific industry and contributes to the economy, let's look at an example.

Here is Rahul’s annual business summary:
 

This summary shows how Rahul's business functions within the renewable energy industry, highlighting both the financial aspects and the industry's role in the larger energy sector.

Rahul’s example shows how businesses are grouped based on their activities. This grouping helps in understanding their contribution to the economy.

In this blog, we will explore all about industries and how they works.

Understanding an Industry

Businesses that carry out similar main activities or sell similar products belong to the same industry. This way, we can group businesses and clearly separate them from those that do different work. These industry groups help in comparing business performance and studying economic trends.

Let’s look at three different companies, one in the textile industry, one in the electronics industry, and one in the food industry. All of them make products, but their core activities are different.
 

This table shows how each business fits into a different industry based on its key product or service. Grouping them by industry makes comparison clearer and more useful.

How Investors Use Industries?

Investors and economists often study industries to understand what affects business profits and what limits their growth. By looking at industries, investors can make better decisions about where to invest their money.

Here’s how investors use industries:

• Compare Companies: Investors compare companies in the same industry to see which one performs better. This helps them choose where to invest.
   
• Track Industry Rankings: They keep an eye on industry rankings. If an industry is doing well, it may invest more. If it drops in rank, it may signal a warning.
   
• Spot Trends: Studying industries helps investors notice which sectors are rising and which are falling. This helps them plan their investments wisely.
   
• Select more promising investment funds: Investors often look at industries while selecting stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that give higher returns.

For example, if the automobile industry moves down in ranking, an investor may decide to avoid investing in car companies until the trend improves.

Industry Stocks and Market Movements

Stocks in the same industry often move together because they face the same larger economic influences. These may include changes in investor mood, government rules, or raw material prices. However, sometimes a single company may behave differently due to specific events like a new product, a scandal, or new leadership.

Example: Tech Industry’s Stock Movement Comparison
 

This table shows that while all companies belong to the same industry, their stock prices moved differently due to individual events. Investors must consider both industry-wide and company-specific factors before making decisions.

Read More – Sector Spotlight: Investment Opportunities in the Banking Industry

Understanding Industry Through Simple Grouping

An industry is a way to group companies that do the same kind of work. For example, if a company makes clothes, it belongs to the clothing industry. If it builds houses, it belongs to the construction industry.

To make this easier for everyone, especially investors and analysts, a system called the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was created in 1999 by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and S&P Global. This system helps place each company into the right category based on what it mainly does.

The GICS system uses four levels:

• 11 broad economic sectors
   
• 25 smaller industry groups
   
• 74 industries
   
• 163 sub-industries

Each company is given a code so it can be found at each level.

For example, under the Materials sector, there are groups like:

• Chemicals
   
• Construction materials
   
• Forest products
   
• Paper and packaging
   
• Metals and mining

This system makes it easy to compare similar companies and understand what they do.

The Difference Between a Sector and an Industry

A sector is a large group of businesses that work in a similar area. An industry is a smaller group within that sector, where companies do very similar work. Think of a sector as a school, and the industries as different classes inside that school.
 

• A sector is a big group.
• An industry is a smaller part of that group.

How Is an Industry Different from a Business?

An industry is a group of businesses that do similar work. A business is a company that sells something or provides a service. When many businesses do the same kind of work, they form an industry.

Think of it like this: a business is one shop, and an industry is all the shops that sell the same thing.

Also Read - How to Choose the Best Business Loan for Your Industry in 2025?

Here’s a simple table to explain:
 

• An industry is a group.
• A business is one part of that group.

How Many Industries Are There?

The number of industries can change depending on how they are grouped. Different countries and organisations use different systems to classify them. One of the most common systems is the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System), which helps sort businesses based on what they do.

Think of it like organizing a library. First, you divide all the books into broad categories like fiction, science, or history. These are like the 20 main sectors (such as healthcare, transport, or construction). Then, within each category, you create shelves for more specific topics these are the 100 or so subsectors. Finally, each book has its own spot with a unique code, just like the 1,000+ six-digit industry codes that identify very specific types of businesses.

So, just like a library can have a few main sections or thousands of individual titles, the number of industries depends on how closely you want to look. You can say there are about 20 major sectors, or more than 1,000 detailed industries, when you go into fine detail.

Conclusion

An industry is a group of businesses that do similar work or make similar products. People use industries to sort and understand how di fferent companies operate. When many businesses do the same kind of job, we group them into one industry to make things easier to study, compare, and manage.

FAQ’s

1. What makes an activity part of an industry?
An activity is part of an industry if it's done by many businesses offering similar products or services.

2. Can one business belong to more than one industry?
Yes, if a business offers different types of services or products, it can span multiple industries.

3. How is an industry different from a sector?
A sector is a broad category, while an industry is a more specific group within that sector.

4. Why do we group businesses into industries?
It helps track economic trends, compare performance, and make business or policy decisions.

5. Are new industries still being created today?
Yes, new industries often emerge as technology, needs, and lifestyles change, like app development or virtual reality.

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