[social GIS, statistics]
An abbreviation of Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. This is a system of regional divisions relevant to the European Union (EU) member states, EU candidate countries, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). NUTS regions were created by Eurostat to align regional statistics and support comparative analysis. NUTS includes three hierarchical levels that range in size from major socioeconomic regions (NUTS 1) to smaller diagnostic areas (NUTS 3). Although these levels often resemble regional boundaries, they form a distinct, separate geographic hierarchy.