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ICD-11International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision

In short

ICD-11 is the eleventh revision of WHO's International Classification of Diseases, in effect since 1 January 2022. It is used to record and compare diseases and causes of death across countries, and unlike ICD-10 it was designed digital from the start: it is browsed and built into systems through online tools and an API. It is free to use, with no licence fees.

Type
Terminology
Steward
World Health Organization (WHO)
Current version
2026
Reviewed
October 25, 2026

Explanation

What it is

ICD-11 is WHO's international reference classification for health-influencing conditions and factors. It was adopted by the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019 (resolution WHA72.15) and came into effect on 1 January 2022. It is the lead classification of the WHO Family of International Classifications, alongside the ICF (functioning and disability) and the ICHI (health interventions).

What changes compared with ICD-10

  • Integrated classification and terminology. It has more than 17,000 diagnostic categories and a foundation component carrying clinical detail and synonyms.
  • Postcoordination. Extension codes add laterality, severity, anatomy, substances, devices and other detail without inflating the classification.
  • Clinical qualifiers to record suspected, probable, confirmed or ruled-out diagnoses, and personal or family history.
  • New chapters, such as diseases of the immune system, sleep-wake disorders, conditions related to sexual health and an optional chapter on traditional medicine conditions.
  • Digital design. WHO provides a browser, a coding tool, the ICD-API and offline packages, plus DORIS for selecting the underlying cause of death.

Licence and versions

ICD-11 is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO licence. According to WHO, implementation, integration, vendor use and national adaptation incur no payment to WHO. WHO published updated releases in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026; as of October 2026, the current one is the 2026 release, published in February.

Adoption

According to WHO's May 2026 fact sheet, 132 countries are at various stages of implementation, 10 official language versions are released, including Spanish and Portuguese, and 25 more are in preparation.

Common misconceptions

  • "In effect" does not mean every country already codes with ICD-11. In May 2024, according to WHO, only 14 countries and areas had begun to collect or report data with it, and many payment systems still run on ICD-10 or national modifications.
  • The transition is not a table swap. It needs mapping tables, coder training and system changes.
  • Postcoordination brings precision, but systems must be able to store and transmit code combinations, not a single code per diagnosis.
  • ICD-11 does not replace a clinical terminology such as SNOMED CT for every use: each has its purpose.

Usage examples

  1. Suriname replaced its 1958 paper death certificate with a digital system integrated with the ICD-11 coding tool, which supports postcoordination and extension codes.

  2. WHO reported in 2021 that ICD-11 was fully operational in the UNRWA e-Health system at primary care level for refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, after pilots in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Tunisia.

  3. In May 2025, WHO updated its international guidelines for certifying and coding COVID-19 as a cause of death to include the ICD-11 codes.

  4. The 2026 ICD-11 release ships DORIS 1.2, the WHO tool that applies mortality rules to select the underlying cause of death.

  5. WHO offers a pre-release FHIR R5 service in the ICD-API for querying ICD-11 and the ICF.

  6. The supplementary traditional medicine chapter makes it possible, for the first time, to count traditional medicine services and encounters through optional dual coding.

Relation to other terms

Relies on1

  • ICD-10Low

    ICD-11 succeeds ICD-10 and does not depend on it; WHO publishes mapping tables for the transition.

Depend on this one0

No glossary term depends on this one.

Sources

  1. WHO — International Classification of Diseases (ICD)who.int
  2. WHO — ICD-11 Fact Sheet (mayo de 2026)icd.who.int
  3. WHO — ICD-11 2026 Releasewho.int
  4. WHO — ICD-API FHIR support (pre-release)icd.who.int
  5. WHO — Emergency use ICD codes for COVID-19 disease outbreakwho.int
  6. Rev Panam Salud Pública — ICD-11 integrated death certificate system in Surinamejournal.paho.org
  7. WHO EMRO — Implementation of ICD-11 in Eastern Mediterranean Region countriesemro.who.int
Health interoperability glossary