The “Fourth Industry” vs. the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”: Why Terminology Shapes Our Future

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When people hear the term “Fourth Industry,” they often assume it is simply the next step after the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors—meaning agriculture and fisheries (the first), manufacturing (the second), and services (the third). But the reality is not so straightforward.

First, let’s look at these existing divisions. The primary industry involves extracting resources directly from nature, like farming or fishing. The secondary industry transforms those resources into goods in factories. The tertiary industry transports, sells, and adds value through intangible services such as finance, healthcare, or tourism. This is a classification based on the nature of economic activity.

So where does the so-called “Fourth Industry” fit?

People tend to associate it with cutting-edge technologies—robots, artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things. However, the fourth industry is not simply a new category alongside the previous three.

Strictly speaking, it refers to industries centered on knowledge and information, and the processes that produce and manage them.

This includes research and development, ICT, software, education, financial planning, and consulting—fields in which intellectual labor is the main driver.

  • Research and development
  • ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)
  • Software
  • Education
  • Financial planning
  • Consulting

In fact, many of these sectors fall within the service industry, or the third industry. For this reason, some scholars call the fourth industry an evolved form of the tertiary sector.

But there is another layer to the discussion: the term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” has become even more popular.

Coined by Klaus Schwab at the 2016 World Economic Forum, this concept refers to the profound transformation expected as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, IoT, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and biotechnology merge with traditional industries. In short, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not about a single industrial field.

It signals a sweeping wave of change—where the physical, digital, and biological worlds converge to fundamentally alter the structure of society and the economy.

In summary

The “fourth industry” refers to specific, knowledge-based sectors, while the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” describes the revolutionary transformation these technologies will bring to society, the economy, and daily life as a whole. Failing to distinguish between the two blurs the focus of any discussion.

Terminology is a starting point for clear thinking.
Whenever you’re uncertain whether the “fourth industry” is a sector or a method, start by asking if it is about industries based on knowledge and information, or about the sweeping change set to reshape society itself.
It’s the difference between adding one more item to a menu and changing the very way people dine.
When you know how to make the distinction, you start to see things differently.

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