LEI Level 1 / Level 2 data

Level 1 is who the entity is: name, address, registration details and status for each LEI record. Level 2 is who owns it: the reported direct and ultimate parents, published as relationship (relationship-record) rows linking child entities to parents.

The Golden Copy and Delta Files record quantifies both tiers. Granularity: 'One row per LEI record (Level 1) or per reported parent-child relationship (Level 2).' Size: 'Level 1 ~3.41 million records (~477 MB CSV zip), Level 2 relationships ~485 thousand records (~23 MB CSV zip).' The short_description compresses the same split - 'Level 1 entity reference data (3.4M+ records) and Level 2 relationship records (485K+ direct/ultimate parent links).'

The size gap is informative: relationship rows are an order of magnitude fewer than entity rows, reflecting that only entities with reporting obligations above thresholds disclose parentage. Downloading Level 1 alone gives you an entity directory; adding Level 2 gives you the corporate tree.

The tiers answer different questions, and pricing your storage and compliance work against the wrong one wastes money. Exposure checks, counterparty validation and KYC screening usually stop at Level 1 - one row per entity, 3.41 million records, a manageable 477 MB zipped. Ultimate-parent analysis, group exposure limits and regulatory consolidation require Level 2, where each row is a reported direct or ultimate parent link.

Coverage asymmetry is the trap: Level 2 exists only where entities reported parentage, so absence of a relationship row does not mean absence of a parent. Buyers who treat the 485 thousand relationship records as exhaustive will under-count conglomerate structures. Because the tiers ship as separate CSV zips - ~23 MB against ~477 MB - teams can also stage adoption: load Level 1 everywhere, and restrict Level 2 joins to the workflows that genuinely need ownership chains.

1. Check both tiers are offered as separate files. GLEIF distributes Level 1 (~477 MB CSV zip) and Level 2 (~23 MB CSV zip) separately; bundled-only delivery removes your staging option.
2. Verify the grain statement. One row per LEI record at Level 1, one row per reported parent-child relationship at Level 2 - anything coarser pre-aggregates away auditability.
3. Compare counts to GLEIF. ~3.41 million Level 1 records and ~485 thousand Level 2 relationships are the expected magnitudes.

Entries paired with the Level 1 / Level 2 split:

• legal-entity-identifier-lei - the identifier scheme both tiers describe.
• ultimate-parent-relationship - the Level 2 link type used in group analysis.
• multi-sector-holdings data - where the Golden Copy files are catalogued.