Latest Trends in ccTLDs: Stats
The domain name industry brings something different every year, and trends keep emerging and dropping off. The same goes for the use of top-level domains (TLDs). While the heavy hitters, such as .com and .cn, keep topping the charts, others overlap each other often, and the popularity of TLDs changes.
The same goes for country-code TLDs (ccTLDs). In this article, we’ll show you what the most popular ccTLDs in 2024 are, including standard ones and nTLDs as well.
What Is a Country Code Top-level Domain (ccTLD)?
Every domain name consists of two parts: the unique name that you choose and the top-level domain (i.e., the extension) it comes with. While you can choose between various extensions, you can’t alter the spelling.
We use TLDs to provide users with information about a website before they even visit it. A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a domain that is reserved for a specific country, state, or territory. They usually consist of two letters (.fr for France, .ca for Canada, .eu for the European Union, and so on).
In recent years, the lines have become blurry, and it’s not as straightforward as it used to be. Now, when you see a domain name with a .de ccTLD, it doesn’t necessarily mean the business/person using it comes from Germany. A company might just use it for domain hacking, one of the several domain name trends in 2024.
On the other hand, generic TLDs (gTLDs) give us the general idea about the website and its content. For example, non-profit organizations usually use .org, whereas U.S. military and government agencies use .mil and .gov, respectively.
MORE: Domain types explained
While your TLD doesn’t technically affect SEO, it has an effect on users. Users perceive extensions with varying levels of trust. For instance, if you use the .top domain, a lot of people will associate you with selling counterfeit goods.
Generic ccTLDs
There are ccTLDs that restrict global usage, forcing businesses to have an address in the country to be able to use its domain. One such domain is .us, which requires the domain owner to be a U.S. citizen or resident. However, that is not always the case.
Many ccTLDs have become popular worldwide due to the fact that users perceive the combination of letters as something else rather than the country it actually represents. When we come across a .io website, we assume it’s a tech-based company (short for input/output), not a store from the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Today, there are numerous examples, such as:
| Generic ccTLD | Country of Origin | New Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| .tv | Tuvalu | Television and streaming services |
| .cc | Cocos Islands | Creative commons or Catholic Church |
| .fm | Federated States of Micronesia | Radio stations and music streaming |
| .am | Armenia | AM radio stations |
| .ai | Anguilla | Artificial intelligence |
| .co | Colombia | Company |
| .ws | Western Samoa | Website or web service |
| .me | Montenegro | Personal blogs and brands |
| .hr | Croatia | HR companies and recruiting agencies |
| .it | Italy | IT startups |
MORE: What is a DNS?
The Most Popular Country-Code Top-Level Domain in 2024
When it comes to the number of registrations, China’s (.cn) and Germany’s (.de) ccTLDs are leading the race with 20.3 million and 17.7 million registrations, respectively. The .uk domain follows suit (with 10.7 million registrations), while the others fall into seven-digit numbers.
According to the Domain Name Industry Brief, the top ten most registered ccTLDs currently are as follows:
[florishdata id=”17061302″ class=”flourish-chart”]
Overall, at the end of Q4 2023, there were 308 delegated ccTLD extensions, with the top ten extensions taking a 59.3% share of all ccTLD registrations.
Popularity of .tk Domain
One of perhaps surprisingly popular ccTLD is .tk, which belongs to Tokelau, a New Zealand-dependent territory in the South Pacific. According to different sources, there were as many as 27.5 million registered .tk domains as of March 2024.
While the number seems far-fetched, it’s not untrue that dot-tk registrations are on the rise. This is because you can use it to get a domain name for free.
As you can expect, this comes with some repercussions. Using a domain name with .tk affects your reputation – many users don’t find websites with this TLD trustworthy. Your domain value will take a hit, so our advice is you use it only to try things out before you choose a name with .com, .net, .co, or any similar TLD that gains users’ trust.
Watch our video to learn how you can register a free domain name (and why you should avoid it):
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If you already have an idea for a name, you need to check its availability. Use our domain name checker below:
[wpdomainchecker placeholder=”Enter your domain name” button_text=”Check availability”]
What Is the Most Common gTLD?
The list above represents the usage of leading ccTLDs, but what about generic TLDs? The most popular ones are more common and widespread than ccTLDs, so much so that it’s hard to find a catchy, memorable domain name to buy with a .com extension.
The top five most popular gTLDs in 2023 are:
- .com,
- .net,
- .org,
- .co,
- .edu.
NOTE:
Initially, .com (short for commercial) were made for companies and for-profit organizations, but today, it’s the most common TLD with a universal use; everybody wants a .com domain. As of Q4 2023, there were 159.6 million .com registrations, amounting to a 44.39% share of all registered domains.
Pros and Cons of Using ccTLDs
When you’re starting a business, picking a domain name is an important step that can help or hinder your success online. One of the key considerations is whether you should go with a ccTLD or a gTLD for your business’s domain.
To help you decide, I’ve compiled a table of pros and cons of using a ccTLD for a company:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Indicates your target market to Google | May reduce global appeal |
| Builds credibility | May cause scalability issues |
| Can boost local SEO | Limited availability among registrars |
| Can be more reputable among local consumers | Some ccTLDs are more expensive |
| Protects local brand identity | Some ccTLDs have eligibility requirements (such as residency) |
| Minimizes user confusion | Adherence to local regulations |
| Prevents cybersquatting and potential trademark infringement issues | Some ccTLDs can be legally complex to register |
| Allows tailored content and marketing | |
| Great for website building in different languages | |
| Easy to register | |
| Great for domain hacking | |
| Easier to find an available domain |
New TLDs: Reshaping the Domain Industry
With the need for new websites increasing all the time, common TLDs like .com are getting oversaturated, and we need to get creative with our use of domain names.
There are new top-level domains (nTLDs) that are younger than regular ones but are already proving popular. As is the case with standard TLDs, new extensions can also be generic and geographical. At the end of 2023, there were 31.8 million registered domains with a nTLD (roughly 8.84% of all registrations).
The most popular nTLDs include:
- .xyz,
- .online,
- .top,
- .shop,
- .site,
- .lat,
- .tokyo,
- .nyc,
- .africa,
- .berlin.
Check out the graph below to see the registration percentage of the most popular nTLDs:
[florishdata id=”17062099″ class=”flourish-chart”]
Takeaway Points
Country code top-level domains don’t have a major SEO impact anymore, but users still perceive it as important if you want to plant yourself in a specific geographic area. For example, if you want to sell your products or services to users from Austria, it’s best you go for a .at extension.
The use of ccTLDs has become global, allowing small countries like Tuvalu and Tokelau to become popular in the internet sphere. China (.cn) leads the pack of the most popular ccTLDs in 2024, with Germany (.de) and the United Kingdom (.uk) following suit.