The Domain Name Industry Brief, the quarterly report that Verisign sponsors, published its figures for the third quarter of 2026. Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) ended September with 151.4 million registrations, more than a third of the 411.6 million domain names registered worldwide.
How many country-code domains were registered at the end of Q3 2026?
There were 151.4 million ccTLD registrations on 30 September 2026. That is 2.8 million more than at the end of June, a rise of 1.9% in the quarter, and 6.6 million more than a year earlier, a rise of 4.6%.
The report counts 309 country-code extensions delegated in the root zone, internationalized ones included. The report adds that the data is not sufficient to estimate a combined renewal rate for all ccTLDs.
For scale, .com alone counted 169.8 million names, more than all country codes together. Over the year, .com and .net together grew by 6.1% and country codes by 4.6%, so the gap between the two groups widened from 27.2 million to 31.1 million names.
Which country domains are the largest?
The ten largest ccTLDs on 30 September 2026 were, in this order:
- .cn (China)
- .de (Germany)
- .uk (United Kingdom)
- .ru (Russia)
- .nl (Netherlands)
- .br (Brazil)
- .fr (France)
- .au (Australia)
- .in (India)
- .eu (European Union)
Together they hold 56.7% of all ccTLD registrations. The other 299 extensions share the remaining 43.3%. Among the top ten with data, the quarterly renewal estimates ranged from 82.2% for .fr to 70.2% for .ru.
How do country domains compare with .com and the new gTLDs?
Each group grew at its own pace in the quarter. The table sets out the report’s figures.
| Group | Registrations, 30 September 2026 | Change in the quarter | Change over a year | Renewal estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All TLDs | 411.6 million | +9.9 million (+2.5%) | +33.0 million (+8.7%) | not given |
| .com and .net | 182.5 million | +3.4 million (+1.9%) | +10.5 million (+6.1%) | 74.3% (preliminary) |
| Country codes (ccTLDs) | 151.4 million | +2.8 million (+1.9%) | +6.6 million (+4.6%) | not enough data |
| New gTLDs | 56.6 million | +3.7 million (+6.9%) | +13.7 million (+32.0%) | 28.6% |
| Other legacy gTLDs | 21.1 million | +0.1 million (+0.5%) | +2.2 million (+11.5%) | 79.8% |
Within .com and .net, .net counted 12.6 million names. New gTLDs grew fastest over the year, but their combined renewal estimate of 28.6% is far below the 79.8% of the older generic extensions and the 70% to 82% of the large country codes. Put simply, fewer than a third of the new gTLD names that came up for renewal were kept, against more than seven in ten for the large country codes.
What do the figures mean for a domain portfolio?
Country codes hold more than a third of all registered names, and almost half of them sit outside the ten largest. A brand that only watches .com and a few large ccTLDs misses a large part of the namespace where lookalike names can appear.
The high renewal rates of the large ccTLDs also mean that a name taken by someone else is rarely released. Registering the main country domains of your markets early costs less than recovering them later.
What should you do now?
- List the countries where you sell, hire or plan to launch, and check which of their country domains you already hold.
- Check the registration rules of each one: many country codes ask for a local address or company, which a local presence service can provide where the registry allows it.
- Group the names you hold with several registrars under one renewal calendar, so none expires by mistake.
Domgate is a corporate ccTLD registrar for 1,300+ extensions. It registers and manages country-code domains for brand owners, law firms and registrars, and brings scattered names together through portfolio consolidation.
