How Many TLDs Exist?

The Current TLD Count and Growth

As of 2024, there are over 1,500 top-level domains (TLDs) in existence. This number continues to grow as ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) approves new TLD applications regularly.

The growth is dramatic:

• 2000: ~250 TLDs
• 2010: ~280 TLDs
• 2015: ~800 TLDs
• 2020: ~1,400 TLDs
• 2024: ~1,500+ TLDs

The jump in 2015 marks when ICANN opened TLD applications more broadly beyond traditional geographic and institutional TLDs.

Types of TLDs

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) Traditional TLDs for generic use:

• .com (commercial) - 160+ million registered domains
• .net (networks)
• .org (organizations)
• .info (information)
• .biz (business)

These are unrestricted—anyone can register.

Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) Assigned to specific countries:

• .uk (United Kingdom)
• .de (Germany)
• .jp (Japan)
• .au (Australia)
• .ca (Canada)
• ~250 country codes in total

Often require local presence or citizenship, though this varies by country.

Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs) TLDs for specific communities:

• .edu (education institutions)
• .gov (US government)
• .mil (US military)
• .museum (museums)
• .coop (cooperative organizations)

Usually restricted to eligible organizations.

Infrastructure TLD

• .arpa - Reserved for technical infrastructure (reverse DNS, etc.)

New Generic TLDs (ngTLDs) Approved since 2013:

• .app, .cloud, .dev, .io, .blog, .shop, .tech
• ~1,200 new TLDs in this category
• Can be trademarked words, geographic terms, generic terms, etc.

New TLD Applications and ICANN

ICANN has approved new TLDs in waves:

First Round (2013-2014): ~500 new TLDs approved Second Round (2015-2016): ~200 additional TLDs Ongoing: Regular approvals continue

The application process:

1. Organizations submit application with $185,000 fee
2. ICANN reviews for conflicts, security, technical requirements
3. Approval takes 12-18 months
4. Applicant operates the TLD registry

TLD Breakdown by Type (Approximate)

Country Code TLDs:     ~250
Generic TLDs (.com, .net, etc.): ~20
New Generic TLDs:     ~1,200
Sponsored TLDs:       ~15
Special Purpose:      ~5
Total:               ~1,500

The specific count varies slightly depending on how you categorize some TLDs.

Distribution of Domains by TLD

Not all TLDs have equal adoption:

Top 10 TLDs by registration:

1. .com - 160+ million domains
2. .cn - 25+ million (China)
3. .de - 20+ million (Germany)
4. .uk - 15+ million (United Kingdom)
5. .ru - 11+ million (Russia)
6. .jp - 10+ million (Japan)
7. .in - 9+ million (India)
8. .org - 12+ million
9. .fr - 8+ million (France)
10. .net - 13+ million

.com dominates with ~40% of all domains.

Why So Many New TLDs?

Desired Names Unavailable: With .com saturated, new TLDs provide alternatives:

• google.app instead of trying to find available google.com variant
• Want "tech" for a tech company? .tech domain available

Marketing and Branding:

• .cloud for cloud services
• .tech for technology companies
• .io for startups (trendy among tech companies)

Geographic Identity:

• .berlin for Berlin-based businesses
• .nyc for New York companies
• .london for London companies

Community Identity:

• .cat for Catalan speakers
• .gay for LGBTQ+ community
• .bank for financial institutions (restricted)

Investment and Revenue:

• Registry operators earn fees from registrations
• Organizations apply to create new TLDs for profit

Emerging TLD Trends

Brand TLDs: Companies purchasing their brand as a TLD:

• .amazon
• .google
• .apple
• .bank (restricted registry)
• .insurance (restricted)

Geographic TLDs Expanding: New geographic TLDs approved:

• .tokyo
• .sydney
• .berlin
• .paris
• .london

Longer TLDs: No limit on TLD length (technical limit is 63 characters):

• .international (13 characters)
• .construction (12 characters)

IDN TLDs (Internationalized Domain Names)

TLDs in non-Latin scripts:

• .中国 (China in Chinese)
• .한국 (Korea in Korean)
• .روسیا (Russia in Arabic)
• ~100+ IDN TLDs

These allow non-English domain registration and are growing rapidly.

TLD Structure in DNS

The TLD system is hierarchical in DNS:

Root (.)
├─ .com
├─ .org
├─ .net
├─ .uk (country code)
│  ├─ .co.uk (second-level under .uk)
│  └─ .ac.uk
├─ .io
└─ ... 1,500+ others

Each TLD has a registry (organization managing it) and registrars (organizations selling domains under that TLD).

Challenges with TLD Proliferation

Phishing and Security: More TLDs mean more opportunities for phishing domains:

• Legitimate: amazon.com
• Phishing: amazon.cloud (looks similar to users)

Registries try to implement security policies, but responsibility falls to users and registrars.

User Confusion:

• Which TLD should I choose?
• Will users expect .com specifically?
• New TLDs might not be trusted

Spelling/Memorability: Traditional .com domains are easier to remember and type.

TLD Registries and Registrars

Registry: Organization operating the TLD infrastructure

• VeriSign operates .com and .net
• Nominet operates .uk
• Each new TLD has a designated registry

Registrar: Organizations selling domains to end users

• GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.
• Registrars work with registries to register domains

You buy domains from registrars; registrars coordinate with registries.

Reserved and Special TLDs

Some TLDs are reserved:

• .test - Testing
• .localhost - Localhost reference
• .invalid - Invalid
• .example - Examples in documentation

These don't have registries and aren't meant for real registration.

Future TLD Trends

Increasing Diversity:

• More specialized TLDs for specific industries
• More geographic TLDs for cities and regions
• More IDN TLDs for non-Latin languages

Security Improvements:

• DNSSEC (DNS security) adoption
• Registry-level abuse prevention
• Brand protection mechanisms

Market Consolidation:

• Some new TLDs might not succeed
• Unsuccessful TLDs eventually cease operations
• Established TLDs (.com, .net) remain dominant

Using TLD Enumerator

The TLD Enumerator tool helps you:

1. Find all variations of a domain across TLDs
2. Check availability across multiple TLDs
3. Monitor domain registrations

For example:

• Search "mycompany" to see availability:
  • mycompany.com (likely taken)
  • mycompany.app (might be available)
  • mycompany.io (might be available)
  • mycompany.cloud (might be available)

Best Practices for TLD Selection

1. Prioritize .com if available and within budget
2. Consider your audience (geographic or demographic)
3. Brand consistency - register multiple TLDs to protect brand
4. Industry relevance - .tech for tech companies, .shop for retail
5. Memorability - avoid obscure TLDs users won't remember

Conclusion: A Diverse and Growing TLD Ecosystem

The TLD ecosystem has grown from ~250 options to 1,500+, providing more choice but also more complexity. While .com remains dominant, new TLDs serve specific communities, geographies, and industries. Understanding TLD categories and trends helps you make informed decisions about domain registration and strategy. Tools like TLD Enumerator make exploring TLD availability straightforward, helping you find the perfect domain for your project across the expanding landscape of options.