The Complete Guide to
Country Code Domains
Comprehensive, accurate information on all 255 ccTLDs — registration requirements, official registries, eligibility rules, and where to register each domain.
What is a ccTLD?
Country Code Top-Level Domains Explained
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory. They are defined in ISO 3166-1 and assigned by IANA.
Every two-letter extension you see — .de for Germany, .jp for Japan, or .ai for Anguilla — is a ccTLD. There are currently 255 delegated in the DNS root zone.
Many ccTLDs have evolved beyond geography. Extensions like .ai, .io, and .co have been globally adopted by tech companies due to their meaning in an English-language context.
.ai, .io, .co, .me, .tv — no residency required.
.de, .jp, .fr, .au — citizenship or legal entity needed.
.ai (AI), .io (input/output), .sh (shell) — embraced globally by tech.
Domain Industry Data
Registrars & Popular ccTLDs by Volume
Key statistics on the largest domain registrars and the most registered country code extensions worldwide.
| # | Registrar | Domains |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GoDaddy Scottsdale, AZ — NASDAQ: GDDY | ~84M |
| 2 | Namecheap Phoenix, AZ — ICANN Accredited | ~18M |
| 3 | Tucows / Enom Toronto, Canada — Wholesale | ~16M |
| 4 | Network Solutions Herndon, VA — Web.com Group | ~7M |
| 5 | Cloudflare Registrar San Francisco — At-cost pricing | ~4M |
| 6 | Google / Squarespace San Francisco — Acquired 2023 | ~3.5M |
| 7 | Porkbun Portland, OR — Budget-friendly | ~2.5M |
| 8 | Dynadot San Mateo, CA — ICANN Accredited | ~2M |
Source: ICANN registrar data, company disclosures. Figures approximate (2023–2024).
| # | Extension | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | .de — Germany Managed by DENIC eG | ~17.5M |
| 2 | .uk — United Kingdom Managed by Nominet UK | ~12M |
| 3 | .cn — China Managed by CNNIC | ~11M |
| 4 | .nl — Netherlands Managed by SIDN | ~6.5M |
| 5 | .ru — Russia Coordination Center RU | ~6M |
| 6 | .eu — European Union Managed by EURid | ~3.8M |
| 7 | .br — Brazil Managed by Registro.br | ~3.7M |
| 8 | .ai — Anguilla Fastest growing — AI boom | ~300K+ |
Source: Registry disclosures, ICANN reports (2023–2024).
Complete Directory
All Country Code Top-Level Domains
Every ccTLD in the IANA root database. Click an extension with a Guide badge to read the full guide.
Source: IANA Root Zone Database. Registration requirements may change — always verify with the official registry.