European ccTLDs: Median domain growth in 2022 hit a 10 year low at 1.4%

The CENTRstats Global TLD Report Edition 4/2022 has been published. It covers the global status and registration trends in all top-level domains (legacy gTLDs, new gTLDs and ccTLDs), with a specific focus on the European ccTLD market.

European ccTLDs are responsible for 57% of the European domain name market, with .com domains accounting for 32% and other gTLDs 11%, with the demand for European ccTLDs returning to pre-pandemic levels similar to 2018 and 2019.

However, despite the median growth rate of domains hitting a 10-year low of 1.4%, renewals remained stable at 84.3%.

Highlights from the report:

• European ccTLDs represent an estimated 57% of the European domain name market  with the remaining 43% attributed to .com (32%) and other gTLDs (11%).
• There is an average of 15 domains (including ccTLD and gTLDs) per 100 people across European countries. Demand  for European ccTLDs over 2022 returned to pre-pandemic levels similar to 2018 and 2019.
• Median domain growth in 2022 hit a 10 year low at 1.4% while renewals remained stable at 84.3%.
• The median market share of European ccTLDs is estimated at 53% based on locally registered domains in the country and 42% based on popular websites.
• The median retail price for a European ccTLD increased over 2022 and finished at 10.4 EUR with the same sample of registrars selling .com at 12.7 EUR. Both prices are up 5% year on year.
• DNSSEC adoption remains low for most European ccTLDs with rates of signed domains generally under 10%. There are around 7 ccTLDs that have more than half their zone signed.
• The proportion of European ccTLD domains used for developed web content (active websites) is 46%. Over 2022 the rate of developed ccTLD websites using SSL increased from 66% to 70%.

The pdf version of the report can be found here.