Top-Level Domains List: Active Websites and Top Categories per TLD
How many active, categorized websites sit under .com, .org, .de or .io, and what are they about? This list counts the domains in each main top-level domain and shows the three content categories that lead in each one.
What is a top-level domain?
A top-level domain is the last label of a domain name, after the final dot. It sits directly under the root of the DNS, which is coordinated by IANA, and each TLD is run by a registry operator.
In this list we count by the last label only, so a site under .co.uk is counted in .uk. That matches how registries and most reports count country code domains.
Types of top-level domains
TLDs come in a few families. The family tells you something about who registers in it and which categories you should expect.
Generic (gTLD)
.com, .net, .org, .info. Open to anyone, used worldwide. The oldest generic names date back to 1985.
Country code (ccTLD)
.de, .uk, .jp, .br. Two letters, assigned to a country or territory, often with local rules for registration.
Sponsored and restricted
.edu, .gov, .mil, .int. Limited to specific kinds of organisations, which makes their categories very predictable.
New gTLDs
.shop, .online, .xyz, .app. Added in large numbers after ICANN's new gTLD programme opened in 2012.
ccTLDs used as generic names
Some country codes are popular for reasons that have nothing to do with the country: .io and .ai with tech start-ups, .co as a short alternative to .com, .tv with video and .me with personal sites.
Internationalized TLDs
Some TLDs use non-Latin scripts. In DNS they are stored in an encoded ASCII form. The Cyrillic .рф, Russia's second country code, is the largest of them in our data, with 300,707 categorized domains.
Brand TLDs
Large companies can run their own TLD for their brand. These hold very few sites, usually only the owner's own pages, so they rarely matter for lists but are easy to allowlist.
The classic five
When people ask for "the 5 top-level domains" they usually mean .com, .org, .net, .edu and .gov, the best known of the original names.
Top-level domains list with counts and top categories
The table lists the TLDs with the most categorized domains in the current release. Counts are domains that carry at least one category. The top 3 categories are the web filtering categories found most often in that TLD.
| TLD | Categorized domains | Share | Top 3 categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | 48,722,765 | 47.1% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .de | 9,339,973 | 9.0% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentBusiness |
| .org | 3,669,830 | 3.6% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .net | 3,091,557 | 3.0% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentBusiness |
| .uk | 3,057,126 | 3.0% | BusinessArts & EntertainmentHome & Garden |
| .fr | 2,164,241 | 2.1% | BusinessArts & EntertainmentComputers & Technology |
| .ru | 2,106,517 | 2.0% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessShopping |
| .nl | 2,021,772 | 2.0% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .br | 1,498,046 | 1.4% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyShopping |
| .ch | 1,275,300 | 1.2% | BusinessArts & EntertainmentHealth & Medicine |
| .it | 1,259,654 | 1.2% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .eu | 995,749 | 1.0% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .au | 975,767 | 0.9% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyHealth & Medicine |
| .info | 943,884 | 0.9% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .pl | 879,184 | 0.9% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessShopping |
| .jp | 815,208 | 0.8% | BusinessArts & EntertainmentHealth & Medicine |
| .es | 781,505 | 0.8% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .ca | 715,476 | 0.7% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .xyz | 709,014 | 0.7% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentGambling |
| .in | 639,107 | 0.6% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyEducation/Reference |
| .shop | 628,723 | 0.6% | ShoppingComputers & TechnologyBusiness |
| .cn | 615,184 | 0.6% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .online | 600,009 | 0.6% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentShopping |
| .se | 595,782 | 0.6% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .be | 589,909 | 0.6% | BusinessComputers & TechnologyArts & Entertainment |
| .cz | 496,718 | 0.5% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessShopping |
| .co | 436,510 | 0.4% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .at | 422,130 | 0.4% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .dk | 406,593 | 0.4% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentBusiness |
| .us | 398,938 | 0.4% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessArts & Entertainment |
| .io | 176,915 | 0.17% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessAdvertising/Marketing |
| .ai | 67,570 | 0.07% | Computers & TechnologyBusinessAI / LLM Tools |
| .tv | 74,415 | 0.07% | Arts & EntertainmentComputers & TechnologyNews/Media |
| .me | 140,586 | 0.14% | Computers & TechnologyArts & EntertainmentBusiness |
| .edu | 6,596 | 0.01% | Education/ReferenceReligion & SpiritualityHealth & Medicine |
| .gov | 8,521 | 0.01% | Government & LegalCommunity SitesPolitical |
A domain can carry several categories, so the category columns show which subjects are most common, not exclusive shares. The full taxonomy is on the taxonomy page.
Share of categorized websites by TLD
One TLD dominates. The bar shows how the categorized web splits between .com, the next largest TLDs and everything else.
Almost half of all categorized websites end in .com, and five TLDs together hold close to two thirds. The remaining third is spread over more than a thousand other TLDs, led by large country codes such as .fr, .ru and .nl and by new names such as .xyz and .shop.
What the numbers say
A few patterns stand out once every TLD is counted and categorized the same way.
Gambling concentrates in cheap new gTLDs
Gambling labels appear on 13.3% of .top and 9.9% of .site domains, against 2.2% across all categorized domains. On .bet and .casino it is the leading label by far.
Shop names mean shops
Shopping is the top category in .shop (39% of domains) and .store (38%), so the TLD is a reliable hint for commerce lists.
.ai is about AI
AI / LLM Tools labels cover 18% of .ai domains, against 0.13% across all categorized domains. The 67,570 categorized .ai sites are a compact list of the AI tools market.
Restricted TLDs are predictable
78% of .gov domains carry Government & Legal, and 87% of .edu domains carry Education/Reference.
Germany is the largest ccTLD
.de holds 9,339,973 categorized domains, 3.1 times as many as .uk, making it the largest country code in the release.
.org leans to causes
Religion & Spirituality is among the top six labels in .org, at 8.6% of domains, against 1.4% across all categorized domains.
Subjects that lead per TLD
Web filtering labels are useful for policy, while the IAB Content Taxonomy describes subjects. This table shows the leading IAB v3 Tier 1 subject in a selection of TLDs.
| TLD | Leading IAB v3 subject | Share | Second subject | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | Business and Finance | 23.4% | Technology & Computing | 17.0% |
| .de | Business and Finance | 23.0% | Technology & Computing | 17.4% |
| .org | Business and Finance | 25.0% | Technology & Computing | 15.1% |
| .net | Technology & Computing | 23.9% | Business and Finance | 19.3% |
| .uk | Business and Finance | 26.4% | Home & Garden | 10.0% |
| .jp | Business and Finance | 31.5% | Technology & Computing | 7.4% |
| .br | Business and Finance | 46.4% | Technology & Computing | 11.0% |
| .shop | Technology & Computing | 26.5% | Shopping | 24.5% |
| .xyz | Technology & Computing | 54.1% | Business and Finance | 11.9% |
| .io | Business and Finance | 39.5% | Technology & Computing | 38.7% |
| .ai | Technology & Computing | 50.1% | Business and Finance | 33.4% |
| .tv | Entertainment | 25.3% | Business and Finance | 21.1% |
| .edu | Business and Finance | 52.7% | Education | 36.1% |
| .gov | Business and Finance | 72.1% | Politics | 8.3% |
| .bet | Attractions | 66.1% | Sports | 11.3% |
Country code TLDs: the 20 largest
Country code domains are the best single hint of a site's home market. These are the 20 largest ccTLDs by number of categorized domains, with their two most common web filtering labels.
| ccTLD | Country | Categorized domains | Most common label | Second label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .de | Germany | 9,339,973 | Computers & Technology | Arts & Entertainment |
| .uk | United Kingdom | 3,057,126 | Business | Arts & Entertainment |
| .fr | France | 2,164,241 | Business | Arts & Entertainment |
| .ru | Russia | 2,106,517 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .nl | Netherlands | 2,021,772 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .br | Brazil | 1,498,046 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .ch | Switzerland | 1,275,300 | Business | Arts & Entertainment |
| .it | Italy | 1,259,654 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .au | Australia | 975,767 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .pl | Poland | 879,184 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .jp | Japan | 815,208 | Business | Arts & Entertainment |
| .es | Spain | 781,505 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .ca | Canada | 715,476 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .in | India | 639,107 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .cn | China | 615,184 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .se | Sweden | 595,782 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .be | Belgium | 589,909 | Business | Computers & Technology |
| .cz | Czech Republic | 496,718 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .at | Austria | 422,130 | Computers & Technology | Business |
| .dk | Denmark | 406,593 | Computers & Technology | Arts & Entertainment |
Business and technology labels lead almost everywhere, but the order shifts: .uk, .jp and .br lean to Business, while .de and .ru lean to Computers & Technology. Ready country lists exist for many of these markets, such as Brazil domains and Japan domains.
New gTLDs compared
New generic TLDs vary a lot in what gets built on them. The table shows the share of domains with Shopping, Gambling and Adult labels in the largest new and alternative gTLDs, against the average across all TLDs.
| TLD | Categorized domains | Shopping | Gambling | Adult |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .xyz | 709,014 | 2.8% | 7.3% | 4.6% |
| .shop | 628,723 | 39.1% | 2.5% | outside top 10 |
| .online | 600,009 | 8.0% | 5.1% | outside top 10 |
| .top | 366,635 | 4.5% | 13.3% | 5.6% |
| .site | 357,228 | 5.8% | 9.9% | outside top 10 |
| .store | 351,258 | 38.3% | 3.8% | outside top 10 |
| .app | 277,613 | outside top 10 | 4.0% | outside top 10 |
| .info | 943,884 | 4.4% | outside top 10 | outside top 10 |
| .biz | 278,350 | 7.4% | 3.6% | outside top 10 |
| All TLDs | 120M+ | 7.9% | 2.2% | 0.9% |
"Outside top 10" means the label is not among the ten most common in that TLD. The pattern is clear: commerce names attract shops, while some low cost names attract far more gambling and adult content than average.
A short history of top-level domains
The TLD list grew from a handful of names to well over a thousand. Each wave changed what a TLD says about a site.
1985
The first generic names, including .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov and .mil, go live together with the first country codes.
Late 1990s
Country codes spread to almost every country and territory, and some small territories start marketing their codes worldwide.
2000s
ICANN adds a small set of new generic names such as .info and .biz, plus sponsored names for specific communities.
2012 onwards
The new gTLD programme opens and hundreds of new names follow, from .shop and .app to city and brand names.
Checklist: using the TLD as a signal
A TLD is a cheap, always available signal. It works best as one input among several.
Use it for
Guessing language and market, spotting restricted sectors like .gov and .edu, and adding weight to risk scores for names with a high share of suspicious sites.
Do not use it alone for
Blocking decisions, industry labels or country targeting where generic names like .com hide the real market. Categories and the country field are more reliable.
Compare against the average
A label share means little on its own. Compare each TLD with the all-TLD average, as in the table above, before drawing conclusions.
Recheck every month
Pricing changes and promotions at registries can shift what gets registered in a TLD. Monthly refreshes keep the picture current.
How buyers use a TLD level view
A count per TLD looks like trivia, but it drives real decisions in security, advertising and research.
Security policy
Some cheap new gTLDs carry a high share of parked or suspicious domains. Teams use per-TLD category mixes to tune risk scores. See malware and phishing protection.
Country targeting
A ccTLD is a strong hint about audience and language. Combine it with the country field for regional lists like Germany domains.
Market research
Count businesses by TLD and category to size markets, for example online shops under .shop versus .com. See market research intelligence.
Domain investing
The category mix of a TLD shows what kinds of sites actually get built there, which matters when you value names in it.
Get domain lists by TLD
Every row in the database carries its domain, so lists by TLD are a simple filter on the licensed files. Common requests include:
All categorized domains in one ccTLD
For example every active .de or .fr site with categories and popularity bands.
One category across all TLDs
Such as every news site worldwide. The news domains list is a ready example.
TLD by category counts
Aggregate tables for research and reports, refreshed monthly.
Popular sites per TLD
The most popular domains under a TLD, using the same ranking as our top websites ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a top-level domain?
A top-level domain, or TLD, is the last part of a domain name after the final dot, such as .com, .org or .de. It sits at the top of the domain name hierarchy, directly under the DNS root.
What are the 5 most common top-level domains?
The classic five are .com, .org, .net, .edu and .gov. By number of active categorized websites, .com leads by a wide margin, followed by large country codes and .org and .net.
What is the difference between a gTLD and a ccTLD?
A generic TLD such as .com or .shop is not tied to a country. A country code TLD such as .de or .jp has two letters and is assigned to a country or territory, though some, like .io or .co, are widely used as generic names.
Which TLD has the most websites?
In our database, .com holds by far the most categorized domains, at 47.1% of all categorized websites.
Why are your counts lower than registry totals?
Registries count every registered name. We count domains with a website that could be categorized, so names that are registered but unused do not appear in these totals.
How many top-level domains are there?
The root zone holds well over a thousand TLDs, most of them added after 2012. In our database more than 1,000 TLDs contain at least one categorized website.
Are .co.uk domains counted under .uk?
Yes. We count by the last label of the domain, so .co.uk, .org.uk and plain .uk names are all counted in .uk.
Can I check the category of a single domain?
Yes, use the domain category checker for any domain, in any TLD.
Domain lists by TLD and category
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ICANN and IANA are names of the organisations that coordinate the domain name system, used here only to describe it. URL Categorization Database is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by ICANN, IANA or any registry operator.