The growth is slow, but still positive. Not all top-level domains can claim the same.
CENTR, an organization representing country code top-level domain operators, primarily in Europe, has released its latest global TLDs report.
The report indicates that European ccTLDs are still experiencing growth, although much slower than during the pandemic.
The year-over-year growth in these TLDs was 1.4% in 2023. Looking at the monthly year-over-year rates, the market seemed to have bottomed out in January 2023 and grew from there, but then fell again in the latter part of the year.
CENTR notes that strong renewal rates in the existing base have helped maintain this growth.
While deletions have increased throughout 2023, they are still relatively low compared to long-term averages. This means that while the base of domains in European ccTLDs often remains stable, new registrations are struggling. Based on registry analysis and in particular on average demand ratios, we expect average growth rates to remain similar for 2024. The challenge for ccTLD registries will be to ensure that their already high renewal rates are maintained while still attracting a sufficient number of new registrations throughout the year.
According to CENTR, European ccTLDs are more likely to be developed than .com and other gTLDs, resulting in higher renewal rates.
Verisign, the registry for .com and .net domains, reports a combined renewal rate for .com and .net domains that stays in the low to mid 70% range.
The Demand Ratio for .com is below 1.0, resulting in a decline in the registered .com domain base.
Source: [Domain Name Wire](https://domainnamewire.com/2024/02/28/european-cctlds-see-reduced-growth/)