How Many TLDs Exist? What Are the Different Types? Your TLD Questions Answered!

If you've been part of the domain industry for some time, you've likely noticed a significant surge in the number of new top-level domains (TLDs). From a modest nine TLDs in 1985, the domain landscape has grown to include over a thousand unique extensions, with no signs of slowing down. This rapid expansion can be overwhelming, leading to confusion about the various types of TLDs available. In this article, we’ll tackle common questions about TLDs, including their total number and the different categories they fall into. Let’s dive in!

How Many TLDs Are There?

As of June 2020, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the non-profit organization responsible for regulating and coordinating the internet's domain namespace, reports that there are 1,514 TLDs in active use. While this number is substantial, the majority of these TLDs have been introduced in the last decade. This surge began in 2011 when ICANN initiated the ‘New gTLD Program,’ aimed at expanding the variety of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) by allowing organizations and companies to apply for their own unique extensions. Since its launch, the program has received over 1,900 applications, with 1,238 new gTLDs approved. This initiative has significantly broadened the options available to both end-users and domain investors, offering a more diverse and tailored selection of domain extensions.