2024 review of the .FR TLD: over 800,000 new domains registered

03/27/2025

Afnic, the association responsible for .FR domain names, published today its annual review of .FR activity. Analyses of the activity of the French Internet domain and market trends in 2024:

With 4,216,786 domain names registered at 31 December 2024, the .FR Top Level Domain has continued to assert itself as a mainstay of the digital sector in France.

2024 key figures

802,202 new create operations

Having exceeded the 800,000 threshold in 2023 (801,427), the number of create operations further improved on the previous year’s record, reaching 802,202 new .FR names registered. This momentum exemplifies the growing and lasting importance of digital technology in the French economy, positioning the .FR TLD as a reliable and recognised solution for new online projects.

A retention rate of 82.6%

The retention rate for .FR (i.e. the proportion of domain names renewed from one year to the next) remains high, yet down slightly on 2023 (83.4%).

+2.0% growth

Although lower than the previous year (+3.4%), growth in the number of .FR domain names in 2024 remains above that of the French market for all TLDs taken together (+1.6%). The dynamics of the .FR TLD contrast with the negative performance of .COM, whose stock fell between an estimated -1.5% and -2.0%, and that of most of the major European TLD which also lost stock (-0.5%) in the last quarter. Given that the domain name market is often aligned with the economy in general, the outlook remains gloomy.

40.4% market share in France

The slight increase on 2023 (40.3%) marks a new all-time high for the .FR TLD, and while remaining modest, confirms the trend seen over recent years: users increasingly favour the national TLD when it comes to their online presence.

2024 Review of the .FR - Changes in market share in France in 2024

Changes in market share in France (2013 – 2024)

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
.FR	36,4%	36,4%	35,7%	35,7%	36,4%	37,2%	37,7%	38,0%	38,8%	39,4%	40,3%	40,4%	0,9%
.COM	43,3%	42,6%	43,2%	43,3%	43,4%	44,6%	45,2%	44,5%	45,1%	44,5%	43,8%	43,5%	-0,8%
Other Legacy TLDs	15,7%	15,2%	14,9%	14,0%	13,0%	12,1%	11,3%	11,0%	10,7%	10,4%	10,1%	9,9%	-0,2%
Other ccTLDs	4,7%	4,6%	4,2%	4,1%	4,0%	3,7%	3,5%	3,3%	3,1%	3,0%	3,0%	2,9%	0,0%
nTLDs		1,3%	2,1%	3,0%	3,3%	2,4%	2,3%	3,3%	2,4%	2,7%	2,8%	3,2%	0,1%

Outlook for 2025: how will the .FR TLD evolve?

In 2025, the market for .FR should remain characterised by a high level of delete operations and high volatility. However, the vitality observed in create operations in 2024 is also set to continue, notably driven by the digital transformation of VSEs/SMEs. The steady volume of create operations should more than offset deletions, thus boosting growth of the .FR domain, which is expected to be between +1% and +2% in 2025.

The success of the .FR TLD in the years to come will depend on the support provided to businesses and project leaders for their digital transition and online presence. Which is why Afnic is actively pursuing its efforts to firmly root our national TLD in uses through programmes to raise awareness and train users in all things digital, such as Réussir avec le web [Succeed with the Web] and Je passe au numérique [I’m going digital]. The quality of the relationship between Afnic and its registrars is vital to the success of the .FR TLD, and the commercial operations targeting long-term uses of domain names, jointly developed with the latter, are key to achieving this.

Download the 2024 .FR study

Download the 2024 .FR Study (PDF – 2,2 Mo)

About Afnic

Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.

In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.

Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.