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The year 2024 marked significant achievements for Latvia in the fields of culture, sports, and public activities, fostering national unity and pride. However, this year has also brought several legislative changes—new requirements of the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) have come into force, as well as a new information technology security regulation—the National Cybersecurity Law. The aim of this law is to enhance the overall security, resilience, and response capabilities of essential and important service providers in the face of cybersecurity threats. The digital environment is an integral part of our daily lives. And at its core lies the domain name.
When starting a business, creating new products or brands intended for the Latvian market, and building customer trust in origin, the .LV domain name is a natural choice. By the end of 2024, there were 141 581 domain names registered under the .LV domain.
At the end of 2024, the total number of active domain names reached 141 581. Over the year, this number grew by 1.2%, which is slightly less than the 1.8% growth recorded in 2023. However, it is significantly higher than in 2022, when the increase was just 0.5%.
A major factor contributing to this growth has been the activity in new domain name registrations. Over the past five years, 2024 has shown positive trends—the number of newly registered domain names increased by 4.5%. In contrast, in 2023, it was 1.5% lower than in 2022, while in 2022, the registration of new .LV domain names decreased by 17.7%compared to 2021.
In total, 34 144 new .LV domain names were registered in 2024, while 107 437 .LV domain names were renewed. Among renewed domain names, this year marked the first time in five years that annual growth was barely 0.1% compared to the previous year. In 2023, the growth rate was 2.9% compared to 2022.
In 2024, February remained the most active month for new .LV domain name registrations for the 15th consecutive year. This year, June and November also saw notable registration activity. The most active weeks were the 5th, 9th, and 44th, while the busiest day of the week was Monday. There is no specific global influence behind this activity—only the continuous shift towards digitalization in the modern era.
Of all .LV domain names, 6 883 got a 100% discount. Some of them were registered to national and local government institutions, while others, to natural individuals over 18 living in Latvia who can register one .ID.LV domain name for free.
The popularity of Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) continues to decline slowly, according to statistics. This was to be expected after the 144.4% increase in 2021. This trend is likely to persist for several years until the total number of IDNs stabilizes and reaches a steady upward trajectory. Latvian companies appreciate this option and continue to register IDNs alongside their conventional domain names to protect their company or brand names and avoid confusion in marketing materials.
As of 31 December 2024, a total of 2 198 IDNs were registered, which is 9.5% less than in the previous year.
Since 1 March 2004, names that use letters with diacritics from the Latvian alphabet (ā, ē, ī, ū, ō, ķ, ļ, ņ, ŗ, ģ, š, č, ž), e.g., tūdaliņ.lv, can be registered under .LV.
Note that the fee for the right to use IDNs is EUR 10.16 per year, including VAT!
Under the .LV domain, one can also register domain names under several second-level domain extensions.
Interest in second-level .LV domain names has been steadily increasing each year. In 2024, this interest grew by 5.5%. The highest demand is for .ID.LV domain names, which can be registered by individuals residing in Latvia (aged 18 or older). In 2024, the number of such domain names increased by 6.5%, compared to 5.7% in 2023.
Meanwhile, .EDU.LV second-level domain names can only be registered by educational institutions, which actively take advantage of this opportunity.
The fee for a second-level domain name, except for the .ID.LV names, is the same as that of a domain name registered directly under .LV.
The .GOV.LV second-level domain is maintained and managed by VAS “Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs” (Latvia State radio and television center), while MIL.LV is managed by the headquarters of the National Armed Forces.
In 2024, the number of .LV domain names registered by Latvian residents and businesses increased by 0.6%. Compared to the previous reporting period (2023 vs. 2022), this is slightly lower, as the increase was 1.1% at that time.
Overall, Latvian residents and businesses have registered 74.9% of all .LV domain names. The remaining 25.1% have been registered by residents and businesses from other countries.
Similarly to the previous two years, Lithuanian businesses and individuals continue to be among the most active in reaching Latvian consumers online, holding 3.0% of all .LV domain names. They are followed by Germans (2.6%) and Estonians (2.4%). Notably, Estonia has seen continuous growth in new domain registrations each year, surpassing the United States this year and securing a spot in the TOP 3. A significant shift in the TOP 10 countries list is the entry of China, now holding 1.0% of all .LV domain names. This has pushed the Netherlands out of the TOP 10 ranking.
In Latvia, the most digitally active registrants of .LV domain names are residents of Riga, who have collectively registered 60 127 .LV domain names. Given the population size of Riga and the number of registered businesses, this comes as no surprise. However, it is also interesting to analyze the activity levels in other municipalities and regions.
The average age of a domain name varies significantly depending on its usage and purpose. When looking at .LV domain names, it is evident that .LV users are loyal and do not easily abandon their chosen domain names. It is especially pleasing to note that some domain names have stood the test of time, remaining active for as long as 31 years, growing alongside us.
According to data compiled by Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR), among the Baltic states, Latvia’s businesses and residents are the least likely to register internet addresses. Similarly to the .LV domain, the global number of internet addresses registered by individuals and companies in Latvia rose by 3.6% in the last year. In total, we have only registered 193,784 domain names. Lithuanian residents and businesses registered 341 427 domain names, and those in Estonia, 329 153 domain names.
Today, there are many options. Anyone creating a new website can choose to register their name in one of more than 1 500 top-level domain extensions (see https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db for a list of all the available extensions).
Although Latvian businesses and residents are relatively slow in registering domain names, they have always been patriotic, prioritizing .LV over other domains such as .COM, .EU, and others.
Looking in more detail, it is interesting to note that Finland, Sweden, and Norway—neighboring countries that actively conduct business in Latvia—are still absent from the TOP 10 list. However, a major surprise this year is .CLICK, a new generic top-level domain (gTLD), where Latvian residents and businesses have registered 2 081 domain names.
New generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are not particularly widespread among Latvian residents and businesses, but their popularity is growing. This is evident not only from the rise of .CLICK, but also from CENTR-compiled statistics, which show that in 2024, gTLDs accounted for 3.8% of all domain names registered in Latvia, compared to just 2.2% in 2023.
An .LV domain name can be registered by a legal entity or a natural individual who is at least 18.
The total number of domain name rights holders (users) increased by 1.5% in 2024. A year before, it was just 1.9%, but in 2022 - 1.0%. The average number of names registered per user remains at 1.6. 73.4% of all the users are from Latvia, i.e., natural individuals or companies residing or registered in Latvia.
The ratio of legal entities and natural individuals that have registered .LV remained virtually unchanged; almost 60% of all domain names are registered to legal entities, and 40%, to natural individuals.
If we look at the age, we can conclude that domain names age with their holders.
Customers can register .LV domain names directly with NIC.LV (www.nic.lv) or through our partners, .LV registrars, who will not only help you register the domain name you want but also support you in maintaining it and dealing with other issues related to its use.
The .LV Registry has signed cooperation agreements with 158 registrars in 26 countries, managing a total of 39.9% of all .LV domain names. The number of .LV domain names managed by registrars increased by 2.7% in 2024 to 56 499.
With the rising tide of cyberattacks and geopolitical tensions, users are becoming more interested in DNS security.
The statistics confirm this: the number of domain names signed with DNSSEC went up 8.1% in 2024.
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extension) is a domain name system security extension intended to protect internet users from forged DNS data. DNSSEC authenticates DNS data and ensures that the contents of the DNS response have not been tampered with.
The .LV zone has been signed with DNSSEC for over 10 years, since 2012. The most rapid adoption of DNSSEC occurred in 2020, but events in 2022 also prompted businesses to strengthen their digital security by signing their domain names with DNSSEC.
Most of the DNSSEC-signed domain names are maintained by our partner .LV registrars. However, for 625 .LV domain names, DNSSEC is supported by their users.
The number of .LV registrars offering DNSSEC support to their customers grows with each year as well. Currently, 58 .LV registrars offer DNSSEC (ordered by the number of DNSSEC-signed domain names): SigmaNet, Nano IT, Zone Media LLC, Area IT, European Domain Registry OÜ, NETIM, AB SOFTWARE, ITEMS, Gandi SAS, Gandi SAS, IT Līderis, OVH, SAS, Hosting Concepts bv, VIAKOM, DM Plus, Key-Systems GmbH, Eurodns S.A, BB Online, Standart AG, Scandinavian World, MEDIA PARTNERS, Tet, FIXCMS, CSC Corporate Domains, SERVISNET, NetPro SIA, BPtech.pl, Valters Capital, SIA, Ascio Technologies Inc., Abion AB, NAMESHIELD, Dynadot LLC, VITC, SIA Meklis, Nom-IQ Ltd, CyberTech SIA, INWX GmbH & Co. KG, Baltnetos komunikacijos UAB, X8, QWE, SIA, NameWeb, Global Village GmbH, ATVIRTUAL.NET, 1API, WEB SOLUTIONS, Interneto vizija UAB, Deutsche Telekom AG, united-domains AG, Realtime Register B.V., AB NameISP, lugges UG, MarkMonitor Inc., IP Twins S.A.S., ingenit GmbH, ITMG-Consulting, Lapu Lapa, Safenames Ltd, HOSDEX LLC, Gransy s.r.o..
In the NIC.LV Online System, .LV domain name users can modify both their personal data and domain name settings, such as the website’s IP address or email server. However, passwords — no matter how complex — can still be guessed or stolen through methods like phishing emails, making password-only protection insufficient.
Since 2022, the NIC.LV Online System has offered two-factor authentication (2FA) as an additional security layer, allowing clients to protect their personal data and prevent unauthorized individuals from making changes to .LV domain names they do not own.
Despite the increasing number of digital fraud cases, many NIC.LV Online System users are still slow to adopt 2FA. In 2024, the number of 2FA users increased by 44.1%, but they still represent only 0.6% of all .LV domain name holders.
Reminder: If you use 2FA and a malicious actor steals your password, they still cannot access your online account unless they also have your second authentication factor (such as your phone or security key).
The statistics of CERT.LV (Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution) (https://cert.lv/lv/par-mums/parskati) show that in Latvia overall, the intensity of attacks on Latvian cyberspace and the number of compromised IP addresses are on the rise. The good news, however, is that the number of hacked websites and servers with .LV domain names is declining, according to information publicly available on http://www.zone-h.org/archive. Last year, that website only recorded 29 .LV domain names.
The .LV registry controller, in conjunction with CERT.LV (Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution), maintains an active protection tool in the form of a DNS firewall.
The DNS firewall is available free of charge to every individual, company, institution, and organisation in Latvia. It aims to protect users from cyber threats such as fake banking sites, fraudulent trading platforms, and websites that spread viruses. Since November 2024, a user-friendly app for iOS and Android devices has been made available, allowing Latvian residents to easily download and activate the service.
The DNS firewall is updated every day with fraudulent links submitted by cybersecurity professionals and private individuals, and those identified by the CERT.LV team.
According to CERT.LV 2024 activity reports, protection was provided to users 1.8 million times in 2024.
You can find out more about the DNS firewall and how to set it up in DNS firewall website (in latvian language).