IE Domain Registry Annual Report 2019

IE Domain Registry  Annual Report & Review  2019 35 Business and Market Review Geographical analysis of the .ie database 91.1% of .ie domains are registered to addresses on the island of Ireland. Of these, 89.6% are to addresses in the Republic of Ireland, with 1.4% registered to addresses in Northern Ireland. This is despite the fact that Northern Ireland accounts for over 28% of the island’s population and could be attributed to the fact that the .co.uk extension is the dominant website extension used in that jurisdiction. Our .ie Domain Profile Report published in January 2020 provides additional analysis. Chart 3 highlights the counties in Ireland with the most significant gains and losses, and those which have the highest number of registrations. British-registered .ie domains continue to make up the majority of internationally registered .ie domains; new registrations from Great Britain increased slightly (1,313 from 1,306), up 0.5% in 2019 compared to the previous year. Among the top 10 international registrants of .ie domains, the Netherlands recorded the highest increase in 2019 (+84.7%), followed by Germany (+29.3%). Bulgaria recorded the second-highest number of new .ie domain registrations in 2019 (546). Holders of .ie domains in these countries typically have business operations in Ireland or can prove some other kind of personal connection to Ireland. Chart 3: Highlights - .ie domains by county Source: .ie Domain Profile Report 2019 Fermanagh Fermanagh, which recorded a -67% decrease in new .ie registrations in 2018, recorded the island of Ireland’s largest increase in 2019 (+146.15%), albeit from a low base. Roscommon Roscommon recorded the second highest % growth in new .ie registrations in 2019 (+25.72%). Dublin Although Dublin recorded a -6.81% decrease in new .ie registrations in 2019, it recorded the highest number of overall .ie registrations (18,966). Kildare New .ie registrations in Kildarewere among the highest in Ireland (2,361), up 4.47% in 2019. Cork Cork, like Dublin, experienced a decrease in new .ie registrations (-1.89%). However, it recorded the second highest number of overall .ie registrations (4,055). Monaghan Monaghan recorded the largest %decline in new .ie registrations in 2019 (-31.79%).