DENIC, the registry for .de domains, annually presents the results of regional domain statistics. In 2011, about 13.8 million domains were recorded in 402 cities and districts, across Germany. Adding to these are more than 870,000 domains with holders residing outside Germany, which account for about 5.9 percent of the total .de domain inventory. All in all, 14,740,474 domains were registered with DENIC on 31 December 2012.

The undisputed number one among the incorporated cities remains Osnabrück with 749 .de domains per 1,000 inhabitants. It could strongly extend its lead over Munich (452) and Bonn (411), again ranking second and third as in the preceding years. Among the administrative districts, Amberg-Sulzbach (882) comes first again, whereas Starnberg (452) and Freising (422) changed places in the top trio. At federal-state level, the city state of Hamburg with 313 domains per 1,000 inhabitants continues to be far ahead of Berlin (243) and Bavaria (209). Again, the lowest per-capita domain number is recorded for Saxony-Anhalt, scoring a mere 74 domains.

In 2010/2011, the federal average increase rate of domains was 7.6 percent compared to 6.4 percent in 2009/2010. This corresponds to an increase of about 979,000 domains (compared to 775,000 in the preceding year).

Regional comparison: West-East slope persisting

As in the preceding years, the overall figures display a pronounced difference between domain usage in the cities and administrative districts of the old and the new federal states, even though it has slightly diminished. Like last year, in the eastern part of Germany, the federal average of 169 .de domains per 1,000 inhabitants is exceeded not only by Berlin with 243 domains per 1,000 inhabitants but also by Leipzig (272), Potsdam (218) and Dresden (195). For the first time, Jena (173) has joined the league, scoring a growth of more than ten percent.

Municipal comparison: Metropolises still in the lead – Bavaria houses most booming municipalities

The German capital and the West German metropolitan regions remain the domain strongholds. If related to the number of inhabitants, the largest number of domains per capita is found in the conurbations of Munich and Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf, the Rhine-Main-Area including Frankfurt, plus Greater Hanover, Nuremberg, and Leipzig. As regards absolute domain figures, the ranking among the leading trio of the last few years has changed: With 840,324 domains (plus 6.8 percent), Berlin remains the undisputed number one in the overall ranking. Recording an increase of 6 percent to 609,152 domains, Munich once again left Hamburg with its 556,460 domains clearly behind, even though the hanseatic city scored the steepest increase of the leading trio with 9.8 percent. The winner among the cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants is Leipzig with a plus of 12.8 percent (16,181 domains). Next comes Düsseldorf with 12.1 percent, which corresponds to an increase of 21,605 domains. The greatest loss in this group was experienced by the city of Nuremberg with minus 4 percent (-6,000 domains). Scoring a growth rate of 10.7 percent or 96,846 domains in absolute terms, the Rhine district of Neuss is back among the 20 municipalities with the largest domain increase and replaces Bremen (96,700) in the top league.

The leading ranks for domains per capita in relation to the number of inhabitants remain unchanged. First comes the administrative district of Amberg-Sulzbach with 882 domains per thousand inhabitants, followed by the city of Osnabrück with 749 domains. The third rank is held jointly by Munich and the district of Starnberg with 452 domains, respectively.

Related to the number of inhabitants, the incorporated city of Weiden in Upper Palatinate achieved the largest increase with 114.4 percent. It is followed by the municipal districts of Landau and Lichtenfels with 50.6 resp. 47.7 percent. The fourth and fifth ranks are held by the district of Celle with 47.1 and the Nuremberg county with 46.2 percent. Two-digit growth rates of the inhabitant/domain ratio were scored by a total of 111 districts and communities (compared to 48 in the preceding year). 22 (2010: 15) of them even achieved rates of more than 20 percent, six of these being located in Bavaria.

Federal-state comparison: Lower Saxony outscores Saxony

The latest growth rates on federal-state level confirm the general upward trend from the Baltic Sea to the Ore Mountains: Except for Berlin (6.8) and Thuringia (6.6), all federal states located in Eastern Germany exceed the federal average growth rate of 7.6 percent. Achieving the largest growth rate of all federal states, Lower Saxony with 10.7 percent is just ahead of Saxony (10.4), which held the leading position for several years. Scoring a growth rate of 9.8 percent compared to 5.3 in the preceding year, Hamburg leaped forward to rank three. In 2011, the rear is brought up by Schleswig-Holstein (5.1 percent), which replaces Hesse (7.0) that was last in the preceding year.

Related to the number of inhabitants, however, the city state of Hamburg remains the uncontested number one with 313 domains per 1,000 inhabitants. It is followed by the city state of Berlin with 243 domains per 1,000 inhabitants. Other states that record domain numbers per capita above the federal average of 169 .de domains per 1,000 inhabitants are Bavaria (209), Hesse (183) and Northrhine-Westphalia (174). Relatively speaking, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (97), Thuringia (96) and, like in the preceding year, Saxony-Anhalt at the rear with 74 domains per 1,000 inhabitants have the smallest numbers of .de domains.

Statistically, about every sixth inhabitant of the Federal Republic of Germany has registered a .de domain (16.9 percent compared to 15.7 in the preceding year). As a result, Germany ranks fourth in Europe after the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland.

International level: The British like .de most

Popularity of .de domains outside of Germany remains high. At the end of 2011, more than 870,000 domain holders – thus accounting for about 5.9 percent – resided outside of Germany. Scoring second last year, Great Britain (98,500) now has taken the rank of Switzerland (95,978), which was last year's leader among the countries of origin of the domain holders. Rank three is still held by the United States of America (77.840), followed by last year's number six, the Netherlands (76,770). All figures are based on an analysis of the domain database of the German registry DENIC as of 31 December 2011. They continue the regional domain statistics, which have been compiled by DENIC each year since 1995. The overall 2011 results in the form of an Excel spreadsheet are accessible for downloading via the statistics section of the DENIC website. They include information on all administrative districts and incorporated cities within Germany. In addition to absolute values, the statistics also provide data on the number of domains related to the number of inhabitants as well as maps and diagrams showing the absolute and the relative distribution of .de domains among German domain holders and those from abroad. 

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