.gov domain statistics
16,444 domains were registered under .gov at its latest check (Aug 7, 2026), placing it #207 of 1,079. Since its first check on Feb 24, 2026 it has grown by 7.6% (+1,165 domains).
How .gov compares
In domain count, .gov outranks 81% of the extensions RootFetch follows. Since Feb 24 it has changed +7.6%, against a median of +3.5% for large TLDs tracked as long, which puts it ahead of 65% of them. Among the 10 TLDs closest to it in size, .gov grew faster than 7; the fastest of that group was .study at +95.3%.
Biggest moves
Of 7 changes between checks, 6 were gains, 0 were losses and 1 showed no change. The biggest gain was +582 domains (+3.8%) between Mar 3, 2026 and May 29, 2026.
.gov growth trend
.gov accounts for 0.02% of all 89M domains RootFetch counts. Over the 164 days from Feb 24 to Aug 7 it averaged +0.31% a week, or +7 domains a day. Its strongest month on record was May 2026 (+582); its weakest was March 2026 (+32).
.gov domains by month
| Month | Domains | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 16,444 | +517 |
| May 2026 | 15,927 | +582 |
| March 2026 | 15,345 | +32 |
| February 2026 | 15,313 | – |
Every check
| Date | Domains | Change | Growth | Window | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | 16,444 | +517 | +3.2% | 70 days | |
| May 29, 2026 | 15,927 | +582 | +3.8% | 87 days | |
| Mar 3, 2026 | 15,345 | +13 | +0.1% | 1 day | |
| Mar 2, 2026 | 15,332 | +1 | +0.0% | 1 day | |
| Mar 1, 2026 | 15,331 | +18 | +0.1% | 3 days | |
| Feb 26, 2026 | 15,313 | +34 | +0.2% | 1 day | |
| Feb 25, 2026 | 15,279 | 0 | +0.0% | 1 day | |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 15,279 | – | – | first check |
Questions about .gov
How many .gov domains are there?
16,444, according to the .gov zone file on Aug 7, 2026.
Is .gov growing?
.gov went from 15,279 domains on Feb 24, 2026 to 16,444 on Aug 7, 2026, a change of +7.6%.
How big is the .gov domain extension compared to others?
.gov is number 207 in size among tracked extensions. Its nearest neighbours are .pub, .moe, .koeln.