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The year 2025 marked a strengthening of digital security and resilience themes in Latvia, both in public administration and in the business environment. Following the approval of the National Cybersecurity Law in 2024, the practical implementation of its requirements continued. In 2025, the regulatory framework was further supplemented by more detailed regulations — on 2 July 2025, Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 397 “Minimum Cybersecurity Requirements” entered into force. Its objective is to improve cybersecurity and strengthen the resilience of essential service providers and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) critical infrastructure against threats. The digital environment is becoming increasingly intertwined with everyday processes — communication, services, commerce, and trust in information. At its core, it continues to rely on the domain name.
For companies operating in the Latvian market or building new brands with a local identity, the .LV domain name is a natural choice. At the end of 2025, a total of 145 917 domain names were registered under the .LV domain.
By the end of 2025, the total number of active domain names reached 145 917. Over the course of the year, this represented an increase of 3.1%, which is noticeably higher than in 2024 (1.2%) and marks the fastest growth seen in recent years.
A significant contribution to the growth of the .LV domain in 2025 came from new domain name registration activity. During the reporting year, 36 148 new .LV domain names were registered. Compared to 2024, the number of new .LV domain registrations increased by 5.9% (in 2024 the increase was 4.7%).
At the same time, 109 769 .LV domain names were renewed in 2025. Compared to 2024, the number of renewed domain names increased by 2.2%.
This overall growth trend in newly registered and renewed .LV domain names demonstrates sustained interest from businesses, institutions, and private individuals in using .LV domains, as well as continued trust in the .LV domain in the long term.
In 2025, new .LV domain name registration activity peaked in July, making it the most active month of the year. Elevated registration activity was also observed in February, October, and December. As in previous years, no direct impact of global events on specific activity peaks can be identified. In 2025, the dynamics of new domain name registrations continued to be driven primarily by a long-term trend: the ongoing shift toward digitalization, the strengthening of online presence by businesses and private individuals, and the continued development of digital services.
Out of all .LV domain names, 6 454 have been granted a 100% discount. Part of these domains are registered to state and local government institutions, while the remaining portion is registered to individuals residing in Latvia (at least 18 years old), who are entitled to register one .id.lv domain name free of charge.
According to statistical data, the popularity of Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) in Latvian continued to decline gradually in 2025. This trend represents a natural continuation following the sharp increase in the number of IDNs observed in 2021, which significantly influenced the dynamics of subsequent years. It is expected that this downward trend will persist in the coming years until the total number of IDNs reaches a stable equilibrium and transitions into more even growth.
At the same time, it should be noted that Latvian companies continue to recognise the value of IDNs and, alongside conventional domain names, often register IDN versions as well. This approach is primarily used to protect company or brand names and to prevent potential confusion in marketing and communication materials.
Statistical data for 2025 show that a total of 2 132 IDNs were registered, which is 3% fewer than in 2024, when the number stood at 2 198.
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, domain names can also be registered within several historically established second-level .LV domain zones: .EDU.LV, .COM.LV, .ORG.LV, .ID.LV, .NET.LV, .ASN.LV and .CONF.LV.
In 2025, the overall dynamics of second-level .LV domain names were uneven. Compared to 2024, the total number of second-level .LV domain names decreased by 2.7%, primarily due to a decline in the number of .ID.LV domain names (–7.3%). This decrease was partially offset by growth in individual second-level .LV domains, most notably .ORG.LV, which increased by 34.1%, and .COM.LV, which grew by 7.5%.
The decrease in the number of .ID.LV domain names has a relatively straightforward explanation. As .ID.LV domain names are available free of charge to individuals aged 18 and over, users often register them but later forget about them, do not actively use them, and do not formally relinquish them. In 2025, increased attention was therefore given to raising user awareness and providing information about the continued need to actively manage and use .ID.LV domain names.
Second-level .EDU.LV domain names can only be registered by educational institutions, which continue to actively make use of this domain zone.
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.
Interest in .LV domain names from businesses and residents of other countries increased by 6.1% in 2025, while registrations by Latvian residents and companies grew by 2.8%. This represents a noticeably higher increase compared to previous years – 0.6% in 2024 and 1.1% in 2023.
Overall, Latvian residents and companies have registered 74.4% of all .LV domain names, while the remaining 25.6% are registered by residents and businesses from other countries.
In 2025, the largest number of .LV domain names registered by foreign users continued to be attributed to businesses and residents from Lithuania – accounting for 3.1% of all .LV domain names. Activity from Lithuania has continued to grow for several consecutive years. Compared to 2024, the number of .LV domain names registered by Lithuanian users increased by 6.7%. Stable interest in .LV domain names is also maintained by users from Germany (2.5% of all .LV domain names) and Estonia (2.5%).
This year, particularly strong interest in .LV domain names was demonstrated by businesses and residents from Bulgaria, where registrations increased by +14.3%. However, the overall market share of Bulgarian users currently remains relatively small at 1.1% of all .LV domain names. Among other actively growing countries, .LV domain name registrations by users from Czech Republic (+7.5%) and the Netherlands (+7.2%) continue to stand out.
In 2025, Riga maintained its leading position in .LV domain name registrations – residents and businesses of the capital registered 60 908 .LV domain names. This reflects Riga’s role as Latvia’s largest centre of entrepreneurship and digital activity.
At the same time, high levels of .LV domain name usage are also observed outside Riga, particularly in Olaine Municipality, Jelgava and Jūrmala, as well as in other municipalities of the Riga metropolitan area and regional centres, confirming the widespread use of .LV domain names across Latvia.
In 2025, trends in the duration of .LV domain name usage remained similar to previous years. The length of use, or domain age, varies widely and depends on the purpose of the domain – whether it is used for short-term projects, advertising campaigns or long-term business activities. Overall, however, .LV domain name users demonstrate a high level of loyalty, and once a domain name is chosen, it is generally not abandoned quickly.
According to aggregated data from the Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR), Latvian companies and residents remain the most active registrants of internet domain names among the Baltic States. Over the course of the year, the total number of domain names registered by Latvian residents and businesses increased by 5.7%, reaching 205 684 domain names.
In comparison with other Baltic countries, the fastest growth in activity in 2025 was observed among Lithuanian companies and residents, with a 5.4% increase and a total of 361,483 registered domain names. Meanwhile, the number of domain names registered by Estonian companies and residents decreased by 6.5% compared to the previous year, totalling 308 702 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).
In 2025, Latvian businesses and residents continued to actively register domain names while maintaining strong loyalty to the .LV domain, consistently prioritising it over .COM, .EU, and other domain extensions.
Looking more closely, in 2025 several geographically close countries — such as Finland, Sweden, and Norway — still do not appear among the TOP 10 most popular domain zones, despite the active presence of their companies in the Latvian market. At the same time, interest continues to grow in certain new generic top-level domains, which are gradually strengthening their position among Latvian users.
For Latvian residents and businesses, choosing a .LV domain name remains the natural choice, accounting for 52.4% of the TOP 10 domains, followed by .COM (17.6%) and .EU (8.5%).
New generic top-level domains are gradually gaining popularity among Latvian residents and businesses; however, their overall share remains relatively small.
A .LV domain name can be registered by both legal entities and natural persons who have reached the age of 18.
In 2025, the total number of domain name usage rights holders (users) increased by 2.9%. The average number of domain names registered per user remains unchanged at 1.6. As in the previous year, the majority of users—73.4%—are based in Latvia, meaning they are either natural persons residing in Latvia or companies registered in Latvia.
The ratio between legal entities and natural persons holding registered .LV domain names has remained practically unchanged. Nearly 60% of all .LV domain names are registered by legal entities, while approximately 40% are registered by natural persons.
An analysis of user age shows that domain names tend to age together with their users. In 2025, as in previous years, the highest concentration of .LV domain name users is observed around the age of 40.
.LV domain names can be registered either directly with NIC.LV or through our cooperation partners — .LV Registrars. Registrars not only assist with registering the desired domain name but also provide support with its maintenance and other matters related to its use.
The .LV registry, NIC.LV, has cooperation agreements with 162 registrars from 26 countries, which together manage 40.3% of all .LV domain names. During 2025, the number of .LV domain names managed by registrars increased by 4.2%, reaching a total of 58 851.
In terms of the number of .LV domain names, Latvian registrars manage 34.3% of all registrar-managed .LV domain names, while foreign registrars manage the remaining 65.7%.
Taking into account the persistently high level of cyber threats and geopolitical tensions, user interest in DNS security continued to grow in 2025.
This is also confirmed by statistical data — the number of .LV domain names signed with DNSSEC increased by 2.1% over the year, reaching 14 928 domain names.
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) is a security extension of the Domain Name System designed to protect internet users from forged DNS data. DNSSEC provides authentication of DNS data and allows verification that the content of DNS responses has not been altered.
The .LV zone has been signed with DNSSEC for more than 10 years, since 2012. The most rapid growth in DNSSEC adoption was recorded in 2020; however, the events of 2022 — Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — also encouraged businesses to pay greater attention to their digital security by signing their website domain names with DNSSEC.
As in previous years, the majority of DNSSEC-signed .LV domain names in 2025 continued to be maintained by .LV registrars. At the same time, the number of domain names for which users implemented DNSSEC independently increased significantly — this figure grew by 30.7% over the year.
The number of .LV registrars offering DNSSEC support to their customers grows with each year as well. Currently, 59 .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, AB SOFTWARE,NETIM, ITEMS, OVH, SAS, Hosting Concepts bv, Gandi SAS, Key-Systems GmbH, IT Līderis, Eurodns S.A, VIAKOM, DM Plus, Standart AG, Ascio Technologies Inc., BB Online,Scandinavian World, CSC Corporate Domains, FIXCMS, MEDIA PARTNERS, BPtech.pl, Tet, NetPro SIA, SERVISNET, Abion AB, Dynadot LLC, HOSDEX LLC, NAMESHIELD, SIA Meklis[https://siameklis.lv], Realtime Register B.V., Com Laude, X8, Baltnetos komunikacijos UAB, INWX GmbH & Co. KG, QWE, SIA, ADION, CyberTech SIA, NameWeb, ATVIRTUAL.NET, Global Village GmbH, WEB SOLUTIONS, IVJ Group SIA, Safenames Ltd, 1API, Deutsche Telekom AG, Cloud DNS Ltd, Interneto vizija UAB, 101domain GRS Ltd, Gransy s.r.o., lugges UG, united-domains AG, MarkMonitor Inc., ITMG-Consulting, AB NameISP, IP Twins S.A.S., ingenit GmbH.
In the NIC.LV Client Online System, .LV domain name users can manage both their user account details and domain name technical settings, such as website IP addresses or email servers. Given that passwords can be guessed or obtained through fraudulent methods, relying solely on a password is no longer considered a sufficient security measure.
Since 2022, users of the NIC.LV Client Online System have been offered two-factor authentication (2FA) as an additional security layer. The use of two-factor authentication (2FA) helps protect personal data and prevents unauthorised actions involving .LV domain names.
In 2025, the number of users enabling 2FA increased by 26.8%. However, when compared to the total number of .LV domain names, 2FA adoption still remains low at just 0.8%, indicating potential for further promotion of enhanced security practices.
By using 2FA, even if a malicious actor obtains a user’s password, access to the online account is not possible without the second authentication factor, such as a mobile device or a security key.
Statistical data and cybersecurity landscape reports published by CERT.LV (Cyber Incident Response Institution) indicate that in 2025 a high level of threats persisted in Latvia’s cyberspace, alongside an increase in both the complexity of attacks and the diversity of methods used.
In its Q4 2025 report, CERT.LV states: “Since 2022, the number of threats has increased eightfold. The year 2025 marks a quantitative tipping point, where the volume of cyber incidents no longer grows linearly but increases sharply, reaching 731 783 incidents in Q4. This represents a 141% increase compared to Q4 2024 and a 17% increase compared to Q3 2025.”
According to the latest CERT.LV 2025 report, the most significant cybersecurity challenges remain related to active intrusion attempts, compromised devices, and fraudulent campaigns aimed at deceiving users and obtaining data. These threats affect publicly accessible internet resources, email infrastructure, and other digital services.
Publicly available information on http://www.zone-h.org/archive shows that in 2025 a total of 44 hacked and defaced websites and servers using .LV domain names were recorded. However, this information is incomplete, as the resource reflects only those incidents that have been publicly reported there. The actual number of such incidents each year may be higher.
This highlights the need to continuously strengthen domain name security, use technical protection measures, and promote user awareness of the importance of secure behaviour in the digital environment.
The .LV registry operator, together with CERT.LV (the Cyber Incident Response Institution), maintains an active protection tool — DNS Firewall.
The DNS Firewall is available free of charge to all residents and organisations in Latvia. Its purpose is to protect users from cyber threats such as fake banking websites, fraudulent e-commerce platforms, and malware-distributing websites. Since November 2024, Latvian residents have also had access to a conveniently downloadable and easy-to-activate mobile application for iOS and Android devices.
The DNS Firewall is updated daily with fraudulent and malicious links submitted by cybersecurity specialists, reported by residents, and identified by the CERT.LV team.
According to the CERT.LV 2025 activity reports, since 2024 the DNS Firewall has prevented users from accessing malicious websites 2.2 million times.
More information about the DNS Firewall and configuration guidelines is available on the DNS Firewall website.
As of 1 October 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) provides the alternative dispute resolution service for the second-level domain name at the top level in the .LV domain and third-level domain name in the .com.lv, .edu.lv, .org.lv,.net.lv, .asn.lv and .conf.lv subdomains. This service is based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), but includes several specific features tailored to the .LV domain (lvDRP).
In 2025, within the framework of the alternative dispute resolution service for .LV domain names:
The alterantive dispute resolution ensures a structured and transparent process in which an independent expert examines the arguments and evidence submitted by the parties and issues a decision that is enforced by the .LV domain registry operator. This mechanism provides an effective alternative to court proceedings and promotes fair and lawful use of domain names. How to file a complaint: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/cctld/lv/index.html