IP address allocation follows a strict global hierarchy to ensure no two devices share the same public IP address. The system flows from a global authority down through regional bodies to individual ISPs and organizations.
The IP Allocation Hierarchy
- IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) — Manages the global IP address pool and distributes large /8 blocks (16.7 million addresses each) to the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).
- RIRs (Regional Internet Registries) — Allocate IP blocks to ISPs and organizations within their geographic region.
- ISPs and organizations — Receive IP allocations from their RIR and assign individual addresses or smaller sub-blocks to their customers and devices.
- End users — Receive a single IP (or a small block for businesses) assigned by their ISP.
The Five Regional Internet Registries
| RIR | Region |
|---|---|
| ARIN | North America |
| RIPE NCC | Europe, Middle East, Central Asia |
| APNIC | Asia-Pacific |
| LACNIC | Latin America and Caribbean |
| AFRINIC | Africa |
IPv4 Exhaustion
IANA exhausted its IPv4 /8 pool in 2011. The RIRs have since exhausted their allocations (APNIC in 2011, RIPE in 2012, ARIN in 2015, LACNIC in 2014, AFRINIC in 2021). New ISPs must now purchase IPv4 addresses on the secondary market — prices reached $50–60 per address in 2023 — or deploy IPv6.
How Your IP Is Assigned
- Your ISP owns a block of IP addresses (e.g., 203.0.113.0/24)
- When you connect, your ISP's DHCP server assigns you an address from that block
- Home users typically receive dynamic IPs that change periodically
- Business users can request static IP assignments for an additional fee
People Also Ask
- Who owns my IP address?
- Your ISP owns the IP address assigned to you — you are effectively borrowing it. You can verify who owns any IP block using our IP Lookup tool or a WHOIS query, which shows the registered organization (your ISP) and the RIR that allocated the block to them.
- Can I get a permanent IP address?
- Yes — a static IP. Your ISP can assign a specific IP address to your account that does not change. Businesses commonly use this for hosting servers, remote access VPNs, and whitelisting. Residential static IPs are available from most ISPs for an additional monthly fee of $5–15.
Related: ASN numbers | IPv4 vs IPv6 | IP Lookup