if (!IsPostBack) { List<Country> countries = GetCountries(); // Add "Select" as the first item in the list countries.Insert(0, new Country { Id = 0, Name = "Select" }); ddlCountries.DataSource = countries; ddlCountries.DataBind(); } } private List<Country> GetCountries() { // Code to retrieve the list of countries from the database // and return it as a List<Country> // Replace this with your actual data retrieval logic List<Country> countries = new List<Country>