While it may seem like just an address for your website, the domain name industry is a multi-billion dollar, relentlessly expanding frontier where a staggering 366.5 million registered addresses fueled a global market valued at $4.2 billion in 2023.
Key Takeaways
- As of Q2 2024, the total number of domain names with a .com and .net registration stood at 156.8 million, reflecting a 0.8% quarter-over-quarter increase.
- The global domain registration market was valued at approximately $4.2 billion in 2023, with a projected CAGR of 5.1% from 2024 to 2030.
- In 2023, there were over 362.3 million domain names registered across all TLDs worldwide.
- As of March 2024, total domain registrations worldwide exceeded 366.5 million.
- .com and .net added 1.4 million net new registrations in Q1 2024.
- GoDaddy registered 12.5 million new domains in 2023.
- As of Q2 2024, .com was the largest TLD with 159.5 million registrations.
- .tk (Tokelau) led ccTLDs with 25.8 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- New gTLDs totaled 36.7 million registrations, up 1.2% YoY in Q2 2024.
- Average wholesale .com domain price was $9.59 in Q2 2024.
- GoDaddy's domain revenue was $800 million in FY 2023.
- Average .net renewal price increased to $11.20 in 2024.
- AI and machine learning projected to drive 12% CAGR in domain industry from 2024-2030.
- 65% of new domains registered in 2023 were new gTLDs in Asia.
- Domain privacy adoption reached 45% of all registrations in 2024.
The domain name industry continues its steady growth and is evolving with new technology trends.
Domain Registrations
- As of March 2024, total domain registrations worldwide exceeded 366.5 million.
- .com and .net added 1.4 million net new registrations in Q1 2024.
- GoDaddy registered 12.5 million new domains in 2023.
- Namecheap saw 4.2 million new registrations in 2023.
- Total new gTLD registrations in Q2 2024 were 1.8 million.
- .de ccTLD had 17.3 million registrations as of Q2 2024.
- Porkbun registered over 1 million new domains in its first year post-2023 growth.
- .uk registrations totaled 10.9 million in 2023.
- Cloudflare Registrar added 500,000 domains under management in 2023.
- .xyz TLD reached 4.5 million registrations by Q2 2024.
- Google Domains transferred 2 million domains before shutdown in 2023.
- .io registrations grew to 2.1 million in 2023.
- Dynadot handled 3.5 million active domains in 2023.
- .app gTLD had 250,000 registrations post-launch cumulative in 2023.
- Epik registrar managed 1.2 million domains amid controversies in 2023.
- .crypto registrations exceeded 100,000 in 2023.
- NameSilo reported 1.8 million domains under management in 2023.
- .shop TLD registrations hit 3.2 million by end-2023.
- Hover registrar had 400,000 domains in 2023.
- .online gTLD surpassed 5 million registrations in 2023.
- United Domains managed 2.5 million names in 2023.
- .club TLD had 1.5 million active registrations in Q1 2024.
- Key-Systems registrar oversaw 15 million domains in 2023.
- .top ccTLD reached 3.8 million registrations in 2023.
- DreamHost registrar had 1.1 million domains in 2023.
- .site gTLD registrations totaled 2.9 million in 2023.
- In Q2 2024, .com registrations increased by 0.9% QoQ to 159.5 million.
- .net registrations stood at 13.4 million with a 0.2% decline in Q2 2024.
- .com and .net renewal rate was 71.3% in Q2 2024.
Domain Registrations Interpretation
The domain name industry's astounding 366.5 million-strong empire is a digital land rush on a continental scale, where venerable kings like .com still dutifully expand their realms by the millions while lively upstart republics like .xyz and .online stake their own thriving claims, all watched over by a bustling bazaar of registrars—from corporate giants to plucky newcomers like Porkbun—where fortunes in virtual real estate are constantly registered, renewed, and transferred in a relentless, low-drama conquest of the internet's final frontier.
Industry Trends
- AI and machine learning projected to drive 12% CAGR in domain industry from 2024-2030.
- 65% of new domains registered in 2023 were new gTLDs in Asia.
- Domain privacy adoption reached 45% of all registrations in 2024.
- Web3 domains like .eth grew 25% in registrations in 2023.
- 78% of Fortune 500 companies own premium domains valued over $100k.
- Mobile-first domain registrations increased by 18% in 2023.
- Sustainability-focused TLDs like .green saw 30% growth in 2023.
- AI-generated domain names accounted for 5% of new registrations in 2024.
- 92% of domains are parked or undeveloped as of 2024.
- Voice search optimized domains rose 22% in registrations 2023.
- NFT domain integrations grew 40% with blockchain wallets in 2023.
- Female-owned domain portfolios increased to 28% in 2023 surveys.
- Zero-trust DNS adoption up 35% in enterprise domains 2024.
- Short domains under 5 characters averaged $5,000 resale in 2023.
- Multilingual IDN domains hit 5 million registrations in 2023.
- E-commerce domains with .shop grew 28% YoY in 2023.
- Cybersecurity threats to domains rose 50% with DDoS attacks in 2023.
- Decentralized domain registrars captured 2% market share in 2024.
- Brand TLDs like .google had 100k+ registrations cumulative 2023.
- Passive income from domain parking yielded $200 million industry-wide 2023.
- IPv6 readiness in domains reached 42% in 2024 deployments.
- Social media handle matching domains up 15% in 2023.
- GeoTLDs like .nyc grew 12% in urban markets 2023.
- Quantum-safe DNS encryption piloted in 1% of domains 2024.
Industry Trends Interpretation
The domain industry is quietly staging a tech-driven revolution, where AI fuels growth, Web3 experiments buzz in the background, and everyone—from Fortune 500 giants to mobile-first entrepreneurs—is desperately snapping up digital real estate, yet somehow 92% of it remains a barren, parked wasteland.
Market Size and Growth
- As of Q2 2024, the total number of domain names with a .com and .net registration stood at 156.8 million, reflecting a 0.8% quarter-over-quarter increase.
- The global domain registration market was valued at approximately $4.2 billion in 2023, with a projected CAGR of 5.1% from 2024 to 2030.
- In 2023, there were over 362.3 million domain names registered across all TLDs worldwide.
- The domain aftermarket saw $2.1 billion in sales volume in 2023, up 12% from 2022.
- New gTLD registrations reached 35.2 million by end of 2023, growing at 3.4% YoY.
- .com domains accounted for 47.2% of all registered domains globally in Q2 2024.
- The DNS services market size was estimated at $450 million in 2023.
- Domain privacy protection services generated $350 million in revenue in 2023.
- Total ccTLD registrations stood at 140.5 million in Q2 2024.
- The domain industry saw a 4.2% growth in total registrations from 2022 to 2023.
- Premium domain sales exceeded $100 million for .com domains alone in 2023.
- Global domain registrars managed 510 million names in 2023.
- The secondary domain market grew by 15% in transaction volume in 2023.
- WHOIS privacy registrations hit 120 million in 2023.
- Domain flipping revenue reached $500 million among individual resellers in 2023.
- The domain portfolio management software market was $150 million in 2023.
- Total gTLD registrations excluding ccTLDs were 210 million in Q2 2024.
- Domain industry M&A deals totaled $1.2 billion in value in 2023.
- Expired domain auctions processed 2.5 million domains in 2023.
- The global DNS firewall market, related to domain security, was $1.1 billion in 2023.
- Domain name registration services market projected to reach $6.5 billion by 2028.
- In 2023, Asia-Pacific region held 35% of global domain registrations.
- Domain escrow services handled $800 million in transactions in 2023.
- Total active websites with custom domains numbered 1.8 billion in 2023.
- Domain industry venture capital investment reached $250 million in 2023.
- The average domain portfolio size for top registrars was 5 million names in 2023.
- Global domain renewal rate averaged 72.5% across all TLDs in 2023.
- Domain name system (DNS) resolver market valued at $300 million in 2023.
- In Q2 2024, traditional TLDs like .com grew by 1.1% YoY.
- The domain brokerage market facilitated $300 million in high-value sales in 2023.
Market Size and Growth Interpretation
The digital land grab is alive and well, with a $4.2 billion industry quietly expanding at over 5% annually, fueled by everything from massive .com renewals and speculative domain flips to a booming $2.1 billion aftermarket, proving that while everyone wants a piece of the internet, the real estate agents are making the real money.
Pricing and Revenue
- Average wholesale .com domain price was $9.59 in Q2 2024.
- GoDaddy's domain revenue was $800 million in FY 2023.
- Average .net renewal price increased to $11.20 in 2024.
- Namecheap's average domain price was $8.88 for first-year registrations in 2023.
- Premium domain auction averages hit $2,500 per sale in 2023.
- .xyz domains averaged $10.50 retail in 2023.
- Porkbun offered .com at $10.28 intro price in 2024.
- Domain renewal revenue for registrars totaled $2.8 billion in 2023.
- High-value .com sales averaged $50,000 for top 1% in 2023.
- .io domains retailed at $45 average annually in 2024.
- GoDaddy premium listings generated $150 million in 2023.
- Average ccTLD price was $12.50 in Europe markets 2023.
- Sedo auction fees averaged 15% on $1.5 million sales in 2023.
- .shop domains intro priced at $2.99, renew $29.99 in 2024.
- NameSilo .com renewals at $9.95 in 2023.
- Dynadot wholesale .com at $8.99 intro 2024.
- Epik domains averaged $15 renewal due to add-ons in 2023.
- United Domains revenue per domain was $18 in 2023.
- Hover .com pricing at $12.99 first year 2024.
- Key-Systems average revenue per domain $14.50 in 2023.
- DreamHost domains generated $50 million revenue in 2023.
- .club TLD wholesale $8.88, retail $20 in 2024.
- Afternic platform sales averaged $1,200 per domain in 2023.
- .me domain renewals at $19.99 average 2024.
- Dan.com escrow fees 9% on domain transactions 2023.
- .co domains retailed $29.99 intro in 2024.
- Bulk domain discounts reduced .com to $7.50 for 50+ in 2023.
- Registrar add-on revenue like privacy averaged $5 per domain in 2023.
- Premium new gTLDs like .luxury averaged $500 registration in 2023.
- GoDaddy Auctions had 1.2 million listings with $120 million GMV in 2023.
- Blockchain domain .eth sales averaged $10,000 in high-end 2023 market.
Pricing and Revenue Interpretation
While the average .com domain seems like a modest $9.59 wholesale, the real estate of the internet reveals a ruthless truth: registrars profit from the vast, forgettable middle by selling millions of $10 digital plots, while a select few premium addresses command feudal prices in the thousands, proving that in the virtual land grab, location is still everything.
TLD Statistics
- As of Q2 2024, .com was the largest TLD with 159.5 million registrations.
- .tk (Tokelau) led ccTLDs with 25.8 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- New gTLDs totaled 36.7 million registrations, up 1.2% YoY in Q2 2024.
- .cn (China) had 20.5 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .de (Germany) registrations were 17.4 million in Q2 2024.
- .org TLD stood at 10.5 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .info had 3.2 million registrations with stable growth in 2024.
- .xyz grew to 4.6 million, leading new gTLDs in Q2 2024.
- .online had 3.9 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .shop reached 3.4 million domains in Q2 2024.
- .top had 3.1 million registrations among ccTLDs in 2024.
- .loan gTLD had 2.8 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .win stood at 2.5 million in Q2 2024 stats.
- .site had 2.4 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .club totaled 1.6 million domains in Q2 2024.
- .io ccTLD had 2.2 million registrations in 2024.
- .me TLD registrations were 1.4 million in Q2 2024.
- .co had 2.0 million registrations globally in 2024.
- .guru gTLD stood at 900,000 registrations in Q2 2024.
- .work had 1.1 million domains in Q2 2024.
- .life TLD registrations reached 850,000 in 2024.
- .bid gTLD had 1.3 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .stream totaled 700,000 domains in Q2 2024.
- .trade had 950,000 registrations in 2024 stats.
- .date gTLD stood at 1.2 million in Q2 2024.
- .faith had 1.0 million registrations in Q2 2024.
- .rocks TLD reached 600,000 domains in 2024.
- .accountant had 750,000 registrations in Q2 2024.
TLD Statistics Interpretation
While .com still rules the digital kingdom with an iron fist, the domain landscape is a quirky bazaar where Tokelau's .tk strangely reigns over countries, .xyz wins the new gTLD popularity contest, and there are apparently over a million people eagerly waiting for their perfect .date.
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