Forget that old stereotype of the internet as a static yellow pages; with the global domain market booming from a $4.2 billion industry to a projected $6.8 billion by decade's end, the world of web addresses is a dynamic and multi-billion-dollar engine of digital commerce, investment, and global connection.
Key Takeaways
- The global domain registration market size was valued at USD 4.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%.
- Domain name registration revenue for VeriSign in Q4 2023 reached $368 million, up 0.7% year-over-year.
- The domain aftermarket generated over $200 million in sales volume in 2023 according to industry trackers.
- As of Q1 2024, total domain names registered globally reached 362.1 million, up 0.8% year-over-year.
- .com and .net registrations stood at 156.7 million in Q1 2024.
- Total ccTLD registrations grew to 170.4 million, a 1.3% increase YoY in Q1 2024.
- .com and .net domains represent 43% of all registered domains in Q1 2024.
- .cn (China) leads ccTLDs with 20.5 million registrations in Q1 2024.
- .de (Germany) holds 17.2 million domains as second largest ccTLD.
- Voice.com sold for $30 million in 2019, record for domain sale.
- 888.com fetched $19 million at auction in 2022.
- Cars.com domain sold for $872 million in enterprise deal 2015.
- AI-related domains sales up 500% YoY in 2023.
- 65% of new domains registered are gTLDs outside .com in 2024.
- Mobile-first domain registrations increased 25% since 2022.
The domain industry is a multi-billion dollar market experiencing steady global growth.
Domain Aftermarket & Sales
- Voice.com sold for $30 million in 2019, record for domain sale.
- 888.com fetched $19 million at auction in 2022.
- Cars.com domain sold for $872 million in enterprise deal 2015.
- Crypto.com transferred for $12 million in 2018.
- NFT.com sold for $2 million in 2022.
- Average sale price in GoDaddy Auctions 2023: $2,500.
- Sedo reported 9,500 domain sales totaling $75 million in 2023.
- Highest 2023 sale: ai.com for $11 million.
- .com domains accounted for 80% of sales over $100k in 2023.
- Median domain sale price $2,200 across platforms in 2023.
- Flippa domain marketplace volume $50 million in 2023.
- Premium .com sales over 1,000 in 2023 above $10k.
- Chat.com sold for $15.5 million in 2023.
- Escrow.com processed $1.2 billion in domain transactions 2023.
- Afternic network sales up 10% to $120 million in 2023.
- .io aftermarket average sale $5,000 in 2023.
- 10,000+ domains sold weekly on major platforms.
- Stack.xyz fetched $200,000 in private sale 2023.
- DAN.com reported 15,000 sales averaging €3,500 each in 2023.
- Premium nTLD sales totaled $15 million in 2023.
- Broker-assisted sales over $50 million in high-end deals 2023.
- E.com sold for $950,000 in 2023 auction.
- Undeveloped.com platform facilitated 8,000 flips.
- ccTLD sales volume $20 million, led by .io and .ai.
- Namecheap Auctions sold 5,000 domains averaging $1,800.
- Record number of 8-figure sales: 3 in 2023.
- Total reported sales $180 million across trackers in 2023.
- .ai domains sales exploded 200% in value 2023.
- Premium domain portfolio returns averaged 15-20% annually.
- 42% of top 100 sales were one-word .coms in 2023.
Domain Aftermarket & Sales Interpretation
These statistics reveal a domain market where a select few gamble millions for digital real estate gold, while the vast majority trade in the speculative penny stocks of the internet, collectively moving over a billion dollars on the hopes that a great name can become a fortune.
Industry Trends & Demographics
- AI-related domains sales up 500% YoY in 2023.
- 65% of new domains registered are gTLDs outside .com in 2024.
- Mobile-first domain registrations increased 25% since 2022.
- 78% of domains now use WHOIS privacy protection.
- Rise of blockchain domains: 2 million ENS names minted by 2024.
- 40% of domains parked or undeveloped in 2023.
- E-commerce domains grew 18% in registrations 2023.
- Gen Z domain investors up 30%, preferring short nTLDs.
- 55% of Fortune 500 use premium domains.
- Voice search optimized domains registrations +15%.
- Sustainability-focused TLDs like .eco grew 22%.
- 92% of domains renewed automatically via registrars.
- Web3 domains projected to reach 10 million by 2025.
- Female domain investors represent 28% of market in 2023.
- Short domains (3-4 letters) sales premium up 40%.
- 70% of new registrations from Asia-Pacific region.
- Brandable domains popularity +35% for startups.
- Passives income from domains averages $500/month per investor.
- Multilingual IDN domains up 12% in registrations.
- 85% of domains use HTTPS/SSL certificates now.
- AI tools for domain valuation adopted by 60% of flippers.
- Handshake decentralized domains reached 1 million users.
- Premium domain leases growing 20% YoY.
- 50% decline in spam-related domain registrations post-GDPR.
- Emerging markets domain penetration to hit 20% by 2025.
- Video content domains (.video TLD) up 28%.
- Investor portfolios average 150 domains per holder.
- NFT domain integrations with traditional DNS rising 40%.
Industry Trends & Demographics Interpretation
The future of online identity is a dizzying whirlwind of AI-fueled speculation and blockchain-powered land-grabs, yet somehow still mostly serves as a high-priced parking lot for hopes, dreams, and an average of $500 in monthly rent.
Market Size & Revenue
- The global domain registration market size was valued at USD 4.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%.
- Domain name registration revenue for VeriSign in Q4 2023 reached $368 million, up 0.7% year-over-year.
- The domain aftermarket generated over $200 million in sales volume in 2023 according to industry trackers.
- GoDaddy's domain-related revenue in fiscal 2023 was $1.18 billion, representing 18% of total company revenue.
- The new gTLD market revenue exceeded $150 million in 2022 from registrations alone.
- Global domain industry valuation estimated at $5.5 billion in 2023 including registrations, renewals, and aftermarket.
- Namecheap reported $250 million in domain revenue for 2023.
- The ccTLD market share generated 42% of total domain revenue in 2023.
- Domain parking and monetization industry valued at $1.2 billion annually as of 2023.
- Projected domain market growth to hit $7.5 billion by 2028 due to digital expansion.
- United States domain registration market alone worth $1.8 billion in 2023.
- gTLD wholesale pricing averaged $9.59 per domain renewal in Q4 2023.
- Total domain industry M&A activity reached $500 million in domain registrar acquisitions in 2023.
- Dynadot's domain revenue grew 15% YoY to $80 million in 2023.
- The premium domain resale market segment valued at $180 million in 2023 sales.
- Global DNS services market, tied to domains, reached $2.5 billion in 2023.
- Epik registrar reported $45 million in domain revenue for 2022.
- Domain industry venture funding totaled $300 million in 2023 for registrars and tools.
- Average domain registration revenue per user globally at $12.50 in 2023.
- ccTLD revenue growth at 3.1% YoY in Q4 2023.
- GoDaddy Auctions platform facilitated $100 million in domain transactions in 2023.
- Total domain escrow services market size $50 million annually.
- Porkbun registrar revenue hit $60 million in 2023 with 2 million domains under management.
- Domain brokerage fees contributed $30 million to industry revenue in 2023.
- Projected 7% CAGR for domain registration market through 2032.
- IONOS domain revenue segment at $400 million in 2023.
- Handshake TLD revenue model generated $20 million in first year.
- Domain privacy services add-on revenue $150 million globally in 2023.
- Total industry revenue from domain flips estimated at $250 million in 2023.
- Registrar market concentration: Top 10 control 70% of $4.5B revenue.
Market Size & Revenue Interpretation
Despite its digital nature, the domain industry proves to be a surprisingly tangible gold rush, where everyone from corporate giants to aftermarket speculators is mining real billions from the virtual ground of the internet.
Registrations & Base
- As of Q1 2024, total domain names registered globally reached 362.1 million, up 0.8% year-over-year.
- .com and .net registrations stood at 156.7 million in Q1 2024.
- Total ccTLD registrations grew to 170.4 million, a 1.3% increase YoY in Q1 2024.
- New .com registrations added 8.3 million in Q1 2024.
- .com renewal rate achieved 74.3% in Q1 2024.
- GoDaddy manages over 84 million domains as of 2024.
- Total gTLD registrations excluding .com/.net at 35.0 million in Q1 2024.
- .xyz TLD reached 4.5 million registrations in 2023.
- Annual domain registrations worldwide exceeded 25 million new names in 2023.
- Namecheap portfolio grew to 18 million domains in 2023.
- .io registrations surpassed 2.8 million in 2024.
- Porkbun added 500,000 new domains in 2023.
- Total legacy gTLD base stable at 159 million in 2023.
- .app TLD registrations hit 1.2 million by end of 2023.
- Global domain base grew 1.2% in 2023 to 360 million.
- Tucows manages 30 million domains across its registrars.
- .shop TLD reached 3.1 million registrations in 2024.
- Renewal rate for all gTLDs averaged 72.5% in 2023.
- CentralNic group oversees 25 million domains in 2023.
- .online TLD registrations exceeded 3.2 million in 2023.
- New registrations in developing markets up 5% YoY in 2023.
- Dynadot portfolio at 3 million domains in 2024.
- .top TLD holds 3.5 million registrations as of 2024.
- Total domains under ICANN accredited registrars: 200 million+ in 2023.
- .club gTLD at 1.5 million registrations end 2023.
- Annual churn rate for domains averaged 28% in 2023.
- Key-Systems manages 18 million domains globally.
- .vip TLD registrations reached 900,000 in 2023.
- Q4 2023 saw 85.4 million .com registrations, highest quarterly.
Registrations & Base Interpretation
Despite the internet's ever-growing obsession with novelty, from .xyz to .shop, the sobering reality is that nearly three in ten domains face an annual execution, proving that maintaining a digital homestead remains a tougher battle than claiming one.
Top TLDs & gTLDs
- .com and .net domains represent 43% of all registered domains in Q1 2024.
- .cn (China) leads ccTLDs with 20.5 million registrations in Q1 2024.
- .de (Germany) holds 17.2 million domains as second largest ccTLD.
- .tk (Tokelau) has 25.8 million registrations, largest free TLD base.
- Among nTLDs, .xyz leads with over 4.5 million domains in 2024.
- .com renewal rate highest at 74.3% compared to other TLDs in Q1 2024.
- .uk ccTLD grew 0.9% YoY to 10.9 million in Q1 2024.
- .org TLD stable at 10.7 million registrations in 2024.
- .nl (Netherlands) at 6.4 million, up 1.4% YoY.
- .online nTLD second largest with 3.4 million domains.
- .shop TLD at 3.1 million, popular for e-commerce.
- .top TLD holds 3.5 million registrations globally.
- .info TLD at 3.2 million, down slightly YoY.
- .xyz grew 12% in registrations in 2023.
- .co ccTLD at 2.2 million, favored by startups.
- .me TLD (Montenegro) at 1.8 million domains.
- .io surged to 2.8 million, tech favorite.
- .app Google TLD at 1.2 million secure domains.
- .dev at 900,000 registrations for developers.
- .club at 1.5 million community sites.
- .site TLD at 2.0 million registrations.
- .fun nTLD reached 700,000 in 2023.
- .net renewal rate 69.1% in Q1 2024.
- .fr (France) at 3.9 million domains.
- .au (Australia) grew to 3.5 million.
- .br (Brazil) at 5.2 million registrations.
Top TLDs & gTLDs Interpretation
The internet’s domain landscape reveals a global hierarchy where .com and .net’s enduring reign holds strong, even as national pride swells ccTLDs and quirky newcomers like .xyz and .online jostle for attention, proving that while we love a free .tk address, we’re ultimately loyal to the classic .com.
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