Welcome to The Lowdown from DN Journal, your go-to source for the latest news and insights from the global domain name industry. The Lowdown is curated by Ron Jackson, the Editor & Publisher of DN Journal.
In a recent report by VeriSign, the administrator of .com and .net TLDs, it was revealed that global domain registrations surpassed 368 million by the end of the first quarter of 2025. This marked a year-over-year increase of 6.1 million registrations, a 1.7% rise.
While .com continues to maintain its dominance as the leading TLD on the Internet, it experienced a slight decline in registrations compared to the previous year. At the close of 1Q-2024, .com had 157.2 million domains, down by approximately 2.2 million, representing a 1.4% decrease. Similarly, .net also saw a decline of 500,000 domains year over year, ending at 12.6 million registrations by 1Q-2025, a 3.9% drop.
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) saw a positive trend, finishing the first quarter of 2025 with 142.9 million registrations, an increase of 3.4 million compared to the previous year, marking a 2.4% rise. New generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) experienced the most significant growth, adding 4.5 million domains to reach a total of 37.8 million by the end of 1Q-2025, reflecting a 13.5% increase year over year.
Legacy gTLDs, excluding .com and .net, which encompass older TLDs predating ICANN’s new gTLD program, had a combined total of 17.9 million registrations by the end of the latest quarter. Notably, .org alone accounted for 11.1 million registrations, comprising over 60% of this category. Overall, this subset of legacy TLDs gained approximately 850,000 domains year over year, a 5% increase.
Industry experts suggest that the growth in new gTLD registrations reflects evolving trends in online branding and marketing strategies. Businesses and individuals are increasingly exploring diverse domain options beyond traditional TLDs to establish distinct online identities and enhance visibility in a competitive digital landscape.
As the domain name industry continues to evolve, stakeholders are advised to monitor registration trends and emerging domain extensions to align their online presence with evolving consumer preferences and market dynamics. Adapting to changing domain landscape can offer strategic advantages in brand positioning and digital marketing efforts.
For the latest updates and in-depth analysis of domain industry developments, stay tuned to DN Journal’s The Lowdown and follow us on social media for real-time insights and expert commentary on emerging trends in the domain name space.