According to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB) from VeriSign, the domain name market displayed steady growth in the second quarter of 2025. We have summarized the most important insights from the second quarterly brief for you here.
Global domain name registrations reached 371.7 million at the end of Q2, reflecting a quarterly gain of 3.3 million domains (0.9%) compared to Q1—and a robust year‑over‑year increase of 9.3 million domains (2.6%).
.com & .net: Modest Gains, Slight Annual Dip
- Combined, .com and .net domains totaled 170.5 million registrations, up 0.7 million (0.4%) from Q1, yet down 0.1 million (0.1%) year‑over‑year.
- Breakdown: .com held 157.9 million registrations, and .net accounted for 12.6 million.
- New registrations for these TLDs reached 10.4 million, compared with 9.2 million in Q2 2024.
- The preliminary combined renewal rate for .com and .net stood at 75.5% for Q2 2025.
Country‑Code TLDs (ccTLDs): Steady Climbing
- ccTLDs surged to 143.4 million registrations—up 0.5 million (0.4%) quarter‑on‑quarter, and 3.5 million (2.5%) year‑over‑year.
- The leading ccTLDs remained: .cn, .de, .uk, .ru, .nl, .br, .au, .fr, .in, .eu.
New gTLDs and Legacy gTLDs Show Healthy Gains
- New generic TLDs (ngTLDs) climbed to 39.5 million registrations, a 4.6% increase from Q1 and 14.2% increase from Q2 2024.
- Other legacy generic TLDs (excluding .com/.net) grew to 18.3 million, up 1.9% from Q1 and6.2% year‑over‑year.
- Renewal rates were approximately 32.5% for ngTLDs and 72.0% for other legacy gTLDs.
Big Picture: Market Consolidation and Diversification
- The domain name industry continues its upward trajectory, with total registrations hitting new highs.
- While .com and .net remain dominant, growth is increasingly being driven by ngTLDs and ccTLDs, offering a broader landscape of domain options.
- Higher registration and renewal activity in emerging gTLDs signals evolving customer preferences and potential branding opportunities.
Bottom Line:
The Q2 2025 data underscores sustained expansion across the domain ecosystem. While traditional domains remain foundational, new and regional TLDs are gathering momentum. This trend signals opportunities for registrars and resellers to diversify their offerings and capture market share in emerging TLD spaces.