How Many Domains Are There? Interesting Facts for 2025

Have you ever tried registering the perfect domain name, only to find it’s already taken? That’s because hundreds of millions of domains already exist, with new ones being registered daily – making it as rare as winning the lottery to secure the one you want.

In this article, I’ll break down the latest domain statistics, including how many domains exist, how many TLDs are available, and current trends. Let’s dive into the facts.

There are 364.3 million domains worldwide

The number of domains worldwide keeps growing but slower than before. According to DNIB, at the end of 2024, there were 364.3 million world domain names, up from 359.8 million in Q4 2023 and 350.4 million in Q4 2022.

Total domain name registrations — Source: DNIB

While the increase from 2023 to 2024 was 4.5 million domains (1.2%), the growth from 2022 to 2023 was significantly higher at 9.4 million (2.7%). Despite this slowdown, the total number of domains remains strong, as businesses, individuals, and organizations continue registering new domains daily. Several factors influence these domain statistics, including the introduction of new TLDs and the rise of online businesses.

There are 1591 domain extensions in total

According to Openprovider – an ICANN-accredited domain registrar – 1591 domain extensions existed online at the end of 2024. These extensions are categorized as follows:

1249 generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Examples include .com and .net, which are widely used by businesses and individuals. Some gTLDs, like .com and .net, are unrestricted and open to anyone, while others, such as .aero and .bank, have specific eligibility requirements based on industry or geography.
316 country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). These include .nl (Netherlands) and .de (Germany). Some ccTLDs are unrestricted and available to anyone, while others have local residency and business requirements.
10 test domains. Reserved for development and testing purposes.
1 infrastructure domain (.arpa). Used exclusively for technical network management, including reverse DNS lookups and IP address mapping. It is not available for general registration.

North America leads in domain registrations

North America comes first in the number of domain registrations. This is because the .com extension originated in the US and remains widely used there. The US is also home to major enterprises, startups, and eCommerce businesses, further driving domain registrations. Additionally, Canada contributes to North America’s domain count with its country-code domain, .ca.

Europe follows closely behind, with a large number of domain registrations in countries such as Germany (.de), the UK (.uk), and the Netherlands (.nl). Meanwhile, Asia is rapidly catching up, with China’s .cn extension ranking among the most commonly registered ccTLDs worldwide.

The most popular domain extensions: .com, .cn, and .de

Unsurprisingly, .com is the most popular TLD worldwide. It is widely recognized and often associated with credibility. Additionally, it offers benefits such as global accessibility and easy memorability. I’ve also found that all the 10 most expensive domains ever sold had the .com extension, further highlighting its dominance.

The .cn (China) extension ranks second. Its popularity continues to grow each year, driven by China’s expanding economy and massive online user base – now exceeding 1 billion.

In third place is .de (Germany). Despite Germany’s smaller population compared to other leading digital markets, it boasts high internet penetration and a thriving eCommerce sector. Germans also tend to trust .de domains, as they indicate local relevance and credibility.

While .com remains the leading choice, businesses and individuals increasingly opt for country-specific TLDs, as they enhance user trust in regional markets and improve search engine rankings within those areas.

316 ccTLDs exist worldwide

Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) primarily serve to organize the internet geographically and help search engines determine a website’s target region. Each ccTLD is managed by local authorities, which enforce their own regulations.

According to DNIB’s quarterly report, 316 ccTLDs were registered as of the end of 2024. Every country recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has its own ccTLD, such as .uk (United Kingdom), .nl (Netherlands), and .in (India).

Top 10 country code top-level domains — Source: DNIB

In 2024, ccTLDs reached over 140 million registrations, growing 1.4% year-over-year. While European ccTLDs remain dominant, Asia-Pacific and African domain registrations are rising fast.

Anguilla makes millions from its .ai domain

Beyond their original purpose, some ccTLDs have become highly valuable assets. Extensions like .tv (Tuvalu) and .ai (Anguilla) generate significant revenue due to their strong associations with industries such as media and artificial intelligence.

For example, Anguilla is generating significant revenue from its .ai domain, which has become popular due to the popularity of artificial intelligence. The island's government earns around $3 million monthly from domain sales, which is about a third of the island's monthly budget.

As for Tuvalu, the .tv ccTLD is estimated to make $7 million for the island annually. The domain extension is widely used for websites related to television, video content, and streaming services.

Thousands of domains expire daily

According to DomCop's statistics, over 150,000 domains were listed as expired on February 19, 2025. This shows the large number of domains that become available daily due to non-renewal. Domains usually have to be renewed annually, yet many registrars offer auto-renewal options. Forgetting to renew your domain can mean losing your website and email to someone else.

The market for expired domains is very active. Some services provide tools to find valuable expired domains for purchase and resale. These domains can then be resold at a premium price or repurposed for new businesses, as they often retain SEO value, backlinks, and traffic.

Fewer .com and .net domains are being registered

While people are still registering .com and .net domains, many are expiring or being deleted. In Q4 2024, there were 9.5 million new .com and .net registrations, which is slightly more than the 9 million in Q4 2023. However, the number of active .com and .net domains dropped by 3.7 million.

There are a few reasons why this may be happening. First of all, it’s difficult to find memorable domain names with these popular extensions, so users often opt for a different TLD. Newer TLDs offer more specific and industry-relevant alternatives such as .shop or .tech. In 2024, the renewal rate for .com and .net domains was 73.9%, meaning more than a quarter of domains were not renewed. As a result, even with fresh registrations, the overall number of active domains is declining.

The highest price ever paid for a domain was $30 million

While the typical price for purchasing a domain name ranges from $10.00 to $20.00, some domain names are in such high demand that they sell for staggering prices. For example, in 2019, MicroStrategy sold the voice.com domain name for $30 million. It was purchased by Block.one, a blockchain software developer, to launch a new blockchain-based social media platform. As of this writing, the website is inactive for unknown reasons.

Another big sale took place in 2014, when the domain name Tesla.com was sold to Tesla Motors. Although Tesla was incorporated in 2003, it wasn’t able to acquire the domain name until a decade later. The acquisition was delayed because the previous owner, Stu Grossman, argued that the word “Tesla” is a general term in physics and engineering.

10 biggest domain sales — Source: Wikipedia

Some recent high-value domain sales also include Chat.com, which was sold for $15.5 million in 2023, NFTs.com for $15 million in 2022, and Rocket.com for $14 million in 2024.

New generic TLDs are growing in popularity

One of the fastest-growing domain segments is new generic TLDs (ngTLDs), which reached 35.4 million registrations in 2024, showing a 17.4% year-over-year growth. This category includes domains like .tech, .app, and .agency, providing more creative branding options. These extensions make it easier to define a website's purpose and target the key audience.

However, renewal rates for these domains are very low. In 2024, only 35.7% were renewed. This could be due to low first-year pricing and the common use of these domains for startups, short-term projects, and experimental business ideas.

ICANN’s New gTLD Program, launched in 2012, has introduced new TLD options over the years. A new round of applications is planned for 2026, allowing businesses and individuals to submit new TLD options. ICANN plans to introduce more geographic and IT-related domains during this round.