The third quarter of 2024 saw 362.3 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), reflecting a slight decrease of 0.1 million registrations compared to the previous quarter. However, year-over-year, the domain registrations rose by 0.8%, which translates to an increase of 3 million registrations. This quarter’s report shows minor shifts in domain registration patterns and renewal rates among the most popular domains.
Domain statistics for .com and .net TLDs
As of September 30, 2024, the combined registrations for .com and .net totaled 169.6 million. Specifically, .com maintained a strong lead with 156.7 million registrations, while .net followed with 12.9 million. Although these two TLDs remain the most prominent, they experienced a slight decline in numbers. New registrations for .com and .net combined reached 9.3 million, showing a drop from the previous year’s 9.9 million in Q3 2023. The renewal rate for these domains was around 72.3%, indicating stability in user retention but also highlighting potential competition with other TLDs.
Trends in country-code TLDs (ccTLDs)
Country-code TLDs accounted for 140.1 million registrations by the end of Q3 2024, marking a modest increase of 0.1 million from the previous quarter. Year-over-year, ccTLDs showed a growth of 1.4%, driven by strong performances in certain regions. The top ccTLDs included .cn (China), .de (Germany), and .uk (United Kingdom), with .cn leading at 19.7 million registrations. Among the top 10 ccTLDs, renewal rates ranged from 83.4% for .fr (France) to 75.8% for .ru (Russia), demonstrating user retention variability across regions.
Growth in new generic TLDs (ngTLDs)
New generic TLDs (ngTLDs) saw an increase to 35.4 million registrations in Q3 2024, up by 2.4% compared to Q2. This category showed significant year-over-year growth at 17.4%, indicating rising interest in ngTLDs as users explore more creative and specific domain options. The .org TLD had one of the highest renewal rates at 88.4%, while other ngTLDs like .xyz and .info showed competitive renewal percentages, with the overall renewal rate for ngTLDs at 35.7%.
The domain industry in Q3 2024 reflects steady growth and shifts across different TLD categories. While traditional domains like .com and .net continue to lead, ccTLDs and new gTLDs are making notable contributions to the overall growth. Renewal rates vary significantly across TLD types, highlighting the dynamics of user retention in this competitive landscape.
