2025’s Most Compelling Domain Registration Statistics

I’m going to use the names of two of Elon Musk’s children — my favorite personality in the tech sphere — to explain the importance of domain names: they’re Griffin and X Æ A-12.

Now, Griffin is a “standard” name. X Æ A-12, on the other hand, is… let’s just say Musk named him that because only he could get away with it. If you’re wondering how to pronounce the name, check out Joe Rogan’s podcast with Musk.¹

While both are names of Musk’s sons, it’s easier to remember the name Griffin because it’s a word, as opposed to X Æ A-12, which is not. Having a name that’s easy to spell, pronounce, and remember is important for people as much as it is for domain names.

A domain name is often the first impression people have of your website, so choose wisely! Now, whether you’re in the market to buy a domain name or you just have a curiosity about the topic, I’ve compiled a list of 25 stellar domain registration stats.

From the total number of billionaires to space exploration, cultural influence, and social media usage, the U.S. leads the world in these interesting metrics. If you’re an American, you should be proud to learn the USA also has the highest number of registered domains, at nearly 146 million.

I can bet $10 you won’t guess who’s second on the list — and you’re not allowed to search for the answer on the internet!

If you miraculously guessed Iceland, well done! The .is top-level domain (TLD) has a pivotal role in this. Iceland has almost 22 million registered domains, which puts into perspective just how far ahead the U.S. is in this metric.²

If you want to establish a global presence for your business, you’re better off opting for a generic TLD (gTLD) like, .com, .net, .org, or .info. These aren’t tied to a specific country, unlike country code TLDs (ccTLDs) such as .us, .uk, or .ca, which are associated with specific nations.

gTLDs are available for registration by anyone. You can select one when you’re registering a domain and keep your details private by opting for domain privacy protection.

Speaking of TLDs, the .com extension is by far the most sought-after — approximately 36.2% of all registered domains have a .com extension.²

If you’re looking for a free domain name, registrars like Freenom and Dot.tk should be on your radar. Freenom, in particular, is noteworthy for offering free domains with extensions like .tk (Tokelau), .ml (Mali), and .ga (Gabon).

To this end, the .tk extension is the world’s third most popular (after .cn for China), with more than 27.5 million registrations.² While domains with these extensions are free, be wary, as they may be part of a promotional strategy (they’re ccTLDs, after all) and could be limited in functionality.

The .net extension is the second-most popular gTLD after .com, with around 3.04% of all registered domain names. In other words, if you want a .net extension for your website, you’ll be joining the ranks of almost 24 million others!

The .org extension is not far behind, with just over 19 million registered domains.² However, unless you represent a non-commercial entity, I wouldn’t advise using .org.

In my eyes, GoDaddy is the most reputable domain registrar. With a market share of 11.35%, it has registered nearly 89 million domains (industry-leading numbers) and assisted around 22 million customers in growing their businesses.^2,3 From .com to .xyz, you can choose virtually any available TLD for your domain.

Here’s a little secret — I bought my first domain name from GoDaddy, and while my website is no longer active, I was very pleased with the services they provided. Just to clarify, I’m not promoting the web host here; I’m merely stating facts.

While Namecheap has significantly fewer registered domains than GoDaddy, with just over 22.3 million, it’s no slouch and true to its name: you can purchase a domain at competitive prices.²

If you compare them directly, Namecheap offers lower initial registration and renewal fees, along with transparent pricing. Additionally, if you seek domain privacy protection, rest assured you’ll receive it for free with a Namecheap plan.

I’m going to be honest with you: before I started my research on this topic, I had never heard of Tucows Domains. And before you call me out, let me tell you who the third person to step on the moon was: Charles “Charlie” Duke.

Everyone knows who Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are — well, Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story universe was named after Aldrin. People seldom remember who came third.

Consider this my homage to everyone who’s come third in life. With around 13 million registered domains, Tucows Domains is a fantastic option for you, especially if you’re strictly focused on customer service and transparency.²

While it isn’t as flashy as GoDaddy or Namecheap, it’s about time that third place was taken more seriously.

While you can create a domain name with up to 253 characters (including the TLD of course), I advise you to aim for a length of between six to 14 characters. Try to make it memorable, and don’t forget to add a hint of personality to it.

To put it into perspective, on average, the length of the top 100,000 domain names is 9 characters.⁴ Generally, fewer characters are better, as they reduce the risk of typos.

Short and sweet sells. Shorter domain names often bring in more traffic, as they’re easier to remember and type (reducing the risk of typos) and help establish a stronger brand identity.

You may be wondering how a shorter domain name can improve your online presence. For example, the domain petsupplies.com is far more impactful than bestpetsuppliesforhappyhealthypets.com.

This is why the top 100 domains have an average domain name length of 6 characters.⁴

The world’s longest domain is proudly listed in the Guinness Book of Records, boasting a mind-boggling 69 characters!⁵ This isn’t exactly a stat you can use to impress your friends at the bar, as it’s extremely difficult to memorize the record holder’s domain name.

You can try it if you want: llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk.

To be fair, simply stating it has 69 characters is more than enough to earn a high five and a few laughs.

Domain registrations occur all the time. In fact, more than 33,000 new domains are registered daily, which means a new domain is created approximately every 2.6 seconds!⁴ There’s no need to rush, so take your time to choose a domain name that best reflects your brand identity and register it once you’ve made your decision.

And hey, if your preferred TLD isn’t up for grabs, consider opting for a different one. It’s not the end of the world!

Speaking of TLD options, you have thousands to choose from — there are more than 1,600 TLDs available. If you want to add a unique touch to your domain name, you can step away from legacy gTLDs like .com, .net, and .org, and choose a new gTLD (ngTLD) such as .xyz, .site, or .shop.

The .xyz extension is particularly exciting, with nearly 16 million registered domains.² I recommend the .shop extension if you plan on launching an eCommerce venture.

I’m not being paradoxical, but if you truly want to stand out, you might consider using an ngTLD with an industry-specific keyword to enhance your brand. Calculated risk and reward walk hand in hand. For instance, if you run a construction or real estate business, the .build extension is worth considering, even though it tends to be expensive.

As shown in the screenshot, the domain housingfinder.build costs $99 for initial registration.⁴ On the other hand, domains with the .net and .store extensions cost far less. Other expensive ngTLDs include .luxury, .club, .app, and .health.

While I could go to any length to help you choose the best domain name for your brand, I promise this is the last stat about domain lengths!

The .com extension is without a shadow of a doubt the most credible. So if you’re planning to purchase a domain with the .com extension (and I hope your choice is available), please keep it as short as possible.

The average length of a domain with a .com extension is 13.5 characters, but I know you can do better than that.⁴ You’re way smarter than the average website owner!

If you’re a surfer, you might want to look away: domains with the .surf extension are making waves but not for the right reasons.

More than 72% of websites with the .surf extension are associated with questionable practices (like spam or malicious content), so please stay away from them.⁴ This is weird, considering the extension seems harmless.

On the flip side, if your business is related to aquatic activities, the .surf extension could be ideal. Just promise you’ll help contribute to lowering the number of spammy sites!

After GoDaddy, IONOS has registered the most domain names among dedicated web hosting providers, with more than 6.5 million domains.² I can understand why: it combines a fantastic domain registration service with some of the cheapest shared hosting plans in the industry.

And I mean it when I say these plans are favorably priced — you can buy one for as little as $1 per month! That’s about how much a packet of chips costs these days (Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion is my favorite).

Hostinger has had quite a year for domain registrations. While IONOS has registered around 2.3 million more domains than Hostinger overall, Hostinger has come out with guns blazing in the last 12 months.

To give you a clearer picture, IONOS’s most productive month as a domain registrar was June, with approximately 144k domain registrations. In July, Hostinger more than doubled that, with just over 307k registrations.²

And that’s not all — Hostinger has consistently outperformed IONOS in this metric throughout the year. A big shoutout to Hostinger’s marketing team!

I briefly touched on the .cn extension earlier, and now it’s time to give it the attention it deserves. After all, it’s the most popular ccTLD, boasting more than 33.6 million domain registrations and a market share of around 4.31%!²

The Chinese government actively promotes local brands, which explains the popularity of the .cn extension. With a population of nearly 1.42 billion, the demand is substantial!⁶ I wonder when the Indian government will start promoting the .in extension…

I still have some interesting stats up my sleeve. You may be curious about the first-ever registered domain. It’s called symbolics.com, registered way back in 1985.⁷ While doing my research, I visited the website, and I kid you not, I felt overwhelmed with emotion.

It’s a piece of history, and unlike the dinosaurs, it’s still active! While it may not be the prettiest site, I’m sure you’ll appreciate its symbolism.

The year isn’t over yet, and more than 134 million domains have already been registered. To highlight just how remarkable this stat is, back in February 2019, there were around 134 million registered domains overall!²

In other words, it took the internet 34 years to accumulate its first 134 million domain registrations. And we matched that number in just 10 months this year. The internet really is the place to be.

Many people hoard rare or keyword-rich domains, as they see them as valuable digital assets. If your favored domain name has already been purchased by someone, you could approach them to buy it.

But be aware: if it has been associated with illicit activities, your marketing and search engine optimization efforts may be undermined.

By exploring the WHOIS database, which contains more than 13.7 billion records, you can uncover domain information such as its owner, registration and expiration dates, and registrar.⁸ Stay safe.

Consider this my final attempt at helping you choose a TLD for your domain name. Currently, 43% of domain names use gTLDs, meaning 57% are either ngTLDs or ccTLDs.⁴

Unless you strictly want to sell to local consumers, I suggest avoiding a ccTLD. I believe opting for a gTLD is generally a safer choice.

It can also make sense to take a calculated risk on an ngTLD, especially if it’s trendy among your competitors.

One thing is for sure: avoid the .flsmidth and .doosan extensions at any cost, as they have zero registered domains!⁴

While I’m tempted to create a website for each just for fun, I’ll resist that urge — and you should too. I wonder why these ngTLDs were introduced in the first place. Doosan Group, if you’re reading this, doosan.doosan would make for a pretty funny domain name!

Unless you’re opting for an exotic TLD (such as .builder or .health), registering a domain shouldn’t break the bank. The average price of a brand-new domain name ranges from $10 to $12.⁴

This can vary between registrars and may depend on the length of your contract. If you have a decent budget and plan to stick around, I recommend you purchase a long-term contract, as it’ll cost less and provide you with peace of mind.

I mentioned Elon Musk in the introduction, and here he is again — he’s always making headlines. Known for his willingness to spend, he paid around $11 million for the domain name tesla.com in 2016.⁴

Most Expensive Domain Names

And this isn’t even close to the most expensive domain sale. In 2014, the domain cars.com sold for an astonishing $872 million!⁹ Money sure does talk. I’d consider purchasing some inexpensive domains as a long-term investment.

I have a hard time remembering number sequences (I do excel in mathematics, though). It took me ages to memorize the phone numbers of my close ones (my immediate family and girlfriend) and my banking details.

I can only imagine the lengths I’d have to go to absorb numerical IP addresses if domain names didn’t exist (I’m pretty sure we’re in the same boat)!

Without domains, the internet wouldn’t be where it is today. If the internet used only IP addresses, the number of websites on it would be way lower. Since it would be far less accessible and practical for you and me to use, businesses would shy away from it.

I’m convinced IP address memorization techniques would have been introduced into the school curriculum!

And yes, standout IP addresses would be incredibly expensive (such as 123.45.67.89), as those businesses that dared to venture into the online space would need to develop creative ways to make their IPs memorable.

We have to thank Paul Mockapetris, who developed the concept of domain names in the early 1980s, for saving us from these troubles! Your dream website is a step away from becoming a reality — go register a domain name for it.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcYjXbSJBN8&t=114s/
2. https://domainnamestat.com/statistics/
3. https://www.godaddy.com/
4. https://domainwheel.com/domain-name-statistics/
5. https://medium.com/@tdodds/the-wild-story-behind-the-longest-website-url-in-the-world-8a6fd24bc15e/
6. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/
7. https://www.domainmarkia.com/blog/technology/first-ever-registered-domain-name/
8. https://domainnamestat.com/whois-history/
9. https://businessnamegenerator.com/learning-hub/most-expensive-domain-names/