Verisign has published the latest edition of its Domain Name Industry Brief, summarizing the results for the third quarter of 2025. As of September 30, a total of 378.5 million domain names were registered across all generic top-level domains (gTLDs). This represents an increase of 6.8 million names, or 1.8 percent, compared to Q2 2025, and a growth of 16.2 million names (4.5 percent) compared to the same period last year.
The total number of registrations in the .COM and .NET domains, both managed by Verisign, reached 171.9 million. This figure is up by 1.4 million names (0.8 percent) from the previous quarter and by 2.4 million names (1.4 percent) year-on-year. Within this total, the .NET domain saw a decline of approximately 100,000 registrations, falling to 12.5 million, while the .COM domain grew significantly, reaching 159.4 million registered domains.
In light of these results, Verisign analysts have revised their forecasts upwards. Previously, due to negative trends observed in 2024, the company had expected zero or even negative growth in its managed domain zones this year. However, they now anticipate annual growth of 2.2–2.5 percent. The average renewal rate for .COM and .NET domains is currently estimated at 75.3 percent, though this remains a preliminary figure.
Country-code domain zones also demonstrated growth during the third quarter, adding 1.4 million new registrations to reach a total of 144.8 million, or a 1 percent increase compared to Q2 and 4.8 million names (3.4 percent) against the similar period last year. According to Verisign, the five largest ccTLDs by registration volume are: .CN (China) with 21 million names, .DE (Germany) – 17.6 million, .UK (United Kingdom) – 10.2 million, .RU (Russia) – 6.8 million, and .NL (Netherlands) – 6.1 million.
The number of registrations in new gTLDs reached 42.9 million, indicating an increase of 3.4 million names (8.5 percent) compared to Q2 and 7.4 million names (21 percent) year-on-year.
A full comparison of renewal rates across all domain zones is not yet possible, as many registries have not published the relevant statistics. However, based on available data, the highest renewal rate has been recorded in the .ORG gTLD at 86.2 percent, while the lowest has been observed in the .XYZ domain at 19.5 percent.
