Domain trends: worldwide vs. at Openprovider

Although it may seem rather static from the outside, the domain industry is more dynamic than you think!! In 2024, the landscape of available domain extensions is as vast as it is varied. Ever since the launch of ICANN’s new gTLD program, we’ve witnessed a remarkable expansion in the range of top-level domains (TLDs) available to businesses and individuals alike. From classic .com and .org to niche .tech or .art, the choices are seemingly endless, catering to every sector, niche, and personal preference.

In this blog post, we take a look at the numbers in current domain trends and compare them to what we see at Openprovider. Want to know which 6 TLDs made it into the Openprovider top 10 but not into the worldwide one, and which TLD saw its popularity grow by more than 17000% in the past 10 years? Read on to find out!

Worldwide domain trends – .com continues to dominate

As of December 2023, these are the 10 most popular TLDs worldwide.

As you can see, the numbers of .com are significantly higher than those of other TLDs on the list. Out of roughly 359 million domains on the Internet, more than 44% end in .com. The second TLD on this list, .cn, is “only” responsible for 6% of worldwide domain registrations.

The worldwide top 10 is further completed by two classic TLDs, .net and .org, and ccTLDs that are mostly connected with countries with large populations. An outlier here is .nl. The Netherlands only has 17 million inhabitants, but boasts the seventh spot on this list, ahead of powerhouses like Brazil (215 million inhabitants) and Russia (144 million inhabitants).

Domain trends at Openprovider – surprising differences

At Openprovider, our top 10 of the most popular domain extensions looks a little different from the worldwide one. As of May 2024, this is the top 10 most popular domain extensions with us:

While .com ranks #1 on both lists, there are quite some differences from #2 down. .nl proudly ranks in second place on our list. Fun fact: roughly 10% of all registered .nl domains in the world are registered at Openprovider, thanks to our incredible Dutch resellers! That’s especially impressive considering there are currently over 1,000 accredited domain registrars for .nl.

Going further down our list, .pl and .in are two extensions to note. Compared to data from ten years ago, these two have experienced quite some growth at Openprovider. The number of registered .pl domains at Openprovider has gone by a whopping 8174% since 2014, while the growth of .in has gone up by no less than 17497%! The expanding popularity of these TLDs is a testament to the growth of our customer base and the fact that we have been attracting customers from a growing number of countries all around the world.

Meanwhile, the number of different domain extensions registered at Openprovider keeps growing as well: from 283 in 2014 to 852 in 2019 and no less than 1,097 in 2024 – an increase of 288%! And that’s not even our limit yet – as we are accredited for 1,900+ TLDs, there might just be a unique extension in our offer that would be perfect for customers in your particular niche.

Partner up with Openprovider

Do you want to resell a large number of domain extensions at the lowest prices? Or do you want to consolidate your existing domain portfolio at one registrar that offers all the TLDs you need? With 20 years of experience and over 1,900 TLDs available at unbeatable wholesale prices, Openprovider can be your ally in growing your business. Our Memberships are a flexible solution for domain resellers, web hosters, and agencies of all sizes who are looking to save more, expand their margins, and increase their customer retention. Click here to learn more.