The domain name system now includes over a thousand extensions, yet only a handful truly matter in the aftermarket. While some extensions dominate in sheer registration numbers, others punch far above their weight in resale activity. To understand the market, it is essential to compare aftermarket sales share in 2024 with overall registration volumes and shares as of end-2024. This dual lens reveals both the global backbone of digital identity and the hotspots of investor and startup demand.
.com: The Global Standard
The story begins, as always, with .com. In 2024, it accounted for roughly 70% of all reported aftermarket sales. With over 157 million registrations worldwide, representing 38–43% of the global namespace, .com remains the anchor of trust and scarcity on the internet.
Corporations, startups, and investors continue to treat .com as a must-have. No other extension approaches its combination of liquidity, brand power, and universal recognition.
Challengers and Niches
Beyond .com, several extensions carve out strong roles:
- .org retains authority among non-profits, NGOs, and open-source projects.
- .net, though diminished from its 1990s prominence, still makes up about 6% of aftermarket activity.
- .ai exploded in 2023–2024, capturing around 5% of sales despite fewer than 1.5 million total registrations. Its aftermarket presence far exceeds its size, driven by the global AI boom.
- .io and .xyz remain favored among tech startups and Web3 communities.
- .de and .uk show large registration bases but relatively modest aftermarket shares, reflecting their local rather than global orientation.
Top 10 Domain Extensions (Ranked by Aftermarket Sales Share, 2024)
| Rank | Extension | Aftermarket Sales Share (2024) | Registered Domains (End-2024, Millions) | Registration Share (End-2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .com | ~70% | 157 | ~38–43% |
| 2 | .org | ~7% | 11 | ~3% |
| 3 | .net | ~6% | 13 | ~4% |
| 4 | .ai | ~5% | 1.5 | <1% |
| 5 | .io | ~3% | 1.2 | <1% |
| 6 | .xyz | ~2% | 4.1 | ~1% |
| 7 | .co | ~2% | 3.6 | ~1% |
| 8 | .de | ~2% | 17.7 | ~5% |
| 9 | .uk | ~1.5% | 10.4 | ~3% |
| 10 | .info | ~1.5% | 3.7 | ~1% |
Sources: Verisign Domain Name Industry Brief (Q4 2024), DNJournal, NameBio, Escrow.com.
Key Insights
- .com dominates both markets: nearly half of all registrations and around 70% of sales.
- .ai and .io overperform: tiny registration bases but outsized sales activity, reflecting high investor and startup demand.
- .de and .uk underperform in the aftermarket relative to their massive registration bases, showing that not all volume translates into resale value.
- .xyz has carved out a niche in Web3/crypto, with sales impact greater than its size.
Conclusion
The comparison between sales and registrations confirms that the secondary market is shaped by more than just raw numbers. .com continues to dominate every dimension, while certain extensions like .ai and .io demonstrate how cultural and technological shifts can give rise to disproportionate aftermarket importance.
At the same time, large national extensions like .de and .uk show that sheer registration volume does not guarantee global resale liquidity. For investors, the message is clear: focus on extensions where scarcity, trust, and sector demand converge.
