new registrations
domain name A readable internet name made of labels separated by dots. Full definition of domain name created in a period, as opposed to names renewed or transferred. registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition of registry and analysts also call them adds or creates. Names removed in the same period are called deletes. The two figures together show whether a TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition of TLD is growing.
- category
- Pricing and business
New registrations are domain names created for the first time in a given period. Together with renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition of renewal and deletion Removing a domain registration from the registry, which starts the path to its release. Full definition of deletion, they show whether a top-level domain is growing or shrinking. The figures come from different publishers that count in different ways, so two reports about the same TLD can give different numbers and both be correct.
What new registrations measure
A new registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition of registration is a name that did not exist in the registry before. Renewals and transfers between registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition of registrar are counted separately. The industry also calls new registrations “adds” or “creates”.
The exact count depends on the publisher’s rules. In the monthly reports that gTLD generic top-level domain A top-level domain not tied to a country, run under ICANN contracts. Full definition of gTLD registries send to ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN, a name counts as an add only if it was not deleted within the add grace period A few days after registration when a registrar can delete a domain and get a credit from the registry. Full definition of add grace period, and it is reported in the month that grace period A window after a registry action when it can be reversed, usually with a credit to the registrar. Full definition of grace period ends. A name created at the end of one month can therefore appear in the next month’s figure. A name created and deleted inside the grace period is never an add: it is reported as a deletion.
Net adds, deletions and renewal rates
“net adds New registrations minus deletions over a period: the net growth in domains. Full definition of net adds” has two meanings, and reports do not always say which one they use.
- Net change. In plain usage: new registrations and transfers in, minus deletions and transfers out, over a period.
- ICANN’s field name. In ICANN’s monthly reports, the “net adds” fields (one per initial term, from 1 to 10 years) count registrations that survived the add grace period. That is a count of new names, not growth. ICANN’s own AGP Limits Policy Add Grace Period Limits Policy ICANN rule that caps credited deletions in the add grace period to stop domain tasting. Full definition of AGP Limits Policy calls their sum “net new registrations”.
ICANN’s reports split deletions into those within and outside the add grace period, each counted in the month the name is purged. Red.es The Spanish public body that manages the .es domain through its unit Dominios.es. Full definition of Red.es, which runs .es, counts names that were not renewed as deletions.
A renewal rate The percentage of expiring domains that are renewed. Full definition of renewal rate is the share of names due to expire that are renewed. There is no single official formula; each publisher sets its own. EURid The nonprofit registry that runs .eu under contract with the European Commission. Full definition of EURid, the .eu registry, reported an average renewal rate of 81% for the first quarter of 2026 without defining it on the page that announced it.
Where the figures come from
- ICANN monthly registry reports Monthly gTLD figures per registrar that registries file and ICANN publishes. Full definition of monthly registry reports. Every gTLD registry sends ICANN a per-registrar transactions report (total names, adds, renewals, transfers, deletions) and an activity report. Both are due within 20 calendar days of the end of the month and show the registry at the end of the month in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). ICANN withholds them until three months after the month they cover, then publishes them. These rules are in the Registry Agreement The contract between ICANN and a gTLD registry operator. Full definition of Registry Agreement approved on 12 March 2026, in force as of October 2026 (.com reports under its own agreement, with the same field names and the same three-month delay).
- zone file The set of all DNS records for a domain or TLD. Full definition of zone file. Anyone can ask a gTLD registry for its zone file through CZDS Centralized Zone Data Service ICANN's portal for requesting access to gTLD zone files. Full definition of CZDS. Under the 2026 agreement, as of October 2026, access is free, lasts at least three months, and requests are answered within seven calendar days. A zone file lists only names published in the DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition of DNS, so names on clientHold A registrar status that stops a domain from working in the DNS. Full definition of clientHold or serverHold A registry status that stops a domain from working in the DNS. Full definition of serverHold, and names without name server A server that holds a domain's DNS records and answers lookups. Full definition of name server, are missing.
- ccTLD manager The organization that runs a country code top-level domain. Full definition of ccTLD manager. ccTLD registries are not part of ICANN’s monthly registry reports and publish their own statistics. Red.es publishes a monthly .es report; EURid publishes a monthly series and quarterly reports.
- Industry reports. Reports such as the DNIB Domain Name Industry Brief A quarterly Verisign-sponsored report on the number of domains worldwide. Full definition of DNIB combine several sources, each with its own method.
Why different sources give different totals
- What is counted. ICANN’s total includes names in any EPP status codes Standard labels showing a domain's state and what actions are blocked. Full definition of EPP status codes except pendingCreate Status code for a domain whose registration request the registry is still processing. Full definition of pendingCreate until they are purged. EURid’s monthly series excludes quarantined, suspended or withdrawn names. A zone file count The number of domains in a TLD zone file, lower than the registry's total. Full definition of zone file count is lower than the registry’s total. Domains under management (DUM Domains Under Management The number of domains a registry or registrar manages at a given date. Full definition of DUM) figures vary for the same reason.
- When. Red.es gives two totals for September 2026, 2,256,055 and 2,257,455, and explains the difference by the time the data was taken.
- Lag. As of October 2026, ICANN figures are three months old when published.
- Corrections. ICANN says the total and net adds fields are among the most often miscalculated, and registries resubmit corrected reports.
EURid’s news of 13 April 2026 gave 3,810,119 .eu registrations for the first quarter of 2026, while its monthly series shows 3,729,802 for March 2026. EURid does not explain the gap.
Worked example: .es in September 2026
According to Red.es, September 2026 had 45,538 new .es registrations and 26,561 deletions (111 deletions plus 26,450 names not renewed). New registrations minus deletions gives 18,977.
The monthly total rose from 2,237,182 at the end of August 2026 to 2,257,455 at the end of September 2026, an increase of 20,273. The two results do not match exactly, and the report does not say why.
How to read a domain market report
- What is counted: names in the registry, active names, or names in the zone file.
- The date and time of the figure.
- Gross new registrations or net change, and which meaning of “net adds”.
- Whether deletions include names not renewed.
- The period, and what it is compared with.
- Who publishes it: a registry about itself, ICANN from registry reports, or an aggregator.
- For registrar market share in gTLDs, ICANN’s reports are three months old (as of October 2026).
Discounted first-year prices can raise new registrations that later do not renew, so adds are best read together with renewals.