As a sign of how dominant .com is, we are zeroing in on the 100 million registered mark, and it is possible (although unlikely) that we hit it by year end.
This is a huge milestone to be sure, and a sign of the unwavering importance of .com as a TLD and domains in general.
However, registration has slowed somewhat over the summer.
On April 30, 2011, there were 94,549,208 .com domains registered. An increase of approximately 28,439 per day since the beginning of the year.
On May 27, 2011, there were 95,168,572 .com domains registered. An increase of approximately 22,939 per day since April 30th.
On July 13, 2011, there were 96,024,048 .com domains registered. An increase of approximately 18,202 per day since May 27th.
If the rate of increase stays at 18,202 per day for the remainder of the year, on December 31, 2011 there should be 99,136,525 .com domains registered. Close to 100 million, but not quite there.
If the rate of increase is 22,939 per day for the remainder of the year, there should be 99,541,606 .com domains registered by year end.
If the rate of increase is 28,439 per day for the remainder of the year (what it was between January and May), there should be 100,887,080 .com domains registered by year end. But registration rates would have to pick up to reach this target, and they have been slowing a little during the summer.
So, most likely we will reach the 100 million milestone in early 2012.
