The .nl domain in 2025: a year of contraction and change
Domain name registration is increasingly a specialist activity
For the .nl zone, 2025 was a year of slight contraction and market adjustments. Following a period of stability, the number of .nl domain names dropped by 1.92 per cent in 2025, ending the year at just over 6.06 million. The fall was caused by the number of cancellations rising above the number of new registrations. The number of new domain names registered was static at roughly 758,000, but 812,000 names were cancelled.
Registrars and market share
The number of .nl registrars continued to drop, from 1,098 to 1,058. Domain name registration is increasingly a specialist activity, with hosting providers and web designers opting to act as resellers for the specialists.
Brand preference and intention to buy
Notably, growing concerns about digital autonomy – an increasingly prominent theme of public debate – don’t seem to be driving an upturn in the preference for Dutch or European domain names. The market breakdown remained stable, with 67 per cent of registrants preferring .nl and 26 per cent .com. Meanwhile, .eu’s share stayed at just 2 per cent. One point of concern is that considerably fewer young people (18 to 29-year-olds) now intend to register domain names. Immediately after the coronavirus pandemic (autumn 2023), 55 per cent envisaged getting a domain name. By autumn 2025, however, the figure was less than 20 per cent.
AI and changing online behaviour
One of the main drivers of that trend is changing online behaviour, under the influence of AI. We’ve investigated that topic, both in partnership with research agency GfK and by consulting the SIDN Panel. Both studies found that internet users are visiting fewer websites because they can get the information they want from AI tools, such as chatbots and generative search engines. Over time, that may affect the utility and value of domain names. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs believe that the rise of AI provides opportunities by making it easier to generate content and develop new digital services.
Contraction and change
In 2025, the .nl zone not only experienced contraction, but was also confronted by structural changes in behaviour and technology. In the year ahead, the challenge will be to bolster the relevance of domain names in an era when AI and platforms are increasingly dominant.
More facts and figures about .nl
Visit https://stats.sidnlabs.nl for more data about the development of the .nl domain.
