Public Interest Registry Releases Report Detailing the Steady Growth of the .org Domain in 2014

RESTON, Va., March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Interest Registry, the not-for-profit operator of the .org domain, today released the results of its bi-annual domain name report "The Dashboard," detailing the worldwide growth of .org in 2014. The report reveals that the number of .org domain names registered in 2014 rose 1.3 percent, bringing the total domains under management (DUM) to more than 10,500,000 worldwide.

Other findings outlined in "The Dashboard" include:

• Registrations in international markets continue to experience steady growth, including China with 2.9 percent, Spain with 1.6 percent and Japan with 2.9 percent of the total .org registrations worldwide
• For the first time since 2010, Netherlands revisited the top 10 list of .org registrations by country.
• In December 2014, 1.37 mi­­llion .org, domain names were ­live in Asia-Pacific, a 16 percent increase compared to December 2013.
• Registrants are renewing their .org registrations at a rate of 81.6 percent for two years or more.
• While .org continues to be used by organisations in nearly every field, information and management were identified as the top two industries supported by the domain, representing more than 35 percent of .org websites.

"Last year, we saw more and more organisations across the globe turn to the .org domain to communicate their missions, ideas and initiatives in support of the public interest," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "While the U.S. has historically had the highest registration numbers, we're seeing an incredible increase in .org registrations from international markets, and as a result, they now make up nearly half of all .org websites. Clearly, no matter where a business, organization or individual is located, .org will continue its legacy to bring people together around the world and serve as a reliable online venue."

To help organisations make a stronger impact, Public Interest Registry is launching OnGood, a new suite of online services exclusively to serve the needs of noncommercial, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and non-profit communities across the globe. With OnGood, NGOs and nonprofits will have an exclusive community website with a searchable directory, and the .ngo and .ong domain bundle to help improve visibility, raise funds and connect with other organisations. OnGood will be generally available for registration on May 6, 2015.

For more information on "The Dashboard" or to download a copy, please visit www.pir.org/dashboard.

About Public Interest Registry
Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit corporation that operates the .org top-level domain — the world's third largest "generic" top-level domain with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, Public Interest Registry's mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

Contact:
Jessica Dunten/Jamie Rismiller
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