IPv4 Market Report 2026
Market Size, Pricing Data & Industry Trends
Last updated: 2026-09-09 | Source: IPv4Center.com
Executive Summary
The global IPv4 address market continues to grow as IPv4 exhaustion drives organizations to the secondary market. According to IPv4Center.com market data, the average IPv4 address price in 2026 is approximately $20 per IP, with /24 blocks trading between $5,120 and $9,728 ($26.70/IP avg). The RIPE NCC region remains the most active transfer market, followed by ARIN and APNIC.
Key Market Statistics
Overview of the global IPv4 address market as of Q3 2026
Detailed Period Reports
Browse every quarterly, half-year, and annual IPv4 market report. Each period is a standalone, citable analysis with pricing, volume, and forecasts.
2026
(11)- Transactions
- 596
- Average Price / IP
- $20.04
- IP Addresses Traded
- 5,016,064
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.54
- Transactions
- 312
- Average Price / IP
- $20.16
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,660,928
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.40
- Transactions
- 284
- Average Price / IP
- $19.90
- IP Addresses Traded
- 3,355,136
- Year-End (proj.)
- $16.30
- Transactions
- 105
- Average Price / IP
- $20.30
- IP Addresses Traded
- 428,288
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.26
- Transactions
- 96
- Average Price / IP
- $20.62
- IP Addresses Traded
- 380,160
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.02
- Transactions
- 97
- Average Price / IP
- $21.49
- IP Addresses Traded
- 580,608
- Year-End (proj.)
- $20.44
- Transactions
- 105
- Average Price / IP
- $19.57
- IP Addresses Traded
- 402,688
- Year-End (proj.)
- $18.26
- Transactions
- 110
- Average Price / IP
- $19.56
- IP Addresses Traded
- 677,632
- Year-End (proj.)
- $17.24
- Transactions
- 102
- Average Price / IP
- $18.54
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,507,840
- Year-End (proj.)
- $16.23
- Transactions
- 94
- Average Price / IP
- $20.64
- IP Addresses Traded
- 868,864
- Year-End (proj.)
- $17.27
- Transactions
- 88
- Average Price / IP
- $20.70
- IP Addresses Traded
- 978,432
- Year-End (proj.)
- $16.21
2025
(7)- Transactions
- 901
- Average Price / IP
- $27.75
- IP Addresses Traded
- 5,005,056
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.10
- Transactions
- 481
- Average Price / IP
- $24.78
- IP Addresses Traded
- 3,050,752
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.88
- Transactions
- 420
- Average Price / IP
- $31.15
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,954,304
- Year-End (proj.)
- $26.68
- Transactions
- 235
- Average Price / IP
- $23.16
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,659,392
- Year-End (proj.)
- $19.42
- Transactions
- 246
- Average Price / IP
- $26.33
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,391,360
- Year-End (proj.)
- $24.61
- Transactions
- 219
- Average Price / IP
- $29.02
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,219,840
- Year-End (proj.)
- $26.94
- Transactions
- 201
- Average Price / IP
- $33.48
- IP Addresses Traded
- 734,464
- Year-End (proj.)
- $33.62
2024
(7)- Transactions
- 752
- Average Price / IP
- $33.09
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,818,624
- Year-End (proj.)
- $33.67
- Transactions
- 409
- Average Price / IP
- $32.99
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,176,832
- Year-End (proj.)
- $32.63
- Transactions
- 343
- Average Price / IP
- $33.22
- IP Addresses Traded
- 641,792
- Year-End (proj.)
- $31.40
- Transactions
- 255
- Average Price / IP
- $32.85
- IP Addresses Traded
- 837,888
- Year-End (proj.)
- $32.84
- Transactions
- 154
- Average Price / IP
- $33.22
- IP Addresses Traded
- 338,944
- Year-End (proj.)
- $33.01
- Transactions
- 196
- Average Price / IP
- $33.18
- IP Addresses Traded
- 393,984
- Year-End (proj.)
- $31.44
- Transactions
- 147
- Average Price / IP
- $33.28
- IP Addresses Traded
- 247,808
- Year-End (proj.)
- $30.92
2023
(7)- Transactions
- 543
- Average Price / IP
- $37.68
- IP Addresses Traded
- 1,661,696
- Year-End (proj.)
- $32.87
- Transactions
- 323
- Average Price / IP
- $35.37
- IP Addresses Traded
- 882,176
- Year-End (proj.)
- $33.03
- Transactions
- 220
- Average Price / IP
- $41.09
- IP Addresses Traded
- 779,520
- Year-End (proj.)
- $36.90
- Transactions
- 169
- Average Price / IP
- $34.53
- IP Addresses Traded
- 588,288
- Year-End (proj.)
- $33.41
- Transactions
- 154
- Average Price / IP
- $36.29
- IP Addresses Traded
- 293,888
- Year-End (proj.)
- $34.71
- Transactions
- 108
- Average Price / IP
- $38.51
- IP Addresses Traded
- 169,728
- Year-End (proj.)
- $36.70
- Transactions
- 112
- Average Price / IP
- $43.57
- IP Addresses Traded
- 609,792
- Year-End (proj.)
- $43.48
IPv4 Pricing by Block Size
Average transaction prices across all RIR regions
| Block | IPs | Avg Price | Per IP | Change vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /24 | 256 | $6,840 | $26.72 | +2% |
| /23 | 512 | $11,971 | $23.38 | +1% |
| /22 | 1,024 | $21,688 | $21.18 | +2% |
| /21 | 2,048 | $38,523 | $18.81 | +1% |
| /20 | 4,096 | $71,803 | $17.53 | +2% |
| /19 | 8,192 | $135,987 | $16.60 | +1% |
| /18 | 16,384 | $258,048 | $15.75 | +1% |
| /17 | 32,768 | $438,436 | $13.38 | +1% |
| /16 | 65,536 | $870,318 | $13.28 | +1% |
| Source: IPv4Center.com Marketplace Data, Q3 2026 (2026-09-09) | ||||
Pricing by RIR Region
Average per-IP pricing and transfer activity across all five Regional Internet Registries
| Region | Avg $/IP | Transfer Volume | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIPE NCC | $21.78 | High | Stable |
| ARIN | $20.29 | High | +3% |
| APNIC | $23.34 | Medium | +2% |
| LACNIC | $25.91 | Low | Stable |
| AFRINIC | $15.50 | Low | +2% |
Market Trends for 2026
Key forces shaping the IPv4 address market this year
IPv4 Exhaustion Deepens
With all five RIRs having exhausted their free pools, the secondary market is now the only source for IPv4 addresses. This structural scarcity continues to support pricing.
IPv6 Adoption: Progress but Still Slow
While IPv6 adoption has reached approximately 40% globally, dual-stack requirements mean organizations still need IPv4 addresses for legacy compatibility and certain services.
Growing Demand from Cloud & Hosting
Cloud service providers, hosting companies, and CDN operators are the fastest-growing buyers. AI infrastructure deployments are adding new demand pressure.
Regulatory and Compliance Changes
Increased scrutiny of IP address ownership, transfer documentation requirements, and anti-abuse measures are shaping how addresses change hands across registries.
IPv4 Exhaustion Timeline
The complete chronology of IPv4 address pool depletion — from IANA central pool to the last Regional Internet Registry
IANA allocated the last five /8 blocks to the five RIRs, exhausting the central IPv4 pool. Each RIR received one final /8 (approximately 16.7 million addresses) under the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space.
First RIR to exhaust its free pool. APNIC activated its final /8 policy, limiting new allocations to a maximum /22 (1,024 addresses) per organization to extend remaining supply.
Reached its last /8 block and began rationing final allocations. New LIR members now receive a single /22 allocation — all additional IPv4 must come from the secondary transfer market.
Exhausted free pool and moved to waiting list allocation. Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean must now acquire IPv4 through transfers or leases.
Depleted free pool entirely with no new allocations available. ARIN maintains a waiting list but processes very few requests. The North American market relies heavily on secondary transfers.
Last RIR to reach IPv4 free pool exhaustion, completing the global depletion. All new IPv4 addresses worldwide now come exclusively from secondary market transfers between organizations.
Regional Market Deep Dive
The global IPv4 market is shaped by distinct regional dynamics across the five RIR service areas. RIPE NCC remains the dominant transfer market, accounting for the majority of global IPv4 transactions. European demand is driven by cloud infrastructure expansion, hosting providers, and telecommunications operators who continue to rely heavily on IPv4 for service delivery. RIPE NCC's streamlined transfer process — with no transfer fee and typical processing times of 1–2 weeks — makes it the most efficient registry for address transfers.
ARIN (North America) represents the second-largest market, with growing demand from U.S.-based cloud providers, data center operators, and enterprise networks. ARIN's needs-based justification requirement adds complexity but also ensures legitimate utilization of transferred addresses. Prices in the ARIN region have trended upward by approximately 5% in 2026, reflecting strong demand from AI infrastructure buildouts and enterprise cloud migrations.
APNIC (Asia Pacific) shows increasing transfer activity, particularly from growth markets in Southeast Asia, India, and Australia. LACNIC and AFRINIC markets remain smaller in volume but offer opportunities for buyers seeking more competitive pricing. AFRINIC's restriction to intra-RIR transfers only limits its addressable market but also creates a more contained pricing environment for organizations operating exclusively in Africa.
Methodology
This report is based on aggregated marketplace data from IPv4Center.com transactions, supplemented by publicly available RIR transfer statistics and industry sources. Pricing data reflects actual completed transactions on the IPv4Center.com platform across all five RIR regions.
Transfer volume estimates are derived from public RIR transfer logs, RIPE NCC statistics, ARIN transfer reports, and APNIC transfer data. Market size estimates incorporate both direct sales and lease transactions observed across the broader IPv4 secondary market.
IPv4Center Price Index
The IPv4Center Price Index is a weighted average of per-IP transaction prices across all block sizes and RIR regions, calculated monthly from verified marketplace transactions. It provides a single reference value for tracking IPv4 address market movement over time.
The index weights transactions by IP count (larger blocks contribute proportionally more) and normalizes for regional transfer fee differences. Historical index values are available from January 2024 onward and are updated on the first business day of each month.
Download Historical Data (CSV)Data period: January 2024 – August 2026. Prices are quoted in USD. Regional pricing differences reflect local supply-demand dynamics and transfer complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the IPv4 market, pricing, and trends
The global IPv4 secondary market is estimated at over $2.5 billion annually in 2026. This includes both outright sales and lease transactions across all five RIR regions. The market has grown approximately 12% year-over-year as IPv4 exhaustion continues to drive demand.
The average price per IPv4 address in 2026 is approximately $20, though prices vary significantly by block size and RIR region. Smaller blocks like /24 (256 IPs) trade at around $26.70 per IP, while larger blocks like /16 (65,536 IPs) trade at approximately $13.28 per IP. RIPE NCC addresses generally command the highest premiums.
RIPE NCC (Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia) remains the most active transfer market in 2026, followed by ARIN (North America) and APNIC (Asia Pacific). RIPE NCC accounts for the majority of global IPv4 transfers due to high demand from European hosting, cloud, and telecom providers.
Despite IPv6 being available for over two decades, global adoption is only around 40%. Many legacy systems, applications, and networks rely exclusively on IPv4. Organizations need IPv4 for backward compatibility, and dual-stack configurations still require IPv4 addresses. This structural dependency ensures continued demand and sustained pricing.
IPv4 prices have generally increased 1–5% compared to 2025, depending on the block size and RIR region. The rate of increase has moderated from the rapid appreciation seen in 2021–2023, as the market matures and supply from decommissioned legacy networks enters the market. However, the overall trend remains upward due to structural scarcity.
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