Here are a few observations on the state of the IPv4 marketplace during 2022. All the statistics here exclude transfers of IPv4 addresses involved in mergers and acquisitions.

An in-depth discussion of price trends, including causes and effects, is in the blog Prices & Pricing.

Worldwide Address Transfers – From 2021 to 2022, the total number of IP addresses transferred increased by 35%.

IP Transfers – In 2022 the number of IP transfers (block transactions) declined by 28%.

IPs per Transfer – Last year the average number of IPs transferred per transfer increased by 89% to over 10K IPs/transfer.

Compensated Transfer Prices – During the past five calendar years, prices have risen 300%.

Price Inversion – During the past two years, the relative price of small and large blocks has been inverted.

New Routing Table Entries – Worldwide, new entries in routing tables for both IPv4 and IPv6 versions declined in 2022.

Transfers by Region – Recipient RIRs for 2022 transfers (transactions). Note that the average size of RIPE transfers was considerably smaller than those in ARIN.

Intra-Inter RIR Transfers – In 2022, 92% of transfers worldwide were intra-RIR transfers.

Predictions: Uncertain

Recent history suggests that the near-term price of IPv4 addresses is unpredictable. The influences on pricing in the IPv4 market are at cross-currents with one another. The marketplace, as a whole, is clearly strong and vibrant. But war, supply chain issues, rising interest rates, inflation and recession fears have combined to slow infrastructure expansion, if only temporarily. (For more on this subject, Prices & Pricing,)

While IPv4.Global provides more complete and transparent data than any other market resource, even seasoned experts are wary of guessing at future prices. Generally, we advise that when you’re ready to buy or sell, we’ll provide you with information and options so you can make the smartest deal available.

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