Google’s Top Searches of 2025 Highlight a Year Shaped by AI, Global Events, and Everyday Curiosity

Google’s annual Year in Search report offers a snapshot of what captured public attention in 2025, revealing a mix of major global events, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, cultural moments, and everyday interests. Based on queries that saw the largest year-over-year growth compared with 2024, the data reflects not what was searched most overall, but what surged most sharply in interest.

Taken together, the trends point to a year defined by technological acceleration, geopolitical uncertainty, high-profile political developments, and continued engagement with entertainment, sports, travel, and lifestyle content.

AI and Sports Dominate Global Searches

Globally, Google’s AI assistant Gemini emerged as the top trending search of 2025, underscoring how quickly generative AI tools moved into mainstream awareness and daily use. Its position at the top of the list reflects growing public interest in AI-driven productivity, search, and creative tools.

Sports, particularly international cricket and soccer, accounted for much of the remaining global top 10. Matches between India and England, India and Australia, and Pakistan and India drew widespread attention, alongside major tournaments such as the FIFA Club World Cup and the Asia Cup. Technology and geopolitics also featured prominently, with searches related to Iran, the iPhone 17, and AI platform DeepSeek rounding out the list.

Global top trending searches:

• Gemini
• India vs England
• Charlie Kirk
• Club World Cup
• India vs Australia
• DeepSeek
• Asia Cup
• Iran
• iPhone 17
• Pakistan and India

U.S. Searches Reflect Domestic Politics and Entertainment

In the United States, search behavior diverged from global patterns. Political figures and policy debates featured more prominently, with Charlie Kirk ranking first overall. Entertainment and pop culture also played a larger role, including strong interest in the animated property KPop Demon Hunters.

U.S. top trending searches:

• Charlie Kirk
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Labubu
• iPhone 17
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act
• Zohran Mamdani
• DeepSeek
• Government shutdown
• FIFA Club World Cup
• Tariffs

News and Current Events Drive Spikes in Attention

Breaking news and political developments were a major driver of search spikes worldwide. Natural disasters such as the Los Angeles fires, Hurricane Melissa, and the Kamchatka earthquake and tsunami drew sustained attention, as did political events including a new Pope being chosen, government shutdowns, and debates over a TikTok ban.

In the U.S., legislative disputes, protests, and the presidential inauguration shaped search behavior, reflecting a year marked by political tension and institutional change.

AI-Generated Content Goes Viral in the U.S.

AI-generated images and characters became a defining cultural trend in the U.S. Viral formats such as AI action figures, AI Barbie imagery, and Ghibli-style AI art appeared across social platforms and quickly translated into search interest. These trends highlight how generative AI blurred the line between novelty, creativity, and mass entertainment in 2025.

Public Figures, Entertainment, and Breakout Performances

Searches for people reflected a blend of music, entertainment, politics, and sports. Musicians such as d4vd and Kendrick Lamar attracted global interest, while Pope Leo XIV became one of the most searched religious figures following his election.

Actor searches were driven largely by breakthrough performances. Mikey Madison saw a global surge in interest after her role in Anora, while Pedro Pascal led U.S. actor searches amid continued high-profile television and film appearances.

Movie searches followed a similar pattern, combining established franchises with original films. Anora topped global searches, while KPop Demon Hunters led in the U.S., alongside titles such as The Minecraft Movie and Thunderbolts.

Books, Podcasts, and Sports Reflect Broad Engagement

In publishing, contemporary romance titles dominated search trends, particularly works by Colleen Hoover and Rebecca Yarros. At the same time, classic literature experienced renewed interest, with Animal Farm, 1984, and The Great Gatsby returning to prominence.

Podcast searches were driven by political commentary and celebrity-hosted shows. The Charlie Kirk Show ranked highly worldwide, while sports-focused and interview-driven podcasts gained traction in the U.S.

Sports event searches remained globally oriented toward international tournaments, while U.S. audiences focused more heavily on domestic competitions such as the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and March Madness.

Travel, Gaming, and Lifestyle Interests

Travel searches in the U.S. pointed to a mix of major cities and international destinations. Boston, Seattle, Tokyo, Prague, and Edinburgh were among the most searched itinerary locations, suggesting continued appetite for both domestic and European travel.

Gaming trends were led by anticipated releases. Arc Raiders topped global searches, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 led in the U.S., alongside established franchises such as Battlefield and Hollow Knight.

Google Maps data highlighted sustained interest in cultural landmarks, particularly bookstores. Historic and visually distinctive bookshops such as Livraria Lello in Portugal and Powell’s City of Books in Portland ranked among the most searched locations.

A Snapshot of Curiosity in 2025

Google’s 2025 search trends illustrate a year shaped by major news events, rapid technological change, and persistent interest in culture, entertainment, and everyday life. While the data does not measure long-term importance, it captures moments of heightened curiosity—what people turned to when they wanted to understand a global event, follow a cultural trend, or plan their next trip.

The full Year in Search 2025 dataset and video overview are available through Google Trends.