As 2025 draws to a close, a look at global and local Google search trends reveals a digital world captivated by politics, music, sports, and even the humble Christmas cookie. From world leaders and pop stars to devastating hurricanes and holiday baking, the year’s most searched topics offer a fascinating window into what caught the world’s collective attention—and what it says about our shifting priorities.
According to an analysis by PlayersTime using Ahrefs search volume data, politics and entertainment dominated global search behavior in 2025. Donald Trump was the most searched person worldwide, racking up nearly 16 million Google searches per month. Not far behind was Elon Musk, with just under 11 million monthly queries. This outsized focus on US political and business figures highlights the enduring global reach of American media and the personalities who drive its headlines.
Music, too, was a driving force in the online attention economy. Half of the top ten most searched individuals globally were musicians, with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, XXXTentacion, and Romeo Santos each generating between 6 and 8 million monthly searches. Streaming platforms and vast international fan bases have amplified the visibility of music artists to unprecedented levels, making them household names far beyond their home countries.
Film and television also played a significant role, accounting for the largest share—36%—of total search volume among the global top 100 most searched individuals. The proliferation of streaming services has made movies and TV shows more accessible than ever, fueling a constant churn of trending titles and stars. In 2025, popular films such as Anora, Superman, and The Minecraft Movie led cinema searches, following a 2024 lineup that included Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Saltburn.
Sports, while representing a smaller slice of the pie at 16%, still commanded impressive search numbers. Cristiano Ronaldo remained a perennial favorite, while emerging football talent Lamine Yamal broke into the global top ten. The year’s most searched sporting events included India vs England cricket matches, the FIFA Club World Cup, India vs Australia, and the Asia Cup—showing that the world’s passion for competition knows no borders. In fact, the enduring India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry, along with related events like the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, consistently trended across both 2024 and 2025.
But it wasn’t all entertainment and sports. Major news stories and global crises shaped search patterns in powerful ways. Pope Francis topped the religion category, while high-profile criminal cases and political upheavals—often propelled by breaking news cycles—drove enormous spikes in interest. For instance, Donald Trump’s shooting at a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, and the tragic death of his aide Charlie Kirk in September 2025 at Utah Valley University, were among the year’s most searched incidents, according to reports from Time.
International tensions also left their mark on the world’s search habits. The ongoing conflict in Gaza and Iran’s military responses dominated headlines and trended globally throughout 2024 and 2025. Iran, in particular, topped search results as the world watched events unfold. Natural disasters, too, captured widespread attention: Hurricane Milton, recorded as the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever in October 2024, and Hurricane Melissa, the third-most intense, which struck in late 2025, both left devastation in their wake and prompted millions to seek information and updates online.
Zooming in on the United States, the numbers reveal a country at the center of global curiosity. Americans accounted for more than 237 million average monthly searches across the top 100 most searched people—far outpacing the combined totals for the UK, Canada, and Australia. Six of the global top ten were American, underscoring the continuing influence of US politics, entertainment, and media on the world stage.
Yet, search trends were far from monolithic. National context played a significant role in shaping what people cared about. In the US, Trump dominated search rankings, while in Canada, political leadership was top of mind. Spain and Italy saw tennis players lead the charts, while Brazil and Poland were all about football. In Germany and South Korea, political leaders took center stage. The data suggests that while a handful of global figures attract massive attention, local and regional interests remain strong, driven by cultural, political, and sporting events unique to each country.
In India, air quality continued to be a pressing concern. The Air Quality Index (AQI) remained a hot topic in 2025, with pollution levels swinging from ‘Hazardous’ to ‘Severe’ in major cities. Searches for ‘AQI near me’ topped the charts, reflecting the everyday anxieties of millions coping with environmental challenges.
Meanwhile, the world’s digital palate for food trends was also on display—especially in Alabama, where peanut butter balls emerged as the fastest-rising baked good for Christmas 2025, according to Axios. These no-bake treats, made from peanut butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate, were the season’s breakout star in Alabama kitchens. Ornament-shaped cookie cutters topped the list for most searched baking tools, and across the US, peanut butter-heavy cookies and spritz cookies were gaining ground. Just a year earlier, regional favorites like Italian Christmas cookies, gingerbread, and snowballs had dominated, but 2025 saw peanut butter treats take center stage in many states.
The gender split among the top 100 most searched individuals revealed that men made up 56% of the list, with women more prominent in entertainment, fashion, and royal family-related searches. This imbalance, analysts suggest, is less about broad representation and more about a handful of highly visible individuals capturing outsized attention.
What does all this say about the nature of online attention in 2025? The data points to an attention economy driven by immediacy rather than longevity. Search surges are increasingly tied to breaking news, viral moments, and the relentless churn of social media, rather than enduring public interest. Visibility is shaped by political drama, cultural flashpoints, and the reach of digital platforms—meaning today’s trending topic can be tomorrow’s forgotten headline.
Ultimately, the story of 2025’s search trends is one of rapid shifts and concentrated focus. The world’s attention moved faster and was more tightly clustered around fewer names and events than ever before. Whether it’s a political scandal, a blockbuster movie, a record-breaking hurricane, or a beloved holiday treat, the things we search for reveal not just what’s happening in the world, but what matters most to us—at least for a moment.
