Year in Search: Here’s What Piqued Canadian Interest in 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s time to look back at the news, events, people, pop culture moments and questions that had us searching for answers this year. Year in Search is an annual look into the year's top trending Google Searches in Canada.

From learning about international news to keeping up with sporting events, the trending searches in news and events gives us insights into what Canadians cared about. We learned that Canada isn’t just a hockey-loving nation, this year, Women’s World Cup and the ICC Cricket World Cup were the top trending searches in news and events. Canadians also searched for information on the evolving situation in Israel and Gaza, and other international news moments like the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing, and the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Here are the top trending news topics and events from 2023:

In the world of sports, 2023 was a year of excitement, tragedies, injuries, transfers, documentaries and…romance? Somehow, Canadians kept up with it all. Top trending searches in athletes come from a range of sports, including football, hockey, soccer, and mixed-martial arts. Here are the top trending searches in athletes:

This summer, the Barbenheimer phenomenon took Canadians by storm, so it’s no surprise that Oppenheimer and Barbie were the top trending movies this year. On the small screen, the Last of Us, a nail-biting post-apocalyptic thriller, took the top spot above the coming-of-age, family-focused drama, Ginny & Georgia, showing us just how diverse Canadians are with their interest in movies and televisions.

In the people category, the year was characterized by Hollywood moments and celebrity names, like Jeremy Renner after his near-fatal accident, to the Last of Us actor Pedro Pascal and the infamous Hot Ones video. Sadly, we also said goodbye to some big names this year, like Friends actor Matthew Perry and many iconic singers like Sinead O'Connor, Tina Turner and Canadian legend Gordon Lightfoot.

This year, Canadians were also searching for answers to better understand some of the news moments making headlines. We asked questions like what is Hamas? And What is happening in Israel and Gaza? Viral videos and trends also drove a number of questions like why were teddy bears invented? And why do moose shed their antlers?

As always, Year in Search offers a unique reflection of what we cared about. But for Google, this year is a special one, as we celebrate 25 years of Search. And this milestone has given us a lot to look back on, including nearly two decades of historical trends data. As we discovered, our searches revealed a shared curiosity across Canada and around the world. To explore some of the most searched trends of all time, check out our 25 Years of Search film, read the blog, and enjoy our Time Machine.