Year in Search 2024: what sparked curiosity across India on Google
Every year, we look back at the moments and trends that sparked our collective curiosity through Year in Search. Globally, there are billions of searches a day on Google -- and 15% of them are brand new. It’s clear that human curiosity is boundless, and what people are curious about is constantly changing.
This year, India's searches spanned a fascinating spectrum - a vibrant mix of sports fervor (IPL to Olympics) and entertainment love across languages (Stree 2 to K-dramas), to also exploring indie music hits (Nadaaniyan fan, anyone?), “demure and mindful” (and hilarious!) memes, and quirky (or Pookie!) lingo. We celebrated our athletes (Vinesh Phogat to Hardik Pandya), while remembering the late Ratan Tata. We dreamt about the wanderlust favorite this year, Azerbaijan, and explored new themes, be it with relationships (Orange Peel Theory, Throning Dating) or workplace behaviours (Gen Z boss work memes). We also relied on Google for all sorts of practical help, from information about “how to vote” to checking on “AQI near me”, and to satisfy our curiosity about the world, such as the meaning of "All Eyes on Rafah."
Here are the trends and themes that shaped India's Year in Search 20241:
Heeramandi to Husn: Entertainment that had us Hooked and Humming
India's search for entertainment reflected a diversity of interests, be it in terms of genres, languages, or the kind of music we embraced. Stree 2's supernatural thrills took the #1 spot in movie-related searches, films like Hanu-man and Kalki captivated audiences with their larger-than-life narratives, while users dug deeper into societal issues with 12th Fail and Laapataa Ladies. In shows, Heeramandi's historical grandeur and Mirzapur's gritty crime drama stole the spotlight, while love for slice-of-life dramas like Panchayat and Kota Factory flourished. International entertainment also made its mark, with The Last of Us and K-dramas like Queen of Tears and Marry my Husband capturing attention. The Indian music scene was dynamic as well, with people humming to search for indie songs like Nadaaniyan and Husn, while nostalgia ranked high, as songs like Ye Tune Kya Kiya and Yeh Raaten Yeh Mausam resonated.
Blue Grinch, Orange Peels, and Gen Z Boss: Memes and Beyond
This year, people turned to a wide variety of entertaining memes to express themselves and share humor. The "Blue Grinch Knee Surgery" meme offered a hilarious take on unexpected situations. Lighthearted memes, such as the "Hamster Meme" and "Very Demure, Very Mindful" meme, also gained popularity, providing both entertainment and relatability. The "Gen Z Boss" meme highlights workplace behaviours. This was an interesting theme this year, with "Gen Z leave work email" also coming up as a top trending Gen Z-related search. But this year's top trending meme was all about relationships, with the "Orange Peel Theory" meme sparking online conversations. Speaking of relationships, "Throning Dating" emerged as the most trending dating-related search this year.
Air Quality, Elections, and some Pookie Questions
New quirky lingo and memes also inspired questions about the meaning of terms like "Pookie," "demure," and "Moye Moye." The global Palestine conflict drove local curiosity with people asking for the meaning of "All Eyes on Rafah". The Lok Sabha elections fueled searches about the Indian political landscape. People sought to stay informed on the results and their implications with "How to vote Lok Sabha" as the top trending "How To" search. People also expressed questions and concerns about weather and health, with trending searches for "excessive heat" and "AQI (Air Quality Index) near me".
Sports Mania: From IPL to the Olympics
Sports fans flocked to Google for updates across a diverse range of sporting events - from local leagues like Indian Premier League, Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Super League to global moments like the Olympics and international tournaments like the T20 World Cup and Copa America. Not surprisingly, Cricket dominated trending matches of the year with India’s clashes with England and Bangladesh drawing the most anticipation. Sports dominated 5 out of 10 trending people searches, with Vinesh Phogat, Hardik Pandya, Shahshank Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and Lakshya Sen emerging as trending personalities.
Bali to Manali, Martinis to Mango Pickles: Travel and Culinary Delights
Our wanderlust took us far and wide—from the shores of Bali to the historic streets of Azerbaijan, which emerged as a hot favorite this year. Closer to home, the mountains of Manali and the vibrant city of Jaipur beckoned travelers seeking adventure and cultural immersion. Exploring new places often goes hand-in-hand with discovering new flavors. This year, India's culinary curiosity was evident in the diverse range of recipes we searched for. Traditional favorites like Mango Pickle and Ugadi Pachadi shared the spotlight with global cocktails like the Pornstar Martini cocktail, and the Flat White and regional specialties like Chammanthi and Onam Sadhya.
Find out more about what India was searching for at our Year in Search website.
