Google Year in Search 2025

Google has shared its annual Year in Search for South Africa for 2025, which it says gives insight into what locals tried to understand, fix, follow and debate over.

The annual report tracks the fastest-rising searches, offering a clear sense of the stories, questions and moments that shaped public curiosity, says the search giant.

Some noteworthy moments according to the round-up include the subject of General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, with searches for him surging in July when he accused senior political leaders and police officials of corruption; Earth Day; the G20 Summit; Budget Speech; and the topic of AI.

AI marked a turning point in how South Africans engaged with Search and embedding it more deeply into everyday information-seeking behaviours, says Google. “The surge in queries such as “Google Gemini” highlights the country’s rapid embrace of emerging technology and a growing desire to understand and access powerful AI tools.”

“Year in Search continues to highlight what matters most to South Africans,” said Kabelo Makwane, Country Director for Google South Africa.

“From celebrating our icons to navigating everyday life, Search remains a trusted tool helping people explore, learn and stay connected. This year also showed how deeply AI is becoming integrated into people’s daily information journeys.”

More information can be found here: https://trends.withgoogle.com/year-in-search/2025/za/