Google Year In Search 2024: From 'All Eyes On Rafah' To 'AQI Near Me', Here's What Indians Googled This Year

Google's Year in Search 2024 reveals India's diverse search interests, including the phrase "All Eyes on Rafah," practical queries like "AQI near me", popular entertainment shows, and viral memes.

Representational Image | Google Year In Search 2024: India’s search for meanings spanned diverse topics. The phrase "All Eyes on Rafah" became the most-searched term.

Source : Unsplash

As 2024 draws to a close, Google has released its Year in Search 2024 list, offering a glimpse into the topics that captured the attention of Indians. The searches revealed a “fascinating spectrum” of interests, spanning sports, entertainment, practical queries, and trending terms, according to a Google blog. “Globally, there are billions of searches daily on Google — and 15% of them are brand new,” the blog noted.

In 2024, India’s search for meanings spanned diverse topics. The phrase "All Eyes on Rafah" became the most-searched term. Quirky lingo like "Pookie," and cultural terms such as "Tawaif," also drew significant searches.

Google Year In Search 2024 — Trending Searches: ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ and More

The phrase "All Eyes on Rafah" emerged as the most-searched meaning in 2024. This AI-generated image depicted Palestinian displacement camps and became a viral sensation after an Israeli air strike caused a fire in a southern Gaza camp.

Following this, "Akaay" drew significant interest after Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their second child’s name. "Cervical cancer" also saw high search interest after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced $7.5 million in assistance to combat the disease.

Here are the top 10 searches for meanings in 2024:

1. All Eyes on Rafah meaning
2. Akaay meaning
3. Cervical cancer meaning
4. Tawaif meaning
5. Demure meaning
6. Pookie meaning
7. Stampede meaning
8. Moye Moye meaning
9. Consecration meaning
10. Good Friday meaning

Google Year In Search 2024 — ‘Near Me’ Searches: AQI and Onam Sadhya Lead the List

Practical needs guided India’s 'near me' searches, with "AQI near me" topping the list amid deteriorating air quality in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Food and cultural interests were also evident as "Onam Sadhya near me" and "Ram Mandir near me" followed, especially after the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir by PM Modi in January.

The top 10 'near me' searches were:

1. AQI near me
2. Onam Sadhya near me
3. Ram Mandir near me
4. Sports bars near me
5. Best bakery near me
6. Trendy cafes near me
7. Polio drops near me
8. Shiv temple near me
9. Best coffee near me
10. Hanuman movie near me

Google Year In Search 2024 — ‘How To’ Searches: Voting Tops the List

Practical queries continued to dominate in 2024, with the top ‘how to’ search being “How to vote Lok Sabha.” This reflected the massive participation in the Lok Sabha elections held in seven phases from April to June. "People also expressed questions and concerns about weather and health, with trending searches for "excessive heat" and "AQI (Air Quality Index) near me"," the blog noted.

Google Year In Search 2024: Entertainment and Sports

Entertainment searches reflected a broad spectrum of interests. Films like Stree 2, Hanu-man, and 12th Fail captured attention, while web series like Heeramandi and Mirzapur dominated the small screen. Korean dramas, including Queen of Tears, also featured prominently.

In sports, events such as the IPL and the Olympics drew significant interest. Cricket, unsurprisingly, dominated searches, with players like Vinesh Phogat and Hardik Pandya trending among personalities.

Google Year In Search 2024: Memes and Relationship Trends

The humour of memes resonated deeply with Indians. The "Blue Grinch Knee Surgery" and "Gen Z Boss" memes became popular, while the "Orange Peel Theory" meme sparked conversations about relationships.

Google's blog summed up the year, saying, "India’s searches spanned a fascinating spectrum — from IPL to K-dramas, Nadaaniyan to Azerbaijan."