South Africa’s top Google searches for 2024

WRAPPING up the year that was, Google recently published its list of top searches across the globe – including South Africa.

According to Google’s 2024 Year in Search, some unexpected trends emerged worldwide, with searches of the word ‘demure’ floating near the top.

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South Africans showed an interest in entertainment, current affairs, events, sport, celebrities, and notable personalities who passed away.

Referring to the ‘word of the year’, Google said ‘demure’, with its ‘outdated notions of femininity’, had been reclaimed and reimagined for a younger generation.

“What began as a playful TikTok trend ignited a broader conversation about individuality, self-expression and challenging societal norms,” said the global search engine.

“From fashion runways to social media feeds, the word ‘demure’ was everywhere, sparking curiosity and inspiring creativity – the meaning of the word ‘demure’ is one of this year’s most-searched items.”

Local search trends
Soweto-born actor Mpho Sebeng topped the searches for personalities lost during the year, after he tragically passed away in a car accident in May in Potchefstroom.

Closely followed in this category was the passing of Liam Payne, formerly of One Direction, and South African politician Pravin Gordhan.

With general elections dominating news headlines in May, IEC topped the most-searched event list, with US election results and the tragic George building collapse taking second and third spots respectively.

Inside Out 2 rose to the top of South Africa’s most-searched movies, while Baby Reindeer claimed prime position for most-searched TV shows.

Afcon, Euro 2024 and T20 World Cup dominated the sporting events category, with the Olympics this category’s fifth most-searched event.

When it came to athletes, unsurprisingly, Dricus du Plessis was the most-searched for sporting personality, with Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul a hot second.

While Donald Trump ‘trumped’ the people category, Floyd Shivambu and Leon Schuster claimed second and third spots respectively, and South Africa’s current minister for sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie rounded off the top 5 searches in this category.

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