What did South Africans search the Internet for in 2021? Google, which is by far the most popular search engine used in South Africa, has the answers.
The company’s annual “Year in Search” report shows how people used search to find answers to questions.
The top trending search term in South Africa was “Sassa status check”, as people looked for ways, presumably, to check if they qualify for a state welfare grant. Google said this reflects the “impact Covid-19 had on the livelihoods of South Africans”.
The lists also reveal the country’s “uncompromising love of sports and entertainment”, the company said, with searches for “Euro 2020” and “Squid Game”, the Netflix TV series, topping top-10 category lists.
Google Trends, which is used to compile the annual lists, is a tool that displays relative search volume across geographies, time periods and queries that people want to know about. It lets users dive into what’s popular on the Internet, allowing them to compare search data by time, location and between queries.
It also offers category filtering, top and rising searches, and geographic “heat maps”. The main two categories of searches are “trending” and “most searched”. The “trending” queries are the searches that had the highest amount of traffic over a specific period.
These, then, are Google’s top trending searches by South African Internet users in 2021.
Trending general searches
- Sassa status check
- Euro 2020
- Premier League
- Shona Ferguson
- PSL
- Pakistan vs South Africa
- Election results
- Killer Kau
- DMX
- Wimbledon
Trending local personalities
- Jacob Zuma
- Mpura
- Ace Magashule
- Zola7
- Prince Kaybee
- Bishop Makamu
- Percy Tau
- Noxolo Grootboom
- Carl Niehaus
- Tatjana Schoenmaker
Trending global personalities
- Christian Eriksen
- Alec Baldwin
- Gabby Petito
- The Weeknd
- Pete Davidson
- Brian Laundrie
- Serena Williams
- Joe Biden
- Lil Nas X
- Kyle Rittenhouse
Trending 2021 loss
- Shona Ferguson
- Killer Kau
- DMX
- Jackson Mthembu
- Menzi Ngubane
- TB Joshua
- Prince Phillip
- FW de Klerk
- Noxolo Maqashalala
- King Zwelithini
Trending sport
- Euro 2020
- Premier League
- PSL
- Pakistan vs South Africa
- T20 World Cup
- Wimbledon
- La Liga
- Champions League
- IPL
- Man united vs Liverpool
Trending movies and TV shows
- Squid Game
- Bridgerton
- Red Notice
- Black Widow
- Skeem Saam teasers
- Mortal Kombat
- Suicide Squad
- No Time to Die
- The Good Doctor
- Friends Reunion
Trending music searches
- Donda
- Drake – Certified Lover Boy
- Adele – Easy On Me
- John Wick
- J. Cole new album
- Osama – Zakes Bantwini
- Amapiano songs
- Kabza De Small – Asibe Happy
- Cha Cha Slide
- Umsebenzi Wethu
Trending “What is” general
- What is state of emergency?
- What is covid 19 ?
- What is human trafficking?
- What is happening in Afghanistan?
- What is Ivermectin?
- What is global warming?
- What is substance abuse?
- What is Squid Game?
- What is Gender Based Violence?
- What is happening in South Africa?
Trending “How to” general
- How to apply for R350 grant?
- How to register for vaccine?
- How to check matric results online?
- How to register to vote online?
- How to check Sassa balance?
- How to tie a tie?
- How to make money online in South Africa?
- How to claim UIF online?
- How to drink ivermectin for Covid?
- How to apply for NSFAS?