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What do Indians Search for on Google

Samyak Lalit | May 28, 2012 (Last update: July 31, 2017)

Samyak Lalit is an Indian author and disability rights activist. He is the principal author and founder of projects like TechWelkin, WeCapable, Viklangta, Kavita Kosh among many others.

Google search is most popular search engine on Internet. It accounts for over 90% queries made on the web. With billions of people using Internet, Google search provides pretty interesting insights into what is going on in different societies around the world. People often search for what they need or what is important for them.

TechWelkin has done a bit of research in finding out what Indians have been searching for using Google search engine. The figures are based on searches made from India during the last 12 months from the time of the list preparation. Data also shows top ten countries where keyword was most searched for. This data has been collected from Google Insights for Search.

1. Keyword: Love

No love in our over billion-strong country? Even much smaller countries look for the keyword “love” -but Indians are not in top ten. What should we think about it?

In May 2012

  1. Philippines
  2. Gambia
  3. Sierra Leone
  4. Eritrea
  5. Ghana
  6. Lesotho
  7. Fiji
  8. Nepal
  9. Kenya
  10. Swaziland

In Nov 2014

  1. Philippines
  2. Eritrea
  3. Samoa
  4. Tonga
  5. Bhutan
  6. Guyana
  7. Swaziland
  8. Ghana
  9. Kenya
  10. Northern Mariana Islands
2. Keyword: Sex

One of the most sought after keyword on Internet is “sex”. In November 2014 Indians rank 2nd in looking for sex as keyword in Google search. India has progressed in this search since May 2012. A leap of two places! Now India is only behind Sri Lanka in the quest for this keyword. Pakistan, a supposedly much more conservative nation, also figures in the top ten list.

In May 2012

  1. Sri Lanka
  2. Ethiopia
  3. Papua New Guinea
  4. India
  5. Pakistan
  6. Bangladesh
  7. Somalia
  8. Vietnam
  9. Cambodia
  10. Nepal

In Nov 2014

  1. Sri Lanka
  2. India
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Ethiopia
  5. Nepal
  6. Pakistan
  7. Vietnam
  8. Cambodia
  9. Papua New Guinea
  10. Timor-Leste
3. Keyword: Corruption

In 2012, India ranked second. It’s not surprising that Indians were interested in this keyword because the anti-corruption movement was sweeping the breadth and length of the country.

In 2014, however, India is out of the top ten list. Have those anti-corruption sentiments in general public died down? Or may be India has become a corruption-free country? What do you think?

In May 2012

  1. Uganda
  2. India
  3. Cameroon
  4. Tanzania
  5. Nigeria
  6. Ethiopia
  7. Kenya
  8. Mauritius
  9. Ghana
  10. Pakistan

In Nov 2014

  1. Bhutan
  2. Benin
  3. Uganda
  4. Burkina Faso
  5. Ethiopia
  6. Cameroon
  7. Botswana
  8. Zambia
  9. Kenya
  10. Nigeria
4. Keyword: Movies

India being the home of world’s largest film industry, Indians are real movie buffs; but perhaps not as much as Pakistanis! Both India and Pakistan are holding their top positions firmly. No change in last two years.

In May 2012

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. United Arab Emirates
  4. Papua New Guinea
  5. Jamaica
  6. Fiji
  7. Sri Lanka
  8. Trinidad and Tobago
  9. Philippines
  10. Nepal

In Nov 2014

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. Qatar
  4. United Arab Emirates
  5. Marshall Islands
  6. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  7. Micronesia
  8. Grenada
  9. Bhutan
  10. Papua New Guinea
5. Keyword: Books

In 2012, India’s global position was 5th … Surprisingly, Botswana led the pack followed by Ethiopia, USA and Zambia.

In 2014, India slipped a notch below. Is that an evidence of the much talked about declining interest in books? Even USA has slipped two places down.

In May 2012

  1. Botswana
  2. Ethiopia
  3. United States
  4. Zambia
  5. India
  6. Pakistan
  7. South Africa
  8. Australia
  9. Fiji
  10. Malawi

In Nov 2014

  1. Eritrea
  2. Ethiopia
  3. Lesotho
  4. Botswana
  5. United States
  6. India
  7. Pakistan
  8. South Africa
  9. U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. Swaziland
6. Keyword: Music

Nopes! Indians don’t look for “music” keyword much on Google. At least not enough to be featured among the top ten. Both in 2012 and 2014, India does not show up in the list. The top ten lists in both years are dominated by small African countries.

In May 2012

  1. Lesotho
  2. Swaziland
  3. Ethiopia
  4. Namibia
  5. Botswana
  6. Papua New Guinea
  7. Malawi
  8. Gambia
  9. Timor-Leste
  10. Zambia

In Nov 2014

  1. Papua New Guinea
  2. Ethiopia
  3. American Samoa
  4. Lesotho
  5. Vanuatu
  6. Namibia
  7. Guyana
  8. Marshall Islands
  9. Belize
  10. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
7 . Keyword: Travel

Indians are apparently not interested in travel. The country does not rank in top ten. UK has not loosened its grasp in last two years. The country remains the leader of the list.

In May 2012

  1. United Kingdom
  2. Singapore
  3. New Zealand
  4. Ireland
  5. Australia
  6. Canada
  7. Hong Kong
  8. Serbia
  9. Laos
  10. Fiji

In Nov 2014

  1. United Kingdom
  2. Ireland
  3. Singapore
  4. New Zealand
  5. Isle of Man
  6. Guernsey
  7. Australia
  8. Jersey
  9. Bermuda
  10. Gibraltar
8. Keyword: Flight

In 2012, Indians featured at number 6 among ten countries that looked for the keyword “flight”. But in 2014, it was kicked out by African countries. South Africa, Canada, UK and USA also went out of the list. Australia although lost it’s top position but managed to hold its ground to remain in the list.

In May 2012

  1. Australia
  2. Fiji
  3. New Zealand
  4. Singapore
  5. United Arab Emirates
  6. India
  7. South Africa
  8. Canada
  9. United Kingdom
  10. United States

In Nov 2014

  1. Turks and Caicos Islands
  2. Sint Maarten
  3. Vanuatu
  4. Australia
  5. Anguilla
  6. Cayman Islands
  7. Seychelles
  8. Bermuda
  9. Guernsey
  10. British Virgin Islands
9. Keyword: Girls

Yes, Indians do use this keyword a lot in their searches. In 2014, India lost just one point and is still appearing right in the middle of the list.

In May 2012

  1. Pakistan
  2. Sri Lanka
  3. Papua New Guinea
  4. India
  5. Somalia
  6. Afghanistan
  7. Nepal
  8. Myanmar [Burma]
  9. Fiji
  10. Trinidad and Tobago

In Nov 2014

  1. Pakistan
  2. Sri Lanka
  3. Bhutan
  4. Solomon Islands
  5. India
  6. Nepal
  7. Afghanistan
  8. Guyana
  9. Samoa
  10. Papua New Guinea
10. Keyword: Hot

It is an interesting keyword. It may mean a lot of things. India has it all: hot weather, spices, chillies, hot plates… and a lot more things that I will leave to your imagination. Perhaps that is why India is the leader for this keyword.

In May 2012

  1. India
  2. Pakistan
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Sri Lanka
  5. Papua New Guinea
  6. Timor-Leste
  7. Nepal
  8. Somalia
  9. Vietnam
  10. Afghanistan

In Nov 2014

  1. India
  2. Pakistan
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Sri Lanka
  5. Timor-Leste
  6. Nepal
  7. Indonesia
  8. Bhutan
  9. United Arab Emirates
  10. Solomon Islands
11. Keyword: Spirituality

India is considered to be the land of spirituality. But in 2012, Indians ranked only 7th for this keyword. In 2014, India leaked a lot of spirituality and sunk to the last position in the list. Will India be spiritual enough to remain in the list when we will do our next update?

In May 2012

  1. Australia
  2. Philippines
  3. South Africa
  4. United States
  5. Canada
  6. New Zealand
  7. India
  8. Ireland
  9. Singapore
  10. Pakistan

In Nov 2014

  1. Australia
  2. Kenya
  3. South Africa
  4. Philippines
  5. Canada
  6. United States
  7. New Zealand
  8. Nigeria
  9. Ireland
  10. India
12. Keyword: Free

It is again a very interesting keyword. Free could be anything! India occupied the second place for this keyword in the year 2012. In 2014, the position is just one point down.

In May 2012

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. Somalia
  4. Sri Lanka
  5. Bangladesh
  6. Nepal
  7. Papua New Guinea
  8. Swaziland
  9. Myanmar [Burma]
  10. Philippines

In Nov 2014

  1. Pakistan
  2. Sri Lanka
  3. India
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Kiribati
  6. Nepal
  7. Ethiopia
  8. Marshall Islands
  9. Philippines
  10. Micronesia
13. Keyword: Job

A number of African countries feature in the list. Is it surprising? India is topping the chart in 2014. It’s a huge jump from sixth position in 2012. Why have Indians become so much interested in “job” lately?

In May 2012

  1. Lesotho
  2. Rwanda
  3. Philippines
  4. United Kingdom
  5. Nigeria
  6. India
  7. Kenya
  8. Fiji
  9. Botswana
  10. Uganda

In Nov 2014

  1. India
  2. Philippines
  3. Maldives
  4. Kenya
  5. Lesotho
  6. Swaziland
  7. Nigeria
  8. Isle of Man
  9. United Kingdom
  10. South Africa
14. Keyword: Rape

Only Indian subcontinent and African countries are there in the top 10. India tops the current list. It’s no wonder because crime against women are a horrible reality in Indian cities. Even on social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc., women are harassed. You can not really argue that Indians search for this keyword just to research about the situation of rape incidents in India. This keyword in often searched by men who want to indulge in obscene material online.

In May 2012

  1. Papua New Guinea
  2. India
  3. Pakistan
  4. Fiji
  5. Bangladesh
  6. Nepal
  7. Sri Lanka
  8. Mauritius
  9. Trinidad and Tobago
  10. Nigeria

In Nov 2014

  1. India
  2. Pakistan
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Papua New Guinea
  5. Fiji
  6. Bhutan
  7. Nepal
  8. Sri Lanka
  9. Maldives
  10. Mauritius
15. Keyword: Female foeticide

India is so way above all other countries that Google lists only India in the list for this key phrase. The number of searches sky-rocketed during 6-12 May 2012 (this was the time when Amir Khan’s Satyameva Jayate was telecast)

In 2014 also, the situation remains same. India and the USA are the only countries in the list with India miles ahead of USA. Google search for keywords “female foeticide” in other countries is negligible in comparison to India.

16. Keyword: Download

“Download” is also one of the most searched keyword on Internet. Indian subcontinent loves to download stuff from Internet. Pakistan and India are the world leaders in tapping material from the ocean of the web.

In May 2012

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. Nepal
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Indonesia
  6. Timor-Leste
  7. Sri Lanka
  8. Myanmar [Burma]
  9. Philippines
  10. Somalia

In Nov 2014

  1. Pakistan
  2. India
  3. Indonesia
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Nepal
  6. Sri Lanka
  7. Ghana
  8. Bhutan
  9. Nigeria
  10. Myanmar (Burma)
17. Keyword: Disability

Despite of being second most populated country in the world, and home for millions of people with disabilities -India ranks no where in top 10 countries where keyword “disability” is searched for. Is it apathy or something else?

In May 2012

  1. United States
  2. Australia
  3. United Kingdom
  4. Ireland
  5. Canada
  6. New Zealand
  7. Kenya
  8. Ghana
  9. South Africa
  10. Nigeria

In Nov 2014

  1. Australia
  2. United States
  3. United Kingdom
  4. Ireland
  5. Botswana
  6. Canada
  7. New Zealand
  8. Guam
  9. Uganda
  10. Zimbabwe
18. Keyword: Fairness

Indian society is obsessed with “fairness” (of skin)… India ranks second in both 2012 and 2014. Countries with majority of white people also figure (but low) on the list.

In May 2012

  1. Sri Lanka
  2. India
  3. Pakistan
  4. Philippines
  5. United Arab Emirates
  6. South Africa
  7. Singapore
  8. United States
  9. Australia
  10. Canada

In Nov 2014

  1. Sri Lanka
  2. India
  3. Pakistan
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Bolivia
  6. Philippines
  7. United Arab Emirates
  8. South Africa
  9. United States
  10. Singapore
19. Keyword: Study

India does not feature in the list of searches for “study”. Why? We wonder! Both in 2012 and 2014, the lists have been totally dominated by African countries.

In May 2012

  1. Botswana
  2. Namibia
  3. Zambia
  4. Nigeria
  5. Fiji
  6. Rwanda
  7. Malawi
  8. Nepal
  9. Uganda
  10. Ethiopia

In Nov 2014

  1. Eritrea
  2. Swaziland
  3. Lesotho
  4. Nepal
  5. Bhutan
  6. Zambia
  7. Nigeria
  8. Botswana
  9. Namibia
  10. Zimbabwe
20. Keyword: God

India is not in the list but again. And again the African continent is the leader in search for “God”.

In May 2012

  1. Philippines
  2. Malawi
  3. Botswana
  4. Ghana
  5. Nigeria
  6. Zambia
  7. Jamaica
  8. Fiji
  9. Uganda
  10. Zimbabwe

In Nov 2014

  1. Swaziland
  2. Ghana
  3. Nigeria
  4. Eritrea
  5. Philippines
  6. Lesotho
  7. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  8. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  9. Malawi
  10. Liberia
21. Keyword: Fun

I had expected these results. USA at the top… and India is nowhere to be seen for “fun”.

In May 2012

  1. United States
  2. Slovakia
  3. France
  4. Belgium
  5. Fiji
  6. Canada
  7. Australia
  8. New Zealand
  9. Trinidad and Tobago
  10. Pakistan

In Nov 2014

  1. United States
  2. Slovakia
  3. Northern Mariana Islands
  4. Greenland
  5. France
  6. Australia
  7. Canada
  8. New Zealand
  9. Bermuda
  10. Belgium
22. Keyword: Yoga

Yoga is loved by the world; especially by the well-to-do part of it. India, the land where Yoga originated, is not the top country in the list. It in fact has gone down two places in last two years.

In May 2012

  1. Canada
  2. United States
  3. Australia
  4. India
  5. Singapore
  6. Ireland
  7. Mauritius
  8. New Zealand
  9. Nepal
  10. Germany

In Nov 2014

  1. Canada
  2. United States
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Singapore
  5. Australia
  6. India
  7. Bermuda
  8. Ireland
  9. New Zealand
  10. Hong Kong
23. Keyword: Literature

Philippines leads a host of African countries. India is nowhere to be seen.

In May 2012

  1. Philippines
  2. Fiji
  3. Nigeria
  4. Uganda
  5. Botswana
  6. Ghana
  7. Tanzania
  8. Kenya
  9. Zimbabwe
  10. Jamaica

In Nov 2014

  1. Lesotho
  2. Philippines
  3. Bhutan
  4. Nigeria
  5. Zimbabwe
  6. Uganda
  7. Ghana
  8. Kenya
  9. Botswana
  10. Belize

These were some of the interesting keywords and their search volume in India and its comparison with the world. I am sure some of the results will surprise you and also you would have found some results as per your expectations. Nowadays, when a large portion of the world is hooked onto Internet, Google search reveals quite of bit of what respective societies collectively think.

Please share the thoughts that these results invoke in your mind. It would be an interesting discussion!

I hope this was useful for you. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions on this topic. I will be happy to try and help you. Thank you for using TechWelkin.

© TechWelkin.com

3 responses to “What do Indians Search for on Google”

  1. AsweenJ says:

    Very good post about popular and most searched keywords in India.

  2. chandrasiri says:

    srilanka – avarage good

  3. Zoya says:

    Love the article! :)

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