Top South African Google Searches in 2022

Google has once again shed light on the curiosities of South African and global internet users alike with its ‘Year in Search‘ overview. Uncovering what was trending around the world as well as within our own borders, a Year in Search offers a glimpse into the lives and minds of people – what worried us, what captivated us, and what we were most curious about. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the top Google searches in South Africa, as well as some larger global trends.

Global vs South African Google searches in 2022

Because South Africans have their own unique interests, many of the categories from Google a year in search are not directly comparable with international search categories, but some of them come pretty close. In particular, we can compare overall, people, sports, and passings searches for some interesting insights: 

Top 10 Overall Searches
Top Google searches globally 1) Wordle 2) India vs England 3) Ukraine 4) Queen Elizabeth 5) Ind vs SA 6) World Cup 7) India vs West Indies 8) iPhone 14 9) Jeffrey Dahmer 10) Indian Premier League	Top Google searches in South Africa  1) SRD Status Check 2) Wordle 3) Climate Change 4) Monkey Pox 5) Ukraine 6) StatsSA 7) Typhoid Fever 8) Loadshedding 9) Matric Results 2021 10) Black Friday 2022

 

It’s interesting to note that were it not for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which was the single most searched thing on Google in South Africa, the game Wordle would have made it to the top spot both internationally and in SA. For those unfamiliar, Wordle is an online word game in which players try to guess the day’s 5-letter word in as few tries as possible. 

Because it’s available on smartphones (remember that 78.6% of the South African population accesses the internet via a mobile device) and integrates with social media, it became a hugely popular way to stir up some competitive spirit between friends. 

Unsurprisingly, ‘load shedding’ weighed heavily on South African’s minds, as did several other quite serious issues – climate change, the war in Ukraine, and not one but two diseases – monkey pox and typhoid fever. 

One thing that stands out straight away is the more serious nature of the searches South Africans tend to make – looking for factual, accurate information (just look at StatsSA making it in at number 6) on some quite heavy topics. This is quite a contrast to the sports and entertainment-heavy global top 10.

Top 10 People Searches:
International: Trending People 1) Johnny Depp 2) Will Smith 3) Amber Heard 4) Vladimir Putin 5) Chris Rock 6) Novak Djokovic 7) Anna Sorokin (Delvey) 8) Andrew Tate 9) Rishi Sunak 10) Simon Leviev	South Africa: Trending People 1) Jaden Smith 2) Will Smith Chris Rock 3) Johnny Depp 4) Amber Heard 5) Zeenat Simjee 6) Simon Leviev 7) Andrew Tate 8) Uncle Waffles 9) Cassper Nyovest v Naakmusiq 10) Sonia Booth

 

When it comes to celebrities, on the other hand, South Africans were just as intrigued by events like the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial, and the infamous slapping incident (aka Slapgate) between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the Oscars in March of 2022. 

The first South African citizen to make it into the local top 10 is Zeenat Simjee, the Springboks dietician who allegedly had an affair with Boks player Elton Jantjies. The next (almost) local celeb on the list is 22-year-old Swazi, Lungelihle Zwane, known by her stage name Uncle Waffles. 

SA rapper Cassper Nyovest also made the list this year. One of South Africa’s biggest music stars, Cassper (real name Refiloe Maele Phoolo) reportedly boasts a net worth of $3 million. 

Top 10 Sports Searches:
Trending International Sports Terms: 1) World Cup 2) Olympic medal count 3) flames 4) Olympics 5) CFL scores 6) T20 world cup 2022 7) Asia Cup 2022 8) Canada soccer 9) Golden State Warriors 10) Indian Wells tennis	South Africa Trending Sport in 2022: 1) world cup 2022 fixtures 2) AFCON 3) banyana banyana 4) Australian Open 5) Kaizer chiefs vs Amazulu 6) Springboks vs All blacks 7) UEFA nations league 8) South Africa vs India 9) Argentina vs Saudi Arabia 10) Mamelodi Sundowns vs Orlando Pirates

 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar dominated sports searches here in South Africa and internationally, with Argentina emerging as the final victors. The Olympics (presumably the Winter games) claimed the second spot in the global searches, whereas here in SA that position went to AFCON (the Africa Cup of Nations), the continent’s most prestigious men’s soccer competition. Unsurprisingly, soccer was the biggest sport on South African minds, although the Australian Open and rugby-related searches did clinch a spot too. 

Top 10 Passings / Losses:
Global: 1) Queen Elizabeth 2) Betty White 3) Anne Heche 4) Bob Saget 5) Aaron Carter 6) Olivia Newton-John 7) Ray Liotta 8) Taylor Hawkins 9) Shinzo Abe 10) Ivana Trump	South Africa:  1) Riky Rick 2) Queen Elizabeth 3) Patrick Shai 4) DJ Sumbody 5) Takeoff 6) Pearl Shongwe 7) Kuli Roberts 8) DJ Dimples 9) Shane Warne 10) Anne Heche

 

No-one would be surprised to learn that the passing of Queen Elizabeth was the most searched death globally in 2022, but here in South Africa, it came in at number 2. 

The most searched loss in South Africa was that of Riky Rick, a highly successful South African rapper, singer, and producer. Born Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado, the hip-hop and kwaito artist – who on the surface seemed to have it all – took his own life in February of 2022. Patrick Shai, a veteran South African actor known for his roles in Soul City, Generations, Skeem Saam, and 7de Laan, came in at number 3, also as a result of suicide. 

Although tragic, these cases have served to bring attention to the difficulty South African men have in seeking help for mental health issues. Suicide rates among men in South Africa are significantly higher than in women, and they are on the rise.  

Other than Queen Elizabeth, the only other name to appear on both lists is actress Anne Heche, who died in a dramatic car crash in Los Angeles in August 2022. Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne also made the SA list. He died of a heart attack in a hotel in Thailand in March, aged just 52.

Top International Google Searches:

Here’s a quick look at the most Googled terms worldwide in 2022:

International News: 

1. Ukraine
2. Queen Elizabeth passing
3. Election results
4. Powerball numbers
5. Monkeypox
6. Hurricane Ian
7. Johnny Depp verdict
8. Texas school shooting
9. Will Smith Oscars
10. Roe v Wade

Actors:

1. Johnny Depp
2. Will Smith
3. Amber Heard
4. Chris Rock
5. Jada Pinkett Smith
6. Joseph Quinn
7. Evan Peters
8. Andrew Garfield
9. Julia Fox
10. Ezra Miller

Athletes: 

1. Novak Djokovic
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Serena Williams
4. Manti Te’o
5. Shaun White
6. Yuzuru Hanyu
7. Brittney Griner
8. Gerard Piqué
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Carlos Alcaraz

Recipes:

1. ???? ????? (Paneer pasanda)
2. Bolo caseiro (Homemade cake)
3. Tuzlu kurabiye (Salt cookie)
4. Overnight oats
5. zimtschnecken (Cinnamon rolls)
6. Irmik helvas? (Semolina halva)
7. ???????? (Pancakes)
8. Baba ganoush
9. Bulgur pilav? (Bulgur rice)
10. Pasta salad

Songs:

1. Tak Ingin Usai – Keisya Levronka
2. Pasoori – Ali Sethi and Shae Gill
3. Glimpse of Us – Joji
4. Satru 2 – Denny Caknan and Happy Asmara
5. ??????? –  Official Hige Dandism
6. ? ?? – Ado
7. As It Was – Harry Styles
8. Joko Tingkir – Farel Prayoga
9. Habit – SEKAI NO OWARI
10. Last Last – Burna Boy

Landmarks:

Google Maps: Top cultural landmarks

1. Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom
2. Big Ben, London, United Kingdom
3. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Al Giza Desert, Egypt
4. Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
5. Royal Palace of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
6. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City, Taiwan
7. Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei City, Taiwan
8. Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France
9. Palais Idéal, Hauterives, France
10. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea

Most searched movies and TV shows in 2022 – South Africa vs Global 

Here are the top movies and TV shows globally by search volume: 

Movies	TV shows
1) Thor: Love and Thunder 2) Black Adam 3) Top Gun: Maverick 4) The Batman 5) Encanto 6) Brahm?stra: Part One – Shiva 7) Jurassic World Dominion 8) K.G.F: Chapter 2 9) Uncharted 10) Morbius	1) Euphoria 2) House of the Dragon 3) Moon Knight 4) The Watcher 5) Inventing Anna 6) Dahmer 7) The Boys 8) All of Us Are Dead 9) Sandman 10) Heartstopper

And here’s what South Africa’s list looks like: 

Most searched Movies and TV shows in South Africa in 2022:

1. Big Brother Mzansi
2. Wednesday
3. Stranger Things
4. Tinder Swindler
5. Manifest
6. House of the Dragon
7. Black Panther 2
8. Black Adam
9. Purple Hearts
10. Wakanda Forever

It’s interesting that Big Brother Mzansi managed to top the local list, seeing as it was widely regarded as a ratings flop. Compared with programs aired on the SABC channels, the show attracted significantly fewer viewers. (Out of interest, the most viewed local TV shows are SABC1’s Uzalo, Generations, e.TV’s Scandal, and House of Zwide, all of which attract millions of viewers each month.) Big Brother’s high search popularity may be an indicator that the show is doing well on social platforms, with fans sharing clips and chatting about their favourites.  

The popularity of Tim Burton’s Wednesday (2nd most searched) and The Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things (3rd spot) shows that Saffers remain big fans of Netflix, especially the fantasy/horror genre. 

The only show to make it onto both lists is House of the Dragon, the prequel to the hit Game of Thrones, which is available on Showmax in South Africa. Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever was the first movie to make the South African top ten searches, and in fact managed to claim both the 7th and 10th spot on the list!

Most searched on Google in South Africa in 2022 

Here are some of the other most Googled terms in South Africa: 

Most searched song lyrics in South Africa:

1. lift me up lyrics
2. last last lyrics
3. under the influence lyrics
4. dali nguwe lyrics
5. osama lyrics
6. all in you senior oat lyrics
7. jeke maan lyrics
8. god did lyrics
9. rihanna lift me up lyrics
10. rich flex lyrics

Black Panther manages to make another sneak appearance in this list, with Rihanna’s “Lift me up” from the soundtrack the most searched for lyrics in SA this year. 

Top “Who is” searches in South Africa in 2022:

1. Who is andrew tate?
2. Who is ceo of netflix?
3. Who is jeffrey dahmer?
4. Who is playing in the super bowl 2022?
5. Who is amber heard?
6. Who is in the super bowl 2022?
7. Who is the watcher?
8. Who is the new black panther?
9. Who is running for president in 2024?
10. Who is Julia Fox?

Top “How to” searches in South Africa: 

1. How to check matric results online
2. How to check sassa status
3. How to apply for R350 grant
4. How to vote on big brother mzansi 2022
5. How to go live on whatsapp
6. How to solve a rubik’s cube
7. How to cook
8. How to hack facebook account recover
9. How to get rid of
10. How to help gbv victims

Matric results and SASSA grants topped this list, with Big Brother Mzansi showing up again as the first entertainment-related query. Number 10 is particularly heart-warming, showing that South Africans are interested in learning how to assist victims of gender-based violence. 

Top “What is” searches in South Africa:

1. what is vabbing
2. what is global warming
3. what is nato
4. what is the relationship between climate change and the regularity of droughts
5. what is monkeypox
6. what is methanol
7. what is drought
8. what is frontal
9. what is alopecia
10. what is nft

For everyone’s sake, we’ll neatly skirt around #1 – if you want to know, you know what to do. The rest of the list offers up some intriguing insights into the South African psyche, however. 

SA saw a number of extreme weather events in 2022, most notably the intense rain and floods in KZN in April. Over 400 people lost their lives, with tens of thousands more losing their homes and livelihoods. Over the 11th and 12th of April, nearly an entire year’s worth of rain pummelled the region, triggering landslides and causing roads and bridges to collapse. The event rocked the country as a whole, causing a very obvious uptick in searches for climate change-related information. 

At the same time, the Horn of Africa region is experiencing the worst drought on record. From these top searches, South Africans are clearly wanting to understand how global warming and climate change are likely to affect them. 

The war in Ukraine also made an appearance here, with searches for “What is NATO?” coming in at number 3. 

In conclusion 

There you have it – the most searched-for terms in South Africa in 2022. Clearly, the interests of South Africans span a wide range of topics. From entertainment and climate change to celebrities and topical news, these top ten Google searches provide us with an interesting insight into what South Africa cares about. For digital marketers, understanding these trends is key in helping to target the right audience with their campaigns. 

We’ll be watching closely as we move closer to 2023 and beyond, to see what new topics emerge on top of the list. Until then, happy searching!