Trending Google Searches in UAE | 2023

As we approach the year’s end, lets take a look at UAE resident’s trending Google searches in 2023.

Annually, Google unveils its ‘Year in Search,’ presenting lists that highlight the most-searched terms across various categories, spanning from news events to movies. The global search roundup encompasses cultural phenomena such as the films ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ and ‘Jawan,’ along with the Marvel actor Jeremy Renner, who faced a life-threatening accident early in the year. Notable global news terms include searches related to the Gaza conflict and the June implosion of the Titanic submarine.

For the year 2023, here are the most-searched news terms by UAE residents, with the Titanic submarine ranking sixth and the earthquake in Morocco making the top 10:

1. Palestine and Israel War
2. Chandrayaan-3
3. Turkey – Syria Earthquake
4. Karnataka Elections
5. Gautam Adani Group Crisis
6. Titanic submarine
7. Egypt currency devaluation
8. Morocco Earthquake
9. Cyclone Biparjoy
10. Manipur News

The ‘local and regional events’ list showcases the Saudi Pro League, Dubai’s Gitex 2023, among others, with COP28 making it into the top 10:

1. Saudi Pro League
2. Gitex 2023
3. PSG vs Riyadh XI
4. UFC 294
5. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
6. Gulf Cup
7. International League T20
8. COP28
9. Arab Health
10. Dubai Run

In the realm of pop culture, ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Jawan’ secured the top spots in movies, with ‘Barbie’ narrowly missing the top 5:

1. Oppenheimer
2. Jawan
3. Jailer
4. Pathan
5. Leo
6. Barbie
7. Gadar 2
8. Varisu
9. King of Kotha
10. Mission: Impossible 7

For TV series, the remakes of childhood classics (‘Wednesday’ and ‘One Piece’) and the Saudi comedy ‘Shabab Al Bomb’ took the top spots:

1. Wednesday
2. Shabab Al Bomb 11
3. The Last of Us
4. One Piece
5. King The Land
6. Kaleidoscope
7. Guns and Gulaabs
8. Gaafar AlOmda
9. AlThaman
10. Kerala Crime Files

The top five sports tournaments revolved around cricket, featuring four Cricket World Cup matches and one T20 World Cup match:

1. Cricket World Cup: India vs Sri Lanka
2. Cricket World Cup: India vs New Zealand
3. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: India vs Australia
4. Cricket World Cup: Pakistan vs Afghanistan
5. ICC Cricket World Cup: New Zealand vs Pakistan
6. Cricket World Cup: Bangladesh vs India
7. Cricket World Cup: Pakistan vs India
8. ICC Cricket World Cup: India vs England
9. Cricket World Cup: Pakistan vs South Africa
10. Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan

Unsurprisingly, the top personalities googled in 2023 included three cricket players – Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand, India’s Shubman Gill, and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell. (UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who spent six months in space, came in at number 7.)

1. Rachin Ravindra
2. Gautam Shantilal Adani
3. Shubman Gill
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Kiara Advani
6. Angelo Mathews
7. Sultan Al Neyadi
8. Shreyas Iyer
9. Dunith Wellalage
10. Tiger Shroff

With AI dominating conversations in 2023, the most-searched platforms included ‘Generative AI platforms.’ Additionally, the job loss insurance website gained attention as the deadline for mandatory registrations passed in October:

1. Generative AI platforms
2. ILOE (Involuntary Loss of Employment Insurance)
3. Score808
4. WhatsApp Web
5. Temu
6. Threads
7. Emirates School Establishment
8. Snapchat Web
9. Bdnaash
10. MoFAIC Smart Services