As of August 2023, Google has a global market share of 92 percent. Its closest competitor, Bing, has around 3 percent, followed by Yahoo with over 1 percent. In 2006, Google launched Google Trends, an online platform that provides insights into the trillions of searches conducted by internet users worldwide every year.

Every year, Google releases "Year in Search", which summarizes the biggest events, figures, and trends that captured the world's attention in that year. Al Jazeera has summarized the top global searches on Google from 2003 to 2022.

The most popular search category is the category of figures, celebrities, or politicians with 38 percent of the total searches. Among the search results are Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump, and Queen Elizabeth II.

Technology products emerged in second place with 27 percent of searches. This includes Myspace, Facebook, Apple's iPhone, Pokemon Go, and Zoom. Next is sports events with 15 percent, including several FIFA World Cups, NBA, and some major cricket matches.

Then there are natural disasters and accidents that account for 8 percent of searches. Among them are Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 tsunami, Ebola, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and COVID-19.

Film, TV shows, and songs account for seven percent of search results, including Harry Potter, The Matrix, American Idol, Gangnam Style, and Black Panther. Other top searches include Ice Bucket Challenge, Paris, election results, Wordle, and Ukraine.