Here's what people searched for on Google India this year: Cowin, covid vaccine, black fungus

No surprises here. Covid-19 vaccination-related searches were among the most-searched topics on Google India through 2021. 

According to the company’s annual roundup called ‘Year in Search 2021’, the Indian government’s CoWin portal, which is used for tracking and applying for vaccination slots, ranked as the second most searched overall topic in 2021.

Searches for how to register for the covid-19 vaccines, along with searches to locate nearby vaccination as well as covid-19 testing centres also ranked among top searches on Google India through 2021. Searches related to black fungus, which is the common term for a fungal disease called mucormycosis, were also among the most searched topics on Google in India. Mucormycosis was reported as a severe side-effect of covid-19, particularly during the second wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that hit India in mid-2021. 

The country’s oxygen supply crisis is also reflected in Google’s year-end summary of search queries, with users searching for ‘how to increase oxygen level’ and ‘how to make oxygen at home’ throughout the year.

Interestingly, covid-19 vaccination-related searches on Google India peaked in volume in early April, shortly before India opened its vaccination drive for all individuals above the age of 18. However, the search volume has been on a steady decline since early July, to presently be close to its all-time lows in the country. The same applies for all covid-19 related searches in India.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament remained the most overall searched topic on Google in 2021 as well. Sports queries saw an uptick, with the ICC T20 World Cup cricket tournament, the Euro 2020 football tournament (held this year), the Copa America 2021 and the 2021 TokyoOlympics all ranking among the top 10 most searched queries on the search engine.

In comparison, the IPL was the only sporting event that ranked in the top 10 Google Search queries in India in 2020.

Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s only individual gold medal at the Olympics, ranked as the most searched personality of 2021. Last year, the same spot was taken by United States president Joe Biden, who defeated Donald Trump to become the 46th president of USA.

The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban forces was also among the most searched news events of 2021 in India, alongside the Tokyo Olympics and black fungus. The West Bengal assembly elections held in 2021 also ranked alongside the most searched news events of the year.

In terms of global search trends, the IPL ranked as the third most searched sporting event of the year. India’s historic test triumph against Australia was the most searched sporting event of 2021 – ahead of the India vs England cricket series that ranked second.