Top Google Searches of 2022 Reveals the Biggest Stories of the Year

Woman typing into Google search bar on laptop

Photo: prykhodov/Depositphotos

It's hard to summarize everything that occurred in one year. However, looking back at some of the most searched terms in 2022, will provide an illuminating overview. Statista has created a graphic that showcases some of the top search trends across four categories—news, people, movies, and passings.

Most of the number one results come as no surprise. The most searched news term, for example, was Ukraine; a reminder that it has about 10 months since Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022. Similarly, in second place is Queen Elizabeth II's passing. After 70 years of service, she died at the age of 96 as Britain's longest-reining monarch and the second-longest reigning sovereign in the world. Due to her international impact, Queen Elizabeth also came up as the number one search result in passings. The second-most searched name was American comedian and TV legend Betty White, who died almost one year ago on December 31, 2021, just shy of her 100th birthday milestone.

In the category of most searched people, actor Johnny Depp came up first, with his ex-wife Amber Heard placing nearby in third place. Many recall that the two were locked in a long and contentious trial, which dominated news headlines for months. Glancing at the most-searched movies, however, offers another analysis of 2022. Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder ranked number one, with DC's Black Adam coming in second, and Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise ranking third.

Take a look at the other top ranked searches, below.

Statista has created a graphic featuring the top Google searches of 2022.

Infographic: 2022 in Google Searches | Statista You can find more infographics at Statista.

h/t: [Digg]

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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