2025 Year in Search Nigeria: What Nigerians Searched for Most — People, Trends, News & Culture
Every year, Google unveils its “Year in Search” report a data-driven snapshot of what captured the world’s attention, as reflected by billions of search queries. In December 2025, Google released the Nigeria edition of this annual report, revealing the people, events, cultural moments and curiosities that dominated Nigerians’ minds throughout the year. The results paint a vivid picture of a nation deeply engaged with politics, culture, global events, and everyday life.
This post highlights the full list of rankings across key categories from major news and global events to viral slang, entertainment, food, and lifestyle offering insights into what preoccupied Nigerians in 2025.
Why the “Year in Search” Matters
The “Year in Search” is more than just rankings. It serves as a collective barometer of public interest a lens through which we can trace how Nigerians followed political developments, mourned national icons, embraced global pop culture, and even experimented with lifestyle trends. As Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications & Public Affairs Manager for Google West Africa, put it: the report is “a vibrant, unfiltered mirror of our collective attention.”
Whether you’re a journalist, marketer, cultural analyst, or simply curious — this Year in Search tells important stories about society’s evolving priorities.
2025 Nigeria: Top Searches by Category
Here’s a breakdown of the top-ranked searches across major categories, according to Google’s 2025 report for Nigeria.
News & Current Affairs
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Diogo Jota
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Former President Muhammadu Buhari
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Charlie Kirk
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iPhone 17 (device release)
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Israel–Iran War
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Pope Francis
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Hulk Hogan
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Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
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Peter Rufai
These rankings reflect how Nigerians were deeply tuned into global and national events from global conflicts to deaths of prominent figures, political shifts, and trending tech releases.
Personalities (Nigerian)
Leading the pack for most-searched Nigerians in 2025:
1. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
2. Eberechi Eze
3. Fubara (presumably a public figure)
4. Chika Ike
5. Mr Eazi
6. Kemi Adetiba
7. Ajibola Elizabeth
8. Hilda Baci
9. VDM
10. Priscilla Ojo
The prominence of political, entertainment, and creative personalities highlights the broad spectrum of interest from governance to music, film, and pop culture.
Global Personalities
Nigerian search interest wasn’t limited locally. Important global and international figures also featured prominently:
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Gyokeres
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Garnacho
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Joao Pedro
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Aaron Pierre
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Tyler Perry
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Michele Lamy
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Larry Ellison
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Kim Sae Ron
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Teyana Taylor
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Paul Biya
This underlines how global pop culture, entertainment, sports, and international events continue to shape Nigerian curiosity.
Sports & Athletic Figures
Sports figures also drove searches, with the following topping the list:
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Gyokeres
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Garnacho
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Xavi Simons
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Sesko
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Mbeumo
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Joao Pedro
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Eberechi Eze
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Andre Silva
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Isak
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Noni Madueke
Sports both local and international proved to be a major interest for Nigerians, reflecting passion for football, athletes, and global sports culture.
Music & Entertainment (Songs, Film, Series)
2025 also saw Nigerians embracing music, film, and streaming with such entries at the top of searches:
- Songs: The gospel-inspired track Oluwatosin (Jesus Is Enough) by Tkeyz ft. Steve Hills topped the list, followed by Joy Is Coming by Fido and the collaboration With You by Davido and Omah Lay.
- Film / Series: Local film-making again led the way: director Kemi Adetiba rose to become one of the most searched creatives boosted by her hit show To Kill a Monkey, which ranked as the most searched Nigerian series in 2025.
This shows that Nigerians continue to embrace entertainment that resonates with local identity even as they enjoy global music and culture.
Culture, Slang & Lifestyle: What Nigeria Was Curious About
One of the most colourful and personally expressive areas revealed by the 2025 report was how Nigerians used Google to decode slang, follow trends, hunt recipes, and explore new lifestyles:
- The question “What is Labubu?” topped the “most searched questions” list thanks to the viral craze around the collectible “Labubu” character.
- Interest in slang and pop-culture expressions soared: for example, the term “Achalugo” popularised by the YouTube film Love in Every Word became one of the most searched words.
- In the kitchen, Nigerians searched for both traditional and trending recipes: chinchin remained popular, while global-inspired recipes such as Pornstar Martini, Ginger Shots, Sausage Rolls and even wellness-driven searches also saw high interest.
- This category reflects the personal the private lives, tastes, curiosities, and cultural expressions of everyday Nigerians.
What the Trends Reveal: Big Takeaways
1. Politics and global events remain central
The prominence of political figures (e.g. Natasha Akpoti), former leaders (like Buhari), and global events (e.g. Israel–Iran War) in the search rankings show that Nigerians are deeply invested in the course of their country and global affairs. The searches suggest a population actively engaged with both national governance and world events.
2. Grief, memory and legacy drove reflection
The deaths of iconic figures such as Pope Francis and sports legend Peter Rufai triggered spikes in search activity, as people looked to understand, reflect, and celebrate their legacies. This underscores how Search becomes a space for communal mourning, memory-keeping, and collective reflection.
3. A fusion of local identity and global culture
From local film production and homegrown music to global devices (iPhone 17), foreign personalities, and worldwide pop-culture phenomena — Nigerians in 2025 seemed to embrace a hybrid identity: rooted in local realities, yet open to global influences.
4. Curiosity, expression, lifestyle and self-discovery
Whether it was searching for slang meanings, viral toys (“Labubu”), or modern recipes and health drinks the Year in Search reveals that beyond headlines, people used Google as a personal companion to explore tastes, try new things, understand language, and stay connected to culture.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 Year in Search for Nigeria doesn’t just reveal what topics were most searched it paints a broader portrait of a nation in flux, curious, expressive, mourning, celebrating, and evolving.
Through politics, culture, grief, entertainment, and daily living, Nigerians used Search as a mirror, a tool, and a conversation. As we move into 2026, these insights can serve as guideposts for storytellers, businesses, artists, policymakers, and individuals about what matters, what intrigues, and what unites us as a society.
