Google has just released its "Year in Search 2018" report revealing the top search trends around the world. Three Arab countries were part of the report: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
From football to songs, here's what people googled the most in these three Arab countries this past year:
Aside from the World Cup, the UAE seemed pretty intrigued by Priyanka Chopra
Could it be due to the fact that Priyanka Chopra announced her engagement to Nick Jonas earlier this year? Probably so. Nick Jonas is also among the top searched public figures in the UAE this year.
We know for a fact it wasn't Chopra's wedding (or mini-honeymoon in neighboring Oman) that got the attention on Google ... because the report was released in December, the same month the wedding took place.
The spike in Google search could also be due to the fact that Chopra's lookalike appeared in Dubai as part of a social experiment conducted by Khaleej Times.
But, Chopra wasn't the only celebrity who piqued people's interest. Meghan Markle was actually the most searched public figure in the UAE in 2018.
Aside from that, a variety of topics trended in the country including the Indian Premier League and the death of Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor.
"Passport Index" was also a top searched keyword in 2018, as the UAE passport proved to be among the most powerful in the world ... reaching No. 1 on UAE National Day.
What were people in Egypt interested in?
Of course, Egyptians were interested in many things football-related including the 2018 World Cup, Liverpool, and Mohamed Salah.
But, it seems as though high school students had their priorities straight as the top searched item on Google in the country this year was "high school exam results."
The 5th most searched item in Egypt was "local election committees." A few opposition figures attempted to challenge Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, but were forced out of the election.
That's not all for Egypt
The Egyptian TV series "Nisr Al Sa'eed" got quite the attention on the search engine. The show - featuring actor Mohamed Ramadan - was released at the start of Ramadan.
People in Saudi Arabia were concerned about their "national address"
In February, banks in Saudi Arabia were reportedly asking customers to input their address details in compliance with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority's (SAMA) directive to implement the National Address System.
It seems as though this got people googling "the national address" in Arabic to avoid problems with local banks. The "National Address System" is part of the government's decision to have a unified address format across the country.
Another trending topic in the kingdom this year was the e-commerce giant noon. In April, the company announced its plans to introduce a new online auction feature in cooperation with government entities in the kingdom as well as the UAE.
The series "Kalam Asfar" was also a Google hit in the country
The Kuwaiti TV series "Kalam Asfar" proved to be a heavily searched topic in Saudi Arabia this year. Released in 2018, the show aims to depict how rumors have a lasting effect on individuals who fall victim to them.
