• Artificial Intelligence (AI) was searched more than ever in 2024 in Nigeria and around the world, with Nigerian users searching for the term 130% more than this time last year.
• Search trends in Nigeria related to AI continue – with searches for “what is AI” increasing more than 30%, while searches for “how to use AI” have increased 40%. 
• Nigerians are looking to boost their careers and their creativity with AI – trending searches include “create a logo with AI”, “create a cv with AI” and “design a website with AI”.

New search trends released by Google today show that people in Nigeria continue to search for AI more than ever before.

Search interest in “AI” has reached a record high around the world and in Nigeria, where searches have more than doubled (+130%) since the same period last year.

Searches in Nigeria for “what is AI” also increased by 30%, while searches for “how to use AI” increased by 40%. Nigeria has the sixth highest search interest in AI in Africa – and ranks 25th in the world.

Nigerians are looking to use AI to build their careers and creativity – with trending searches including “create a logo with AI”, “create CV with AI”, “design website with AI”, “design a flyer with AI” and “create slides with AI” – all of which were ‘breakout’ searches in 2024, growing over 5,000% in interest since this time last year.

Nigerians are also interested in learning more about AI and how best to use it. Searches for “AI and courses” have increased by 50% – while top questions include “is AI hard to learn”, “how to learn AI” and “how to access and learn about AI”. Search interest in AI and business more than doubled (+110%), while searches for AI and jobs more than septupled (+640%).

Aligned with its commitment to AI as a force for positive societal change, Google offers free AI training programs to Africans through its Hustle Academy.

This initiative, designed for entrepreneurs, includes modules specifically tailored to teach participants how to leverage AI to improve their businesses.

Since its launch in 2022, Hustle Academy has empowered over 10,000 businesses. Additionally, Google supports promising AI-focused startups in Africa through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program.

This program, which assists startups tackling African challenges, selected 10 AI-driven ventures for its 2024 cohort.

Search interest in cybersecurity and AI also nearly doubled across Nigeria (+80%), while people showed a clear interest in the future of AI for science.

Searches for AI and healthcare more than doubled (+140%), while searches for AI and medicine increased by 50% and searches for AI and STEM and AI and hospitals both increased by 60%.

Olumide Balogun, West Africa Director at Google said: 

“AI has the potential to create opportunities – from the extraordinary to the everyday – for everyone: bringing new waves of innovation, social and economic progress. So it’s no surprise that the people of Nigeria are already looking to make the most of this transformational technology – finding ways for it to boost their career, creativity, and society.”

[Featured Image Credit]

Key points

• Nigeria takes the top spot, with a total score of 638.
• In second place is St. Helena, followed by Australia in third place.

The pervasive influence of cryptocurrency has continued to captivate nations worldwide in 2023. The advent of digital currencies and blockchain technologies has sparked a surge of interest, prompting countries to explore and embrace the potential of this transformative financial paradigm.

Central Bank of Nigeria Lifts Ban on Crypto Transactions

A new research done by CoinJournal.net analyzed worldwide Google Trends data for 9 most popular crypto-related search terms to find out which countries have the highest interest in cryptocurrencies.

The terms that were analyzed were: “how to invest in crypto,” “cryptocurrency,” “invest in crypto,” “buy crypto,” “bitcoin,” “ethereum,” “tether,” “binance coin,” and “xrp.” After finding the score for each term, the scores were added up in order to get the total score for each country.

1. Nigeria

Nigeria takes the lead in crypto interest with a total score of 638. The country has the highest score for 4 of the 9 terms (“how to invest in crypto,” “invest in crypto,” “bitcoin,” and “binance coin”), confirming Nigeria’s remarkably high interest in cryptocurrencies.

2. St. Helena

St. Helena secures the second spot with a total score of 528. The country shows the highest interest in the terms “cryptocurrency,” buy crypto,” and “xrp.”

3. Australia

Australia ranks third with a total score of 255, with “xrp” being the most popular crypto-related term.

4. Singapore

Singapore follows closely with a total score of 251, and the term “ethereum” takes the spot of the most searched crypto term.

5. Pakistan

Pakistan rounds out the top five with a total score of 240, showing the highest interest in the term “binance coin.”

6. United Kingdom

The United Kingdom secures the sixth position with a total score of 234. The Brits have shown the highest interest in the term “xrp.”

7. Canada

Canada establishes itself as a noteworthy participant in the global crypto scene, claiming the seventh position with a total score of 228.

8. United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates stands out in global crypto exploration, securing the eighth position with a total score of 228.

9. Ireland

Ireland ranks ninth with a total score of 222, showing the most interest in “xrp.”

10. South Africa

South Africa claims the tenth spot with a total score of 201. Demonstrating diverse interests, South Africa places emphasis on “how to invest in crypto” and “xrp,” highlighting the nation’s burgeoning curiosity in the world of digital currencies.

Max Coupland, the director of CoinJournal.net, says:

“The surge in crypto curiosity reflects a growing recognition of the potential for decentralized financial systems to redefine how we perceive and engage with currency. This surge in interest is not merely a fleeting trend; it underscores a broader movement toward a more inclusive and borderless financial future, one where individuals and nations alike seek to harness the transformative power of cryptocurrencies for a more decentralized and democratized economy.”

Credit: HERE.

[Disclaimer: This is not an advisory for you to invest or not invest in crypto].

These elections are a critical time for Nigerians, as they present an opportunity for citizens to have their voices heard and to shape the future of their country.

To help you stay informed and engaged, we’ve put together a list of five essential online tools that you can use during the election season. These tools will help you stay up-to-date on the latest election trends, find information on the candidates and their policies, and get directions to your polling station, ensuring that you are ready and empowered to make your voice heard.

1. Find at-a-glance elections information 

To make it easier to stay up-to-date on the upcoming elections, we’ve launched new information panels in Nigeria on Search.

When Nigerians search for “Nigeria Elections” on Google, they can quickly find relevant and authoritative information including key dates, the latest news and polling information from trusted sources.

2. Nigeria Elections Trends Page

To help people understand how and what users are searching for in the lead up to the election, we have launched a dedicated Google Trends election page.

With this tool, you can stay informed about the most searched election topics, and view insights from across the country. You can use the tool to compare the search interest in different candidates, parties, and issues.

3. Livestream on YouTube on elections day or watch past debates or town halls

YouTube is a helpful resource for those who want to stay informed about the elections. You can watch past debates and town halls on YouTube to get a better understanding of the candidates and their policies. News providers can also provide live election coverage through their YouTube channels.

4. Google Doodle 

For the Nigeria elections, Google will be featuring a special elections Doodle, which when clicked, will connect you to the elections information panels.

This page provides you with the most relevant and up-to-date information on the elections, pulled from trusted parties.

The Doodle is a fun and creative way to learn about the election candidates and their policies, while highlighting important issues and events related to the election.

5. Find Your Polling Station using Google Maps

To find out where your polling station is, you can use the INEC portal here. Once you have located your polling station, you can enter the address into Google Maps and get directions to the location. You can also use Google Maps to find out information about the area around the polling station before you even leave home. This tool can save you time and ensure that you arrive at your polling station on time.

Google today announced the results of its 2022 Year In Search, revealing the most searched terms, people, actors, musicians, topics, questions and more that captured the interest of Nigerians the most throughout this year.

Google’s Year in Search is an annual analysis that reveals the top trending lists and also spotlights what the world searches to see, learn and do. In Nigeria, the result for this years’ Year in Search shows a heightened interest in politics, entertainment, sports, lifestyle and notable personalities. 

The 2022 Year in Search lists provide a snapshot into what piqued Nigerians’ curiosity in a year that saw major sporting events, high profile deaths, and in the run up to Nigeria’s election in February 2023.

The Africa Cup of Nations, referred to as AFCON, and  Casemiro, Brazilian football player, topped the categories of top trending searches and top athletes and sports people respectively. Nigeria was eliminated from the 2022 AFCON competition by Tunisia in a 1 – 0 defeat as Senegal went on to beat Egypt to win their first Africa Cup of Nations title earlier this year.

The strike action by ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, that lingered for eight months got the Union in second place in the top trending searches by Nigerians in the period under review.

Oxlade, Nigerian singer and songwriter,  topped both categories of top trending people and top trending musicians searched by Nigerians this year. Asake, an Afrobeat singer signed to YBNL Nation came up in second place in the top trending musicians list. Anikulapo, a Nigerian epic fantasy film starring Kunle Remi and produced by Kunle Afolayan topped the category of trending movies and series.

Questions like, ‘Who is Peter Obi’s running mate?’, ‘Who is the APC Presidential candidate?’, ‘Who is Atiku’s running mate?’, ‘Who is leading in the Osun State election?’, ‘Who isTinubu’s running mate?’ and ‘Who is Peter Obi?’, reveal the increased interest of Nigerians for politics and the elections happening next year.

Entertainment related search terms like ‘Finesse lyrics’, ‘Buga’, the song by Kizz Daniel featuring Tekno and ‘Will Smith’ all topped their categories revealing Nigerians’ interest for lyrics, songs and celebrity personalities.

And in a year with a number of high profile deaths, the death of Queen Elizabeth was the most searched loss, followed by gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, who died in April and actress Ada Ameh who died in August.

Other top searched  questions like, ‘How to link NIN?’, ‘How to buy shares?’, ‘How to register for PVC online?’, ‘What is Lupus?’ and “What is NATO?’ showed how Nigerians made use of Search to find out more about their interests in 2022.

Here are the trending searches in 2022: 

Top 10 trending searches

1. AFCON
2. ASUU
3. iPhone 14
4. Oxlade
5. NATO
6. Buga
7. Peter Obi
8. Ukraine
9. World Cup
10. Asake

Top 10 trending people

1. Oxlade
2. Peter Obi
3. Asake
4. Black Sherif
5. Casemiro
6. Putin
7. Lisandro Martinez
8. Anthony
9. Gabriel Jesus
10. Raphinha

Top 10 athletes/ sports people

1. Casemiro
2. Lisandro Martinez
3. Anthony
4. Gabriel Jesus
5. Raphinha
6. Maduka Okoye
7. Fofana
8. Eriksen
9. Tobi Amusan
10. Graham Potter

Top 10 trending musicians

1. Oxlade
2. Asake
3. Black Sherif
4. Portable
5. Lil Tjay
6. Ruger
7. Kwaku the traveller
8. Buju
9. Angelique Kidjo
10. DJ YK

Top 10 trending actors

1. Will Smith
2. Johnny Depp
3. Yul Edochie
4. Osita Iheme
5. Judy Austin
6. Olu Jacobs
7. Peggy Ovire
8. Amber Heard
9. Nkechi Blessing
10. Thuso Mbedu

Top 10 trending loss

1. Queen Elizabeth
2. Osinachi Nwachukwu
3. Ada Ameh
4. Rico Swavey
5. Takeoff
6. Chinedu Nwadike
7. Dablixx Osha
8. Dejo Tunfulu
9. Ifeanyi Adeleke
10. Alaafin of Oyo – Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

Top 10 trending lyrics

1. Finesse lyrics
2. Overdose lyrics
3. Rush lyrics
4. If I broke na my business lyrics
5. Palazzo lyrics
6. Bandana lyrics
7. Buga lyrics
8. Kwaku the traveller lyrics
9. Cough by Kizz Daniel lyrics
10. Machala lyrics

Top 10 trending recipes

1. Fried rice recipe
2. Afang Soup recipe
3. Jollof rice recipe
4. Banana bread recipe
5. Parfait recipe
6. Sex on the beach recipe
7. French toast recipe
8. Ogbono soup recipe
9. Chin chin recipe
10. Lasagna recipe

Top 10 trending devices

1. iPhone 14 pro max
2. iPhone 13 pro max
3. Tecno Camon 19
4. Infinix Note 12
5. Tecno Spark 7
6. Infinix Note 11
7. Redmi Note 11
8. Infinix Smart 6
9. Spark 7
10. Tecno Spark 9

Top 10 trending movies/ series

1. Anikulapo
2. Blood sisters
3. House of the dragon
4. Thor love and thunder
5. The woman king
6. Selina tested
7. Tinder Swindler
8. Black Panther
9. Eternals
10. All of us are dead

Top 10 trending songs

1. Buga – Kizz Daniel ft Tekno
2. Overdose – Mavins, Crayon, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Magixx and Boy Spyce
3. Machala – Carter Efe ft Berri Tiga
4. Calm Down – Rema
5. Rush – Ayra Starr
6. Terminator – Asake
7. Girlfriend – Ruger
8. Finesse – Pheelz ft BNXN
9. How are you my friend – Johnny Drille
10. Cough – Kizz Daniel

Top 10 trending “Who is” general

1. Who is Peter Obi’s running mate?
2. Who is Queen Elizabeth?
3. Who is the Greek God of war?
4. Who is the APC Presidential candidate?
5. Who is Atiku’s running mate?
6. Who is Princess Diana?
7. Who is leading in the Osun State election?
8. Who is Tinubu’s running mate?
9. Who is Peter Obi?
10. Who is Rico Swavey?

Top 10 trending “How to” general

1. How to link NIN?
2. How to buy shares?
3. How to register for PVC online?
4. How to remove the rotoscope filter?
5. How to maintain facial health by controlling the type of food consumed?
6. How to create an NFT?
7. How to upgrade to iOS 16?
8. How to hide an app on an iPhone?
9. How to hide number?
10. How to write an application letter for a job?

Top 10 trending “What is” general

1. What is Lupus?
2. What is NATO?
3. What is NFT?
4. What is the cause of the Russia and Ukraine war?
5. What is the meaning of zazu zeh?
6. What is PVC?
7. What is intersex?
8. What is the meaning of sapa?
9. What is Greta Thunberg known for?
10. What is the scientific term for ear ringing?

For more information on  Google’s Year in Search across the globe visit the Google’s trends site.