Rafah To Akaay: A Look At Top Google Trends In India In 2024

December has already set in and it's time to bid adieu to 2024 and to welcome 2025. Like every year, this year, too, Google has unveiled its Year In Search 2024 list, revealing what Indians searched, wondered and celebrated across a wide range of topics in 2024.

India's searches spanned a “fascinating spectrum”, Google said, with topics ranging from sports (Olympics and IPL) to entertainment (from Hindi movie Stree 2 to Korean dramas), across languages.

Indians also explored memes, music, athletes and famous personalities like Ratan Tata. 

“We also relied on Google for all sorts of practical help, from information about 'how to vote' to checking on 'AQI near me', and to satisfy our curiosity about the world, such as the meaning of 'All Eyes on Rafah',” Google said in a blog.

Here is what Indians asked Google in 2024, from meaning of words to how-to's and 'near me's'.

Google Year In Search: Meanings India Searched For

India's overall Year In Search data showed that users across the country searched for a lot of things, including 'all eyes on Rafah' and 'Akaay'. 

'All Eyes o Rafah' became one of the most trending images in 2024, prompting Indians to search about it. The AI-generated image showing tent camps for displaced Palestinians and the slogan quickly became a sensation, after an Israeli air strike resulted in a fire at a Palestinian camp in southern Gaza.

The meaning of 'Akaay' became the second-most searched word after Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli welcomed their second child, a boy, and revealed his name.

Cervical cancer was the third-most searched meaning, after PM Narendra Modi announced $7.5 million assistance to fight the disease.

Here is a list of the top 10 things Indians wanted to find meanings of in 2024.

1. All eyes on Rafah meaning.

2. Akaay meaning.

3. Cervical cancer meaning.

4. Tawaif meaning.

5. Demure meaning.

6. Pookie meaning.

7. Stampede meaning.

8. Moye Moye meaning.

9. Consecration meaning.

10. Good Friday meaning.

Google Year In Search: Top 10 ‘Near Me' Searches

The ‘near me' search keyword also featured in Google's list, with people looking for AQI, Onam Sadhya and Ram Mandir near them.

'AQI near me' was the top searched keyword in the category, with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and more recording the worst air quality indices in the recent month.

This was followed by 'Onam Sadhya near me', with people looking for the nearest place where they could get this delicious Onam feast.

'Ram Mandir near me' took the third spot, especially after PM Modi inaugurated the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in January.

Here are the top 10 'near me' searches in India in 2024.

1. AQI near me.

2. Onam sadhya near me.

3. Ram mandir near me.

4. Sports bars near me.

5. Best bakery near me.

6. Trendy cafes near me.

7. Polio drops near me.

8. Shiv temple near me.

9. Best coffee near me.

10. Hanuman movie near me.

Google Year In Search: The Question Of ‘How To'

Another question that featured on the overall list was the question of 'how to'. While Google did not release the top 10 data for this category, the top searched thing here was 'How to vote Lok Sabha'.

This comes in a year when crores of Indians went out to vote during the Lok Sabha elections held over April to June this year in seven phases.