The top Google searches in India in 2023 were led by Chandrayaan-3 in news, Kiara Advani among people, Jawan in movies and Farzi in shows, according to Google’s Year in Search 2023 report. Cricket dominated sports searches, with the Indian Premier League and the Cricket World Cup at the top.
What Year in Search measures
Google publishes its Year in Search lists every December. The lists show trending searches, meaning the terms that saw the biggest rise in interest compared with the previous year, not simply the terms searched the most. That is why a new film or a sudden news event can rank above everyday topics.
2023 at a glance
| Category | Number 1 in India |
|---|---|
| News events | Chandrayaan-3 |
| People | Kiara Advani |
| Movies | Jawan |
| Shows | Farzi |
| Sports events | Indian Premier League |
| Matches | India vs Australia |
| Travel destinations | Vietnam |
| Recipes | Mango pickle |
| Memes | Bhupendra Jogi meme |
News events
India’s successful Moon landing near the lunar south pole in August 2023 made Chandrayaan-3 the year’s top news search. The full top 10 was:
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- Chandrayaan-3
- Karnataka election results
- Israel news
- Satish Kaushik
- Budget 2023
- Turkey earthquake
- Atiq Ahmed
- Matthew Perry
- Manipur news
- Odisha train accident
People
Actor Kiara Advani, who married Sidharth Malhotra in February 2023, led the list. Cricket’s World Cup year shows clearly in the rest of it.
- Kiara Advani
- Shubman Gill
- Rachin Ravindra
- Mohammed Shami
- Elvish Yadav
- Sidharth Malhotra
- Glenn Maxwell
- David Beckham
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Travis Head
Movies
Shah Rukh Khan had two films in the top five, and South Indian hits made a strong showing.
- Jawan
- Gadar 2
- Oppenheimer
- Adipurush
- Pathaan
- The Kerala Story
- Jailer
- Leo
- Tiger 3
- Varisu
Shows
The list mixed Indian streaming originals, international series and reality TV. The top five were Farzi, Wednesday, Asur, Rana Naidu and The Last of Us, followed by Scam 2003, Bigg Boss 17, Guns and Gulaabs, Sex/Life and Taaza Khabar. For more on streaming, see our Entertainment section.
Sports events and matches
The top sports events were the Indian Premier League, the Cricket World Cup, the Asia Cup, the Women’s Premier League and the Asian Games, followed by the Indian Super League, Pakistan Super League, The Ashes, the Women’s Cricket World Cup and SA20.
India vs Australia was the most searched match, ahead of India vs New Zealand, India vs Sri Lanka, India vs England and India vs Ireland.
“What is” searches
People turned to Google to understand news and new technology. The top queries asked what G20 is, what the Uniform Civil Code is, what ChatGPT is, what Hamas is and what was happening on 28 September 2023. Others asked about Chandrayaan-3, Threads on Instagram, the “timed out” rule in cricket, the IPL’s impact player rule and the Sengol. Our Technology section covers many of these topics.
“How to” searches
- How to prevent sun damage for skin and hair with home remedies
- How to reach my first 5k followers on YouTube
- How to get good at kabaddi
- How to improve car mileage
- How to become a chess grandmaster
The rest of the top 10 covered surprising a sister on Raksha Bandhan, spotting a pure Kanjivaram silk saree, checking PAN-Aadhaar linking, creating a WhatsApp channel and getting a blue tick on Instagram.
“Near me” searches
Coding classes near me topped the list, followed by earthquake near me, Zudio near me, Onam sadhya near me and Jailer movie near me. Searches in Hindi for beauty parlours, gyms, dermatologists and tiffin services near me also made the top 10, along with Ravan Dahan near me.
Travel destinations
Vietnam was the top trending destination, followed by Goa, Bali, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kashmir, Coorg, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Italy and Switzerland.
Recipes and memes
Mango pickle was the top recipe search, followed by Sex on the Beach (a cocktail), panchamrit, hakusai and dhaniya panjiri. Regional dishes such as karanji, thiruvathirai kali, Ugadi pachadi, kolukattai and rava ladoo filled the rest.
The Bhupendra Jogi meme led the memes list, ahead of So Beautiful So Elegant, Moye Moye, Aayein and Aukat Dikha Di.
What the 2023 lists tell us
Three patterns stand out. First, cricket shaped a large share of searches, helped by the Cricket World Cup being held in India in October and November 2023. Second, people used Google to understand big new ideas, from ChatGPT to the Uniform Civil Code. Third, practical local needs, such as coding classes, gyms and tiffin services, show how much everyday planning now starts with a search.
Searches in Hindi also appeared across several lists, a sign of how many Indians now use the internet in their own language.
How 2025 compared
Google’s Year in Search 2025 for India looked very different. The Indian Premier League topped overall trending searches, followed by Google Gemini, the Asia Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy and the Pro Kabaddi League. Teen cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi led the people list, Maha Kumbh Mela led news events, and Saiyaara was the top trending film.
Frequently asked questions
What was the top Google search in India in 2023?
Chandrayaan-3 was the top trending news search, reflecting interest in India’s Moon landing in August 2023.
Who was the most searched person in India on Google in 2023?
Kiara Advani topped the trending people list, followed by Shubman Gill and Rachin Ravindra.
Which movie was searched most in India in 2023?
Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, led the movies list, ahead of Gadar 2 and Oppenheimer.
Where can I see the full Year in Search list?
Google publishes the full lists on its Google Trends Year in Search page, with a separate page for India.
Sources: Google Year in Search 2023: India, Google Year in Search 2025: India, ISRO: Chandrayaan-3.
