According to Google, the World Cup moved Switzerland the most in 2018

There was no getting around the World Cup this year: The most popular search term of the year in Switzerland is «World Cup.» In second place is Avicii, a musician we had to say goodbye to this year. In third place is the Wimbledon tennis tournament, where Novak Djokovic won his 13th Grand Slam title. Meghan Markle, who celebrated her wedding to Prince Harry in May, comes in at number 4.

1. World Cup
2. Avicii
3. Wimbledon
4. Meghan Markle
5. Australian Open
6. Jens Büchner
7. Daniel Küblböck
8. Fortnite
9. Black Friday
10. Eurovision

Controversies and Scandals

A look at the «Controversies and Scandals» list reveals which topics particularly captured the attention of people in Switzerland this year. Topping the list was Meghan Markle, who made headlines with the royal wedding and tensions within her family. Next was the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, whose price went on a roller-coaster ride. Swiss national team player Xherdan Shaqiri took third place, causing a stir with his double-eagle gesture. Other highly searched topics include the lunar eclipse and Sylvester Stallone’s announcement that he would no longer make movies.

1. Meghan Markle
2. Bitcoin
3. Xherdan Shaqiri
4. Lunar Eclipse
5. Demi Lovato
6. Sylvester Stallone
7. Logan Paul
8. Valon Behrami
9. Royal Wedding
10. Hailey Baldwin

Swiss Personalities

Among Swiss public figures, the national soccer team is right at the top this year. Xherdan Shaqiri ranks first. Second place goes to Vladimir Petkovic, the coach of the Swiss national team, followed by Valon Behrami in third place. It’s striking that only two people in the top 10 have no connection to sports: Adela Smajic and Tariq Ramadan.

1. Xherdan Shaqiri
2. Vladimir Petkovic
3. Valon Behrami
4. Lara Good
5. Adela Smajic
6. Tariq Ramadan
7. Yann summer
8. Granit Xhaka
9. Breel Embolo
10. Ivan Rakitic

International Figures

This year, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s newlywed wife, has literally taken the throne in Swiss search queries for international celebrities. In second place is the iconic Freddie Mercury, who saw a surge in search volume thanks to the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In third place is singer Demi Lovato, who made headlines after her overdose.

1. Meghan Markle
2. Freddie Mercury
3. Demi Lovato
4. Sylvester Stallone
5. Laeticia Hallyday
6. Novak Djokovic
7. Logan Paul
8. Hailey Baldwin
9. Antoine Griezmann
10. Stormy Daniels

Swiss events

In the "Swiss Events" category, the "Tour de Suisse" was the most searched-for event, closely followed by the Paléo Festival. The WEF ranks third on this list. Sports events are very popular among the Swiss. In addition to the Tour de Suisse, the Formula E Zurich race and the Lauberhorn Race also appear on this list.

1. Tour de Suisse
2. Paléo Festival
3. WEF
4. Formula E Zurich
5. Energy Air
6. Lauberhorn Race
7. BEA
8. Swiss Skills
9. Swissbau
10. Openair Frauenfeld

Movies

In the Movies category, *Bohemian Rhapsody*, the film about Queen legend Freddie Mercury, took first place. The musical theme continues in second place with *A Star Is Born*, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Ranking third is *Black Panther*, which hit theaters in 2017 and remained highly sought after this year as well.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. A Star Is Born
3. Black Panther
4. Venom
5. Deadpool 2
6. Avengers: Infinity War
7. Mamma Mia 2
8. Red Sparrow
9. The Nun
10. Jurassic World

Popular questions for Google

More and more people are entering their searches on Google in the form of complete questions. Among “what” questions, “What is Schmand?” once again ranked at the top this year. Swiss Google users also wanted to know what the WEF is and what Pentecost means.

«How» questions often revolve around topics specific to Switzerland. People wanted to know, «How many people live in Switzerland?» or «How old is Switzerland in 2018?» "How heavy is the Energy Air stage?" was, however, the most popular "how" question of the year.

What questions

1. What is sour cream?
2. What is the WEF?
3. What does Pentecost mean?
4. What does "lol" mean?
5. What do hedgehogs eat?
6. What does the double-headed eagle symbolize?
7. What is an influencer?
8. What helps with heartburn?
9. What is proper custody?
10. What Should You Do If You Have Lumbago?

How questions

1. How much does the Energy Air stage weigh?
2. What is my IP address?
3. How many inhabitants does Switzerland have?
4. How are you?
5. How old is the Earth?
6. What will the weather be like tomorrow?
7. How old is Switzerland in 2018?
8. What's the name of the World Cup mascot?
9. How many countries does the world have?
10. How many weeks are in a year?

Goodbyes

As we do every year, we had to say goodbye to many notable figures in 2018 as well. The musician Avicii ranks ahead of the late „Auswanderer“ Jens Büchner and Stan Lee, the creator of superheroes.

1. Avicii
2. Jens Büchner
3. Stan Lee
4. xxxtentacion
5. Mac Miller
6. France Gall
7. Aretha Franklin
8. Stephen Hawking
9. Charles Aznavour
10. Anthony Bourdain

Global Search Trends — What the World Was Searching For

The World Cup also ranks first in global search trends. Avicii follows in second place, and Mac Miller in third.

1. World Cup
2. Avicii
3. Mac Miller
4. Stan Lee
5. Black Panther
6. Meghan Markle
7. Anthony Bourdain
8. XXXTentacion
9. Stephen Hawking
10. Kate Spade