Google’s annual Year in Search report highlighted the terms reflecting local, regional, and international trends. The report divided top searches into sections, including general terms, major events, sports, TV shows, and, for the first time, AI engines.
Unlike previous years, Google’s 2025 report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) focused on trending news topics rather than public figures. Key areas of interest this year included AI literacy, education, and sports.
In the past, figures such as actor Mohamed Ramadan and singer Amr Diab often topped search lists. Their absence this year is due to Google’s “spike versus volume” methodology, which highlights terms that experience sudden surges in interest, increasing by over 5,000 percent, rather than consistently high search volumes.
With Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, increasingly integrated into search, many users are now asking the AI directly instead of typing queries, which has also affected search trends.
Most searched news in 2025
1. Iran-Israel war
The top trending news in Egypt was the Iranian-Israeli war in June 2025. The 12-day war, from 3 to 24 June, began with an Israeli strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing military leaders, scientists, politicians, and civilians.
Iran responded with over 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 suicide drones, targeting civilian areas, a hospital, and at least 12 military, energy, and government sites.
The climax came when the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on 22 June, prompting Iran to fire missiles at a US base in Qatar. On 24 June, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire under US mediation.
2. Earthquakes in Egypt
The second most searched news was the earthquakes Egypt experienced in May 2025. The country experienced two major earthquakes in that month. The first, on 14 May, measured 6.4, followed by a second on 22 May, measuring 6.2.
Though the epicentres were south of Crete, the tremors were felt across Greater Cairo, the Delta, and the northern coast, raising public concern.
3. Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) inauguration
The third was the GEM opening on 1 November 2025, nearly two decades after construction began.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi presided over the ceremony, attended by around 80 international delegations, including King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Mary of Denmark.
High-ranking representatives from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and various international organizations also attended. GEM is now the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization.
4. Gold prices
Gold prices ranked fourth, as they surged to record highs throughout the year.
5. Ramses Central Exchange fire
The fifth was the fire that broke out at the Ramses Central Exchange in early July. It began on the building’s seventh floor, a major hub in the national telecom network, and quickly spread through cable conduits, damaging key infrastructure and disrupting internet and phone services nationwide.
Although smoke detectors and fire-safety systems were activated, they could not contain the fire once it reached a server room. The building is now undergoing extensive renovations.
6. Egyptian parliamentary elections
Sixth on the list were the Egyptian parliamentary elections, particularly the House of Representatives polls that began in November and are still ongoing.
The elections attracted heightened public attention amid significant controversy over alleged violations compared with previous cycles since 2011.
Interest peaked during the first phase, when President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged the National Elections Authority to exercise “full diligence” in reviewing reported violations in closely contested constituencies and to take decisions that would “faithfully reflect the true will of voters,” including the possibility of fully or partially annulling results and repeating votes in affected areas.
7. US President Donald Trump
Seventh on the list was news about US President Donald Trump, driven largely by his ongoing presence in global media and reality TV-style coverage.
8. The martyrs of Gaza
Eighth on the list was the martyrs of Gaza. Although data on Google Trends was limited, the topic reflected public interest in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Since Israel’s genocidal war started in October 2023, over 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, 170,000 others injured, and millions displaced.
Egypt led major humanitarian relief efforts, providing around 70 percent of the total aid delivered to Gaza and supporting ceasefire negotiations.
9. Total lunar eclipse
Ninth on the list was the total lunar eclipse witnessed in Egypt in early September. Beyond its astronomical significance, the Religious Endowment Ministry held special lunar eclipse prayers across mosques in the country, generating widespread public interest.
10. Old rent law amendments
Tenth and last on the list of the most searched news in Arabic in 2025 were the controversial amendments to the old rent law, approved by parliament in July and ratified by President El-Sisi in August.
The law is expected to affect millions of Egyptians living in properties under the decades-old rent system, which kept rents extremely low for long-term tenants.
Under the new legislation, old contracts will be phased out over a transitional period of seven years for residential units and five years for non-residential ones, accompanied by significant rent increases. Official figures show that around 1.6 million original tenants and more than three million units were still subject to the old law, under which apartments worth millions of pounds were leased at minimal rates.
While landlords have long sought to reclaim these properties through the courts, many tenants, often retirees, say they cannot afford to relocate amid rising housing costs. The government has pledged to provide alternative housing solutions.
Most searched topics in 2025
1. Gemini AI: It is the most searched topic in Egypt in 2025. Search interest peaked in September, both globally and in Egypt, as Google rolled out major updates to its AI ecosystem. These included new developer models and enhanced user features within the app. Searches spiked again during the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, when users created digital avatars of Egypt’s ancient past, dressing as Tutankhamun and Cleopatra through the AI.
2. FIFA Club World Cup: Football remained a major focus in 2025. This tournament, hosted in the United States in June and July, ranked as the second most searched topic in Egypt in Arabic. The surge was driven by Ahly’s ninth appearance, where the Red Devils faced global clubs including Palmeiras and Orlando Pirates.
3. Thanaweya Ama Results: Education remained a major concern for parents, especially those of high school students. The exam results were the third most trending topic from late July to early August.
4. Fahd the Hero: Entertainment featured prominently with this Ramadan TV series starring Ahmed El-Awdy and Ahmed Abdel-Aziz, which was the fourth most searched topic while airing in March during the holy month of Ramadan.
5. Pyramids SC: The club secured the fifth spot, marking a historic year. Traffic surged following their maiden TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup title in October after a 1-0 victory over RS Berkane.
They continued their momentum into December during the FIFA Intercontinental Cup; despite being eliminated by Brazil’s Flamengo on 13 December, their deep run cemented their status as a major trending topic.
6. FIFA Club World Cup (English): Reflecting Egypt's diverse search habits, the tournament also ranked as the sixth most searched topic when queried in English.
7. Egyptian League: Seventh on the list is the Egyptian league, which drew attention throughout the year with its ongoing non-stop sports drama.
8. Siko Siko: This comedy film starring Essam Omar and Taha Dessouky was the eighth top trending issue in March and April, proving to be a massive hit for local cinema.
9. Saeed El-Nas: This TV series starring Amr Saad was the ninth top trending issue in Egypt, also airing during the competitive Ramadan season.
10. DeepSeek AI: While Gemini ranked first, its main Chinese competitor placed 10th, reflecting a growing interest among Egyptians in Chinese AI platforms alongside US-based services.
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