2022 Yearender: What Egyptians searched most on Google this year?

Ahram Online , Friday 23 Dec 2022

It came as no surprise that the US dollar's exchange rate against the Egyptian pound was the most searched-for question by millions of Egyptians on Google throughout 2022, according to the mega search engine's annual 'Year in Search' report that was released on Wednesday.

Google

 
The report included a survey of the several search terms reflecting various local, regional and international trends.

Google divided the top trends into several categories such as General, How to, Top Personalities, Top Songs, Top sports Queries and Top TV Shows.

 Below, Ahram Online examines what Egyptians searched for the most in Arabic on Google in 2022.

  • EGP vs. USD

The price of the US dollar in Arabic was the top trending question in Egypt in Google's general list despite the fact that the official trading rate of the greenback was somehow stable for a good ten months (from January to October).

It seems, however, that the mega search engine was bombarded with questions about the exchange rate of the Egyptian currency over two months after the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced in late October it was adopting a more flexible exchange-rate regime.

The decision led to the appreciation of foreign currencies against the Egyptian pound, whose exchange rate against the US dollar dropped progressively from an average of 19.7 ahead of the CBE's decision to 24.7 currently.

  • World Cup, Egypt's national team

Over the past year, the World Cup and the Egyptian national football team were the second and fourth top trending terms in Arabic respectively as per Google's general list.

This shows that despite the Egyptian team failing to qualify to the World Cup , after being defeated by Senegal in March, Egyptians evinced considerable interest in the four-week global competition.

In addition, Africa Cup of Nations, which also saw Egypt losing to Senegal in the final after a heartbreaking shootout, was the fifth top trending in Egypt.

  • COP27

This year's United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27), which was held for two weeks in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, was the eighth top query in the general list following two other queries on registration for coronavirus vaccine and solar eclipse.

COP27 saw broad participation from around the world. It produced many positive outcomes, most importantly an agreement to establish a fund to address the pressing issue – first put on the conference's agenda by Egypt – of loss and damage.

  • Russia-Ukraine war

Google's general list also included a query on Russia and Ukraine war in Arabic in the tenth spot.

The war that erupted in February – along with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic – has impacted global economy, including Egypt.

  • How To

The list of How To included a number of funny queries such as 'how to bite a mosquito like it did to me' and ' How to find the TV remote control' in Arabic.

It also had a query on how to go to Ahl Masr Walkaway, a multi services pathway along the banks of the Nile.

  • Top Personalities

The top personalities included queries in Arabic on the most searched for figures throughout the year, with the Moroccan boy, who died in February after he fell and was trapped for four consecutive days in a well, coming first. The rescue efforts of the five-year-old Rayan Omar were followed online by millions around the world.

Renowned Egyptian actor Hesham Selim came third in the list after he passed away in September at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer.

The list also included in its seventh place Al-Jazeera slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh  who was killed by Israeli forces.

Egypt's Minister of Education Reda Hegazy came in the eighth spot in the list as well. Hegazy –  who was appointed in August as Tarek Shawky's successor – made headlines several times over the past months, especially after he announced the introduction of a set of modifications to the fourth-grade curriculum, a step which drew heavy criticism from parents throughout the past year.

Hegazy also announced the reinstatement of short essay questions in final secondary stage exams, locally known as Thanaweya Amma.

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