A look back at Canada’s #YearInSearch: 2021

In 2021, Canadians searched for how to recover, and ways to come back stronger.

We searched for “COVID vaccine near me”, “vaccine passport” and “What percentage of Canada is vaccinated?”. We looked inward and tried to better understand Canada’s history when we searched for Residential schools, and asked “Why were they created?”. We were engaged voters, searching for “Federal Election” and “How to register to vote in Canada”. And from local to global, Canadians searched for ongoing current events to find information and answers.

Canada’s 2021 Year in Search:





Top Searches in Sports

With the return of live sporting events in 2021, it’s no surprise that top searches were for NBA and NHL. We found ways to re-connect through games, as we searched and celebrated Canadian athletes like Leylah Fernandez, Andre De Grasse, Penny Oleksiak, and so many other local heroes.
Top Searches in Entertainment

Like last year, people continued to search for ways to stay connected and entertained at home. The South Korean success, Squid Game, was the most searched TV show, while also appearing on several other lists this year. Canadians also came out in full force to search and support Simu Liu as this year’s superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.



This December also marks 20 years of Google in Canada. We took a look back at the top searches over 20 years, and found that the most searched topic in Canada is, well, Canada. While on the surface this is pretty funny, there is something very special about a country in search of itself. We searched “What it means to be Canadian,” “How to immigrate to Canada,” and “What native land am I on?” Canadians continue to question, research and understand how we can be the best version of ourselves. Looking back, we at Google are so proud to be a small part of the lives of Canadians - businesses that come to the platform to grow their business, new Canadians that use Translate for day-to-day interactions, or parents trying to understand what their kids mean when they keep saying “YOLO”.

As Canadians continue to find ways to heal, to connect, and to build back stronger, search on. 
Explore more of the 2021 Canadian trending lists here.
Hibaq Ali and Alexandra Klein, Google Canada