Elections, Charlie Kirk murder dominate Dutch Google searches in 2025
In 2025, the Dutch most searched for StemWijzer, the online voting advice tool, followed by the murder of American activist Charlie Kirk, with general searches for the October 29 Tweede Kamer elections in third place, followed by iPhone 17. New D66 leader Rob Jetten was the most-searched Dutch public figure of the year.
While StemWijzer was the single most searched term, the killing of Charlie Kirk and election-related questions generated some of the largest spikes in Dutch Google searches this year, according to Google’s annual rankings. The company emphasized that the rankings track the fastest-growing searches, not total search volume. “In that case, words like ‘job vacancy’ would win every year,” Google said.
Election-related questions dominated much of the list. Dutch users asked, “Until what time can you vote?”, “What time will the election results come out?”, “How old is Rob Jetten?”, “Why did the cabinet fall?”, and “What is mortgage interest deduction?” Other politicians drawing attention included Lidewij de Vos of Forum voor Democratie and Frans Timmermans of GroenLinks-PvdA.
Interest in Charlie Kirk, described by Google as a radical-right American activist and influencer, spiked sharply after he was shot and killed in September. Kirk had been a prominent ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Sports searches were also prominent, including the Women’s European Championship, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the Champions League, the Nations League, the Europa League, and World Cup qualifiers. The NATO summit in The Hague also drew major attention.
Google highlighted basic explanatory questions as well. The most-asked “what” question was “What is a pulmonary embolism?” and the most-asked “why” question was “Why is Israel attacking Iran?” Users also asked why Koningsdag is never celebrated on a Sunday, what Pentecost is, and how old Freek from Suzan & Freek is.
Youth slang, including terms like “67” and “sigma,” drove searches from people trying to understand teen culture. One unexpected trending question was “Why was a chainsaw invented?” Google said users learned it was originally developed to assist women during difficult childbirths.
Entertainment queries surged around the comeback of K3 and artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Suzan & Freek. Searches for Suzan & Freek rose after the announcement that Freek is terminally ill.
Dutch users also sought updates on the accusation against Marco Borsato and information about Dieuwertje Blok, the longtime Sinterklaasjournaal presenter who died this year. Searches for Martijn Krabbé, Jeffrey Erens, and Lidewij de Vos as public figures also increased.
Popular searches for films and series included Adolescence, Squid Game, Babygirl, and Farmer Wants a Wife.
