Google Year In Search 2020: This Year, More Than Ever, The World Searched For...

It is said that in times of uncertainty, people look for meaning. This year, as the world battled the coronavirus pandemic, it's perhaps little surprise that more than ever, people searched for "why".  Google has released this year's edition of its annual "Year In Search", which looks back at the most popular search terms and questions that people asked the search engine in the preceding 12 months. 

Google's Year In Search 2020 provides a glimpse into the questions, fears and anxieties that people had in a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The most human trait, is to want to know why," begins the voice-over in Google's retrospective video, which has been viewed a whopping 10 crore times on YouTube. "And in a year that tested everyone around the world, 'why' was searched more than ever."

Watch the video to find out some of the most-searched questions on Google this year:

In a year defined by the pandemic, it is not surprising that Covid-related searches took the centre stage. One of the most-searched questions on Google: Why is it called Covid-19?

Questions like, "Why Black lives matter" and "Why is Australia burning?" also highlighted important events and movements we saw in 2020.  

In India, the number of searches for Indian Premier League surpassed those for coronavirus. One of the top trends in India was "How to make paneer" - presumably thanks to the lockdown. 

Globally, a heartwarming search term cropped up. The world searched "how to help" more than ever. 

Alongside, searches for the mask emoji reached an all time high, as did "pranks on parents".

Google's Year In Search video ends on a hopeful note as the Internet giant reminds people to dream big and stay curious.