Google’s annual list of trending searches is more than a quirky end-of-year tradition – it’s a crash course in the country’s peculiarities, preoccupations and what's been trending.
Before we begin exploring the state of the national psyche, it's worth noting that although we've translated the search terms into English here, they were all originally typed into Google in German.
Plush monsters and political giants
If you’ve spent 2025 in Germany, you’ll know it’s been a year of high political drama. The federal parliamentary election (Bundestagswahl) dominated headlines and search bars alike, as voters navigated coalition wrangling, tactical voting and the endless parade of campaign photos.
One result of these photos, many of them featuring the now former chancellor and his eventual successor standing side by side, is that the questions like “How big is Olaf Scholz?” (1.70m) and “How big is Friedrich Merz?” (1.98m) were the fourth and eight most asked “how questions” in Germany this year.
But politics wasn’t the only thing on people’s minds. The most surprising break-out star of 2025 was the grinning Chinese plushy called “Labubu”.
When one of these cuddly toys fetched a staggering €150,000 at auction, it sparked a frenzy of searches about authenticity, prices and – inevitably – how to get your hands on one before they’re all snapped up.
Trending music
For relative newcomers to Germany, it can be fun to treat a look at the top searches as a quiz which includes categories such as "headlines", "viral trends" and "personalities".
How closely have you been paying attention to what happens around you in your adopted home?
Would you recognise a song by the rapper Haftbefehl or the duo Abor & Tynna, for example?
The former topped the charts of the most-searched personalities in Germany in 2025 thanks to a Netflix documentary chronicling his rise and fall that resonated with young fans across the country.
READ ALSO: Why is everyone in Germany talking about a documentary called ‘Babo’?
The latter represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with a track called “Baller”, driving a surge in searches for lyrics, performances and backstories which took them to the top of the list of searches for "duos".
'Darf man…?'
It’s a cliché that Germans like to know they’re following the rules and one which seems to be borne out by the queries in the “Am I allowed to…?” category.
The top five questions posed by people in Germany this year were:
- Am I allowed to cut oyster mushrooms?
- Am I allowed to do laundry on Good Friday?
- Am I allowed to mow the lawn on May 1st?
- Am I allowed to ride a bicycle across a zebra crossing?
- Am I allowed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday?
READ ALSO: All the ways cyclists in Germany can be fined for breaking the rules
Politics, escapism and the quest for well-being
It’s hardly surprising that – in a year marked by a pivotal general election – German Google searches were flooded with political queries.
The nation’s curiosity was especially evident in related “how” questions. “How do I vote in the federal election?” topped the charts, for example.
The term “Bundestag election” itself saw a surge, accompanied by a flurry of searches on everything from coalition negotiations to practical concerns like “what is a firewall” and “how does the debt brake work”.
Yet, politics wasn’t the only thing on people’s minds.
The search data also reveals a collective yearning for escape from the pressures of daily life. Germans turned to Google for travel inspiration, with Japan and Albania emerging as top destinations, alongside the Baltic seaside town of Eckernförde.
Searches for yoga retreats are also rising, as well as searches for “proper, healthy sleep”.
Here today, gone tomorrow?
Many of the topics people searched for frantically in Germany in 2025 seem likely to disappear from the national memory relatively quickly, as a look back at the top searches in 2024 appears to confirm. Last year’s farmers protests, for example, already feel like a very long time ago.
This will probably come as good news to one Andy Byron, the most searched for international personality in 2025 – ahead of Kendrick Lamar, Jimmy Kimmel and the new Pope. This previously unknown American businessman will certainly think twice before going to another Coldplay concert.
READ ALSO: Can you be sacked in Germany for a workplace romance?
And it will certainly come as good news to parents in Germany – and around the world – who seem to have spent large parts of the year trying to make sense of the “6,7” enigma (the most searched for meme in 2025).
Another import from America, this cryptic phrase swept through German schools and social media, with teenagers shouting “six-seven!” and gesticulating wildly. Despite their best attempts to understand, most adults remain entirely baffled.
What does it all mean?
For those struggling to learn German, or make sense of it in daily conversations, it will perhaps be comforting to learn that even native Germans have to make some efforts to keep up with new and odd phrases.
The top “What does … mean?” (Was bedeutet …?) questions in Germany this year were:
- What does 'Tralalero Tralala' mean?
- What does '67' mean?
- What does 'Sigma Boy' mean?
- What does 'goonen' mean?
- What does 'Tung Tung Tung Sahur' mean?
READ ALSO: The most popular youth slang words in Germany this year
You can see the complete list of Google trends for Germany and the world here.
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