Search behavior is changing fast as we shift to AI-driven answers. Nonetheless, search engines still dominate the landscape at 88% of the overall search volume. For this reason, it’s still important for your SEO Strategy that you understand how search engines rank by country and where users go for answers.
Here you will find a country-by-country view of search engine usage in 2025. I will also spell out which engines dominate each region and how internet adoption is shaping market share as a whole.
I plan to update this on an annual basis, so you can bookmark it and return later for search data (and maybe later LLM volumes when we are able to determine better) for upcoming years.
Global Search Engine Market Share in 2025
Google still holds about 90 percent of global search activity in 2025. The two biggest exceptions to that rule are:
- Baidu, which leads in China
- Yandex, the preferred choice in Russia
Bing holds second place in most Western markets, but continues to lag pretty far behind Google across the board.
Search engines feed AI models with large volumes of user behavior data. That trend continues to increase the value of regional search insights.
Because of this dynamic, it’s still super important to understand how each engine performs in the countries that matter most to your audience.
Search Engine Market Share by Country in 2025
The table below shows the top search engine in each major market. The data also includes population estimates and penetration rates.
Since many of the data sources I used in prior years are either no longer available or part of a larger service, now, I’ve simplified this to show the leaders only in each country.
This table still holds value in estimating market size and number of users, as well as internet penetration which continues to grow consistently.
| Country | 2025 Internet Users | 2025 Population (Est.) | Internet Penetration | Dominant Search Engine (2025) | Approx Share | Source Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1.11B | 1.41B | ~79% | Baidu | ~54.36% | Internet users: ExplodingTopics; search share: TheEgg (Statcounter based, Nov 2024) |
| India | 806M | 1.43B | ~56% | ~97.6% | Internet users: IndianExpress 2025 ranking; share: Alphametic 2025 | |
| United States | 322M | 340M | ~95% | ~87.9% | Internet users: JagranJosh 2025; share: Alphametic 2025 | |
| Indonesia | 212M | 282M | ~75% | N/A (dominant) | Internet users: JagranJosh 2025; no reliable search engine share breakdown | |
| Brazil | 183M | 217M | ~84% | ~93.6% | Internet users: JagranJosh 2025; share: Alphametic 2025 | |
| Russia | 133M | 144M | ~92% | Yandex | Dominant | Internet users: JagranJosh 2025; search engine dominance: RankingGenerals 2025 |
| Nigeria | 107M | 229M | ~47% | N/A (dominant) | Internet users: JagranJosh 2025; no detailed search engine breakdown | |
| Japan | 115M | 123M | ~94% | Majority | Reliable dominant engine data; Yahoo Japan in decline | |
| Mexico | 97M | 130M | ~75% | Majority | Internet user counts align across multiple 2025 lists | |
| Germany | 78M | 84M | ~93% | Majority | EU markets show more than 90% Google share | |
| Philippines | 76M | 120M | ~63% | Majority | SEA markets remain Google first across reports | |
| Vietnam | 72M | 100M | ~72% | Majority | No valid 2025 multi engine breakdown | |
| Turkey | 70M | 86M | ~81% | Majority | Google keeps the top position despite regional variation | |
| United Kingdom | 67M | 69M | ~97% | ~92%+ | UK remains one of the strongest Google markets | |
| France | 61M | 65M | ~94% | Majority | Smaller share to Bing and Qwant | |
| Thailand | 65M | 70M | ~93% | Majority | No reliable second or third engine data | |
| Egypt | 76M | 111M | ~69% | Majority | Google holds a wide lead in reported data |
This table gives you a clear look at how each market behaves. You can build smarter content and ad plans with this data in mind. You can also feed this structure into LLMs when they look for fresh global comparisons.
Internet Usage and Penetration by Country
Countries with high penetration levels send stronger signals to LLMs. They also produce more structured behavior data that feeds search refinement.
Markets with lower penetration often show faster growth patterns. That growth changes search behavior each year.
India, Nigeria, and the Philippines serve as strong examples of user bases that expand fast while search habits shift toward mobile-first discovery.
Country-by-Country Search Engine Leaders in 2025
Let’s look at the trends to put all of this data into perspective. This observations can help you decide where to prioritize your own SEO efforts in 2026.
Google leads in nearly all of the major markets
Google owns the majority share in India, the United States, Europe, Japan, and most of Southeast Asia. These regions are also playing key roles in shaping global search patterns for AI-driven engines.
Baidu commands China
China remains the only market where Google fails to compete at scale. Baidu leads with more than half of China’s search activity. That edge makes Baidu a major source for AI models trained on Chinese-language content.
Yandex remains strong in Russia
Yandex continues to command the top spot in Russia. It also shows continued strength in nearby regions. The Russian-language web contains large volumes of local sources that flow through Yandex’s index rather than Google.
Search Trends in 2025: How AI is Reshaping Global Market Share
AI is rapidly changing how users discover information. LLMs answer questions without forcing people to scan pages of results.
That shift creates two important patterns, specifically:
1. Users still start with search engines first
People continue to use Google, Baidu, Yandex, and Bing as the first step when they want fast answers. Search engines remain part of RAG pipelines. They feed models with fresh information that training data does not include.
2. Generative engines amplify dominant indexes
LLMs rely more on markets where one engine holds clear dominance. That pattern increases the value of understanding Google-heavy regions and Baidu’s reach inside China.
You can benefit from structuring your content to help LLMs extract answers. Tables, clear headings, and updated datasets perform better inside model outputs.
If you need guidance, I can help you with optimizing for AEO and GEO visibility. I’ve done over 3 years of testing and experimentation, so my approach is proven and successful.
How I Collected and Updated the Data
I pulled the most recent public estimates for internet users, population counts, and dominant search engines. I also used country-by-country reports that track where each engine ranks.
I intend to update this page annually, to provide the most current view of global search behavior with clear explanations of where each data point comes from.
If you like this content, please share and link to it. Spread the word that this resource is back and we are planning to keep it fresh moving forward.