Google’s influence and dominance in search engines is undeniable. However, despite being a U.S.-based company headquartered in Silicon Valley, the penetration of its search engine in the United States is lower than the global average.
In contrast, and somewhat surprisingly, Iraq and India rank as the countries that use Google the most, with usage rates exceeding 98%.
According to data from Statista, the countries where Google is used the most, above the global average of 91.47%, are: Iraq, India, Egypt, Cuba, Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Australia, and Mexico.
Percentage of Internet users who used Google as the primary search engine in selected countries (first half of 2024):
- Iraq: 98.83%
- India: 98.06%
- Egypt: 97.74%
- Cuba: 96.25%
- Spain: 96.1%
- Venezuela: 95.47%
- Brazil: 95.18%
- South Africa: 94.81%
- Italy: 94.32%
- Portugal: 93.98%
- Morocco: 93.06%
- Australia: 92.93%
- Mexico: 91.47%
- Global Average: 91.22%
- France: 90.75%
- Germany: 89.77%
- United States: 87.14%
- Japan: 77.88%
- Russia: 28.2%
- China: 2%
Source: Statista
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Yandex and Baidu: Regional Leaders Challenging Google
Despite Google’s global dominance, there are markets where it faces significant competition. In Russia and China, Yandex and Baidu are the leading search engines, holding over 60% of the market share in their respective countries.
These companies have successfully adapted to local needs and offer personalized services that resonate with users in their regions.
Personalization and localization of services are key to the success of these search engines. Although Google has struggled to penetrate these markets due to political and regulatory barriers, its attempts have failed, allowing Yandex and Baidu to capitalize on these opportunities and strengthen their presence.
Mobile Search Engine Market Share (July 2023 – June 2024):
- Google: 95.18%
- Yandex: 1.42%
- Baidu: 1.11%
- Bing: 0.55%
- Yahoo: 0.53%
- Others: 1.22%
Desktop Search Engine Market Share (July 2023 – June 2024):
- Google: 82.28%
- Bing: 10.04%
- Yahoo: 2.77%
- Yandex: 2.28%
- DuckDuckGo: 0.72%
- Others: 1.92%
The Advertising Market: Google’s Major Business
From the first quarter of 2020 to the fourth quarter of 2023, Google maintained its leadership as the most used search engine by mobile users, with a market share exceeding 95% in Q4 2023.
This dominance was reflected in its advertising revenue, which surpassed $85.5 billion in Q4 2023, setting a new financial record for the company.
Google’s main source of revenue remains advertising, both on its websites and across its ad network. Google’s ability to offer highly targeted and relevant ads has been crucial in attracting advertisers and sustaining its growth in ad revenue.
Google’s Global Advertising Revenue (2006 – 2023) in Billions of Dollars:
- 2006: 10.49
- 2007: 16.41
- 2008: 21.13
- 2009: 22.89
- 2010: 28.24
- 2011: 36.53
- 2012: 43.69
- 2013: 51.07
- 2014: 59.62
- 2015: 67.39
- 2016: 79.38
- 2017: 95.58
- 2018: 116.46
- 2019: 134.81
- 2020: 146.92
- 2021: 209.49
- 2022: 224.47
- 2023: 237.86
Source: Statista
