Discover the most-read new stories of the year from around the world.
Just when we thought 2020 was THE year of tough choices, hardships, and jaw-dropping, show-stopping events, 2021 entered the chat.
From the continuation of a global pandemic (including not one but two new newsworthy COVID-19 variants) and the rebranding of Facebook, the world’s most recognizable and controversial social media platform (which experienced an unforeseen outage) to Meta, to the Tokyo Olympics and an obsession with new ways to invest (what is Dogecoin?), 2021 took our daily news to new heights of urgency, delight, shock, and confusion.
There are endless headlines from our news, entertainment, sports, health & fitness, technology, business, and finance publishers to read on the open web. To explore precisely which topics kept readers enthralled this year and accumulated the most pageviews across our network, we took a deep dive into our 2021 publisher data and insights. Here, we’ve highlighted each country’s most-read topics.
Jump around between countries using the list below. Let us know which you find most obvious, surprising, and which you may have forgotten even happened!
The United States
Source: PATRICK SEMANSKY/AFP via Getty Images
General News
With the ushering in of a new president always comes… the storming of the capitol? Insert shocked emoji here. This year, there was no shortage of headlines involving the U.S.’s current and past presidents, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and the local and national government’s “contributions” to society, including actions on unemployment, abortion laws, and the removal U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Biden & Trump – Election | 49,394,624,880 | 41.91% |
| Megan & Harry | 17,726,857,330 | 15.04% |
| Afghan & Biden | 16,469,226,390 | 13.97% |
| Capital & Trump | 8,148,620,190 | 6.91% |
| Trump & Unemployment | 5,659,661,020 | 4.80% |
| Caldor Fire | 5,472,691,120 | 4.64% |
| Abortion Law – Texas | 4,952,326,690 | 4.20% |
| Critical Race Theory | 3,670,996,400 | 3.11% |
| Biden & Hamas | 3,246,655,610 | 2.75% |
| Biden & COVID | 3,115,153,870 | 2.64% |
Entertainment
Lo-ki (get it?), 2021 brought some of the most iconic (and strangest) celebrity couples together (and back together!) Most notably, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. We also saw much love and controversy on the return of The Bachelor franchises, which said goodbye to their series-starting host Chris Harrison after he made racially insensitive comments.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez | 2,051,802,740 | 65.58% |
| Loki from Marvel | 580,696,740 | 18.56% |
| Bachelor & Bachelorette | 283,992,100 | 9.08% |
| Jeopardy | 86,101,340 | 2.75% |
| Kim Kardashian | 85,861,780 | 2.74% |
| Disney World & DisneyLand | 34,315,920 | 1.10% |
| Cardi B & Offset Birthdays | 5,863,860 | 0.19% |
Finance
Two themes come to mind when looking at this year’s most-read U.S. finance topics: how to get out of debt and how to make more money. New ways to invest are on the rise, such as in Dogecoin, Ethereum, and NFT’s, while many who have experienced the financial hardships of the pandemic are looking for loans and debt relief. In fact, fifty-seven percent of Americans don’t have enough cash to cover a $500 unexpected expense.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Investing | 18,181,645,870 | 33.32% |
| Child Tax Credit | 12,287,721,160 | 22.52% |
| China Investment Ban | 8,815,913,020 | 16.16% |
| Real Estate | 5,630,792,420 | 10.32% |
| Stock Market | 4,307,866,420 | 7.89% |
| Dogecoin & Ethereum | 2,785,943,160 | 5.11% |
| Roth IRA | 1,056,027,660 | 1.94% |
| Student Debt | 859,238,200 | 1.57% |
| Loan | 639,468,200 | 1.17% |
Sports
If baseball is America’s pastime, football is America’s obsession. If we dig deeper into the #1 U.S, sports topic on our network, American football, we see headlines from Tom Brady, who won his 7th superbowl in February 2021 (and first as the quarterback for the Buccaneers), Aaron Rodgers, who sparked controversy after misrepresenting his vaccination status, and excitement surrounding college football.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Football | 9,273,312,140 | 44.20% |
| Lebron | 4,146,094,960 | 19.76% |
| Tokyo Olympics | 1,117,485,440 | 10.92% |
| Soccer (Football) – United | 2,290,255,080 | 5.33% |
| UFC – WWE | 1,014,934,680 | 4.84% |
| Auto Racing | 730,650,180 | 3.48% |
| Hockey – NHL | 723,133,780 | 3.45% |
| DeChambeau | 710,347,780 | 3.39% |
| Tour De France | 592,790,240 | 2.83% |
| Naomi Osaka – US Open | 382,139,520 | 1.82% |
Business
The newly-freed American pop icon Britney Spears sang it best, you better work, b*tch. Work is top of mind for 2021 readers, including finding new work (also known as “The Great Resignation”), adjusting to a hybrid work environment, and traveling for business.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Work | 9,151,533,100 | 22.36% |
| Elon Musk & Tesla | 8,744,844,560 | 21.36% |
| Amazon | 6,021,614,350 | 14.71% |
| Apple | 4,273,648,320 | 10.44% |
| Southwest | 3,837,195,630 | 9.37% |
| Ford & Toyota | 2,948,353,780 | 7.20% |
| Business Travel | 2,224,660,800 | 5.44% |
| 1,734,930,990 | 4.24% | |
| Walmart | 1,176,019,160 | 2.87% |
| Biden & Tax | 818,075,240 | 2.00% |
Health & Fitness
Unsurprising to see on this list: anything to do with COVID. Totally surprising to see on this list: ice cream? With sensations including Van Leeuwen’s Macaroni & Cheese and Hot Cheetos ice cream, readers really dug their teeth into unexpected sweet and savory desserts articles. We’d be remiss not to mention that McDonald’s ice cream machine is always broken.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| COVID, Disease & Vaccinations | 140,155,388,370 | 86.11% |
| McDonald’s | 13,207,779,560 | 8.11% |
| Abortion Law & Texas | 4,952,326,690 | 3.04% |
| Oat Milk | 1,140,707,790 | 0.70% |
| Cake & Pie | 1,134,681,620 | 0.70% |
| Dr. Pimple Popper | 666,923,120 | 0.41% |
| Bakery & Ice Cream | 619,502,420 | 0.38% |
| China & Family | 366,128,290 | 0.22% |
| Biden & Meat | 361,146,460 | 0.22% |
| Hospital & Nursing | 157,081,510 | 0.10% |
India
General News
With COVID of top interest in India, in 2021, parents read up on the amount of COVID cases in Bengaluru as a large number of children tested positive. Gautam Adani’s wealth compared to Elon Musk & Jeff Bezos was also a hit among those surfing the open web.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| COVID | 142,370,470 | 59.0% |
| Delhi & Police | 22,234,020 | 9.2% |
| Bengaluru | 16,740,380 | 6.9% |
| Elon Musk & Gautam Adani | 15,092,930 | 6.3% |
| Chennai, National Disaster Response Force, & Uttarakhand | 13,971,950 | 5.8% |
| Himachal, Madhya Pradesh, and Rescue | 13,863,540 | 5.7% |
| Kerala Lottery | 6,293,900 | 2.6% |
| Stock Market – BSE & NSE | 4,628,160 | 1.9% |
| ranbir kapoor & Delhi | 4,285,960 | 1.8% |
| Bengaluru & School | 1,855,350 | 0.8% |
Entertainment
India’s publishers kept readers up to date on the celebrity gossip in 2021. Indian actress Kareena Kapoor welcomed her second child this year, while Naga Chaitanya & Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Aamir Khan & Kiran Rao ended their marriages.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Kareena Kapoor | 2,405,917,660 | 32.23% |
| Akshay Kumar & Shah Rukh Khan | 1,410,855,850 | 18.91% |
| Aryan Khan & Shah Rukh Khan | 1,075,544,810 | 14.41% |
| Indian Idol & Bigg Boss | 973,269,950 | 13.04% |
| Naga Chaitanya & Samantha Ruth Prabhu | 795,108,240 | 10.65% |
| Aamir Khan & Kiran Rao Divorce | 434,038,980 | 5.82% |
| Priyanka Chopra | 368,006,610 | 4.93% |
Sports
Three words capture the essence of India’s sports readership data: Indian Premier League. Cricket continues to be the #1 sport in India in 2021, and fans are eager to read up on breaking cricket news.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Cricket & The Cricket World Cup | 2,579,682,540 | 45.80% |
| England & IPL | 1,037,587,770 | 18.42% |
| Dhoni & IPL | 692,192,820 | 12.29% |
| Tokyo Olympics & Hockey | 641,472,910 | 11.3%9 |
| Soccer | 253,860,690 | 4.51% |
| COVID & IPL | 232,297,820 | 4.12% |
| England & Euro 2020 | 196,233,470 | 3.48% |
Health & Fitness
When it comes to health & fitness articles in India, COVID captured attention – and the effects the pandemic has had on mental and physical health. Topics including weight loss, blood pressure, and depression have seen high readership in 2021.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| COVID & Vaccinations | 2,422,612,930 | 46.81% |
| Bengaluru & COVID | 1,359,396,410 | 26.27% |
| BJP, COVID, & Health | 464,258,080 | 8.97% |
| Weight Loss | 358,086,4000 | 4.66% |
| COVID & Mumbai | 186,398,470 | 3.60% |
| COVID & Fungus | 174,927,370 | 3.38% |
| Blood Pressure | 94,713,020 | 2.26% |
| Depression & Mental Health | 85,622,570 | 1.83% |
| Akshay Kumar, Hair, & Skin | 28,999,030 | 0.6% |
Spain
Source: ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
General News
Readers in Spain sought real-time information on news topics in 2021, including live coverage of a volcano eruption in La Palma island and a heatwave over 40 centigrades in Spain and Laponia, registering the hottest day since 1914.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Volcano | 1,193,920,260 | 35.12% |
| Kiki Morente & Sara Carbonero | 750,477,570 | 22.07% |
| Irene Montero (Ministry of Equality) | 662,794,060 | 19.49% |
| Ceuta & Racism | 319,279,900 | 9.39% |
| China & UE | 295,080,420 | 8.68% |
| Heat Wave | 178,315,870 | 5.24% |
Entertainment
Spain’s 2021 entertainment category covers everything fans are streaming and watching live. TV shows such as Masterchef 9 and Viva la Vida were popular this year, and many tuned in to Antena 3 to watch Pasapalabra and fan-favorite Turkish series, including Mujer and Infiel.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Shows & Events | 2,620,832,700 | 46.23% |
| Antena 3 | 1,519,435,130 | 26.80% |
| Rocío Carrasco | 912,524,670 | 16.10% |
| Movies & TV | 425,178,660 | 7.50% |
| Andrew Garfield & Marvel | 191,427,810 | 3.38% |
Finance
It’s all about banking. Website visitors are reading up on how to invest their money and with which banks. New businesses are also trending, with readers looking to shop small and local.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Invest | 776,840,360 | 40.81% |
| Caixabank | 723,656,050 | 38.02% |
| New Businesses | 151,649,970 | 7.97% |
| Real Estate | 118,556,200 | 6.23% |
| Debt | 110,087,520 | 5.78% |
| Liberbank, Unicaja | 22,566,280 | 1.19% |
Sports
Real Madrid dominates Spain’s top sports topics, with the two legendary captains of Real Madrid (Sergio Ramos) and Barcelona (Lionel Messi) playing together in PSG. 2021 also revealed Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti attempted to sign Neymar three times. Maybe next year!
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Fútbol | 13,520,400,890 | 55.61% |
| Messi, PSG, & Real Madrid | 4,992,142,930 | 20.53% |
| Ancelotti, Neymar, & Real Madrid | 1,522,983,120 | 6.26% |
| Iglesias | 1,109,014,740 | 4.56% |
| España, Juegos Olímpicos, Tokio | 997,819,180 | 4.10% |
| Joan Laporta, Koeman, & Madrid | 964,651,030 | 3.97% |
| Argentina, Eurocopa, & Italia | 617,847,530 | 2.54% |
| Egan Bernal & Vuelta España | 284,052,540 | 1.17% |
| Paula Badosa & Tenis | 283,118,720 | 1.16% |
| Fifa | 19,989,170 | 0.08% |
Business
In Q3 of 2021, the price of energy reached historic records in Spain, so it’s unsurprising to see “Energy” and “Iberdrola,” a multinational electric utility company based in Bilbao, Spain, making movements on the open web.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Energy | 1,341,222,940 | 68.05% |
| España, Madrid | 319,605,740 | 16.22% |
| Vehicles | 150,224,140 | 7.62% |
| Iberdrola | 75,237,560 | 3.82% |
| Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid | 61,155,130 | 3.10% |
| Netflix | 23,476,120 | 1.19% |
Health & Fitness
It’s all about the jab! Pageviews surrounding the latest news on COVID vaccinations, including the third booster discussion, dominated the open web in 2021. We also saw readers searching for more information from Harvard on their research study on a vaccine for breast cancer.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Pfizer & Vaccines | 1,594,226,370 | 37.37% |
| Cancer Vaccine | 993,503,450 | 23.29% |
| Mental Health | 678,212,560 | 15.90% |
| COVID Cases | 624,721,320 | 14.64% |
| Physical Exercises | 375,571,070 | 8.80% |
United Kingdom
Source: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images
General News
This year, two high profile murders in London captured the public’s attention. Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa were both killed walking near their homes in London, Everard by a police officer. These cases have made waves through UK society and provoked difficult conversations around women’s safety and rights.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Crime | 7,241,166,680 | 24.37% |
| London Murder | 7,175,383,950 | 24.15% |
| Rishi Sunak – Pension & Tax | 4,228,535,110 | 14.23% |
| Prince Harry & Prince William | 4,225,952,650 | 14.23% |
| Love Island – Jake & Liam | 2,519,580,820 | 8.48% |
| Work | 2,012,486,600 | 6.77% |
| Racism | 890,411,260 | 3.00% |
| Sex Education | 605,769,620 | 2.04% |
| Scottish National Party (SNP) & UK | 432,199,800 | 1.45% |
| Unrest and War | 376,276,300 | 1.27% |
Entertainment
UK entertainment lovers spent 2021 watching their most-loved shows, and reading up on them afterwards. Reality television shows including Celebrity Gogglebox, Love Island, and Strictly Come Dancing dominated UK pageviews.
In actual reality, this year Good Morning Britain said goodbye to long-time host Piers Morgan following his criticism of the Oprah interview with Meghan Markle & Prince Harry. Ofcom received over 57,000 viewer complaints, including one from Markle herself, but Morgan was cleared of wrongdoing; however, he remains off the show.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| BBC & Good Morning Britain (GMB) – Piers Morgan | 4,200,682,100 | 29.71% |
| Celebrity Gogglebox & Love Island | 2,395,937,240 | 16.94% |
| Strictly Come Dancing | 1,874,198,370 | 13.25% |
| James Bond | 1,683,719,960 | 11.91% |
| Festival | 1,248,164,830 | 8.83% |
| TikTok | 940,094,990 | 6.65% |
| Marvel & Loki | 700,278,960 | 4.95% |
| Jennifer Aniston & Friends | 438,134,290 | 3.10% |
| Pokemon | 425,557,320 | 3.01% |
| Stacey Solomon | 234,361,310 | 1.66% |
Finance
Finance and COVID-19 topics have gone hand in hand this year, with UK readers researching interest rates, income support, and small business bailouts.
The property market has been a huge topic in 2021 too. In 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis, the government introduced a stamp duty holiday (which recently ended), encouraging people to buy. Now inflation is at a 10-year high, and interest rates are predicted to increase by the beginning of next year.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Interest Rates | 502,651,080 | 27.91% |
| Investing | 211,454,950 | 11.74% |
| Ethereum | 202,676,650 | 11.25% |
| HMRC & SEISS | 173,178,360 | 9.62% |
| London Private Equity | 162,763,760 | 9.04% |
| Premium Bonds | 140,580,060 | 7.81% |
| Newcastle United Takeover | 128,440,660 | 7.13% |
| Martin Lewis & Mortgages | 115,729,250 | 6.43% |
| FTSE 100 | 94,522,660 | 5.25% |
| DWP Payment | 68,937,990 | 3.83% |
Sports
To absolutely no surprise to anyone in the UK, the subject of football (soccer) scores more than half of the top pageviews on our publisher sites. Sports fans are reading up on their most-loved teams, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
Top sports stories also included teen tennis star Emma Raducanu, who this year became the first British woman to win the Grand Slam title in more than 40 years, and the youngest winner since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Football (Soccer) | 31,240,420,260 | 48.05% |
| Arsenal, Liverpool, & Manchester United | 16,423,896,570 | 25.26% |
| Rangers & Manchester United | 5,564,816,780 | 8.56% |
| Euro 2020 & England | 4,613,771,810 | 7.10% |
| Tyson Fury & Deontay Wilder | 1,866,877,570 | 2.87% |
| Emma Raducanu & the US Open | 1,469,971,320 | 2.26% |
| Tokyo Olympics & Gold | 1,450,226,370 | 2.23% |
| Rugby & Lions | 1,070,306,030 | 1.65% |
| Spurs & Jose Mourinho | 688,477,810 | 1.06% |
| World Cup & England | 624,953,850 | 0.96% |
Business
Rising property prices and reforms to the inheritance tax law made it a topic of discussion this year, and therefore a top topic on our network. Inheritance tax was recently named Britain’s most hated tax, despite only being applicable in 4% of deaths.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Inheritance Tax | 457,564,270 | 34.03% |
| Heat Pump Switch | 354,030,160 | 26.33% |
| Travel | 177,297,570 | 13.19% |
| Rolls Royce | 117,635,340 | 8.75% |
| John Lewis | 117,027,940 | 8.70% |
| Asda & the Issa Brothers | 83,756,350 | 6.23% |
| Royal Mail | 37,270,450 | 2.77% |
Technology
Squid Game, which officially became Netflix’s biggest original series launch in history in 2021, has earned the top spot in our UK technology topics. Searches for the best headphones and gaming equipment also ruled our pageviews, with social media platforms falling closely behind.
| Top Technology Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Netflix & Squid Game | 2,187,111,110 | 30.23% |
| Apple | 1,720,861,750 | 23.79% |
| Operating Systems | 1,394,508,550 | 19.28% |
| Headphones & Sony | 522,961,360 | 7.23% |
| Games & Playstation | 511,989,510 | 7.08% |
| New World | 337,216,120 | 4.66% |
| Trump & Twitter | 299,440,080 | 4.14% |
| Facebook & Whatsapp | 259,722,510 | 3.59% |
France
General News
In March of 2021, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made headlines when they sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a primetime interview. Despite previously being part of the British Monarch, readers in France demonstrated continued interest in the couple and their marriage. But that’s not all, French people’s continued love for football (soccer) still made it in the top general news topics this year.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Prince Harry & Meghan Markle – Marriage | 2,136,427,690 | 35.35% |
| Éric Zemmour & Racism – PSG | 1,132,633,590 | 18.74% |
| Cristiano Ronaldo & PSG | 659,963,230 | 10.92% |
| Grossesse & Jessica Thivenin | 580,736,720 | 9.61% |
| Internet Technology | 489,947,490 | 8.11% |
| Cuisine & Top Chef | 320,190,490 | 5.30% |
| Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox | 306,736,320 | 5.08% |
| Camping & Tour de France | 154,880,240 | 2.56% |
| Facebook & Whatsapp | 133,352,110 | 2.21% |
| COVID & Vaccines | 128,236,610 | 2.12% |
Entertainment
With hope for the end of the pandemic in 2021, readers in France, like much of the world, took to the open web for more information on in-person shows and events. New guidelines were set in place by COVID, including social distancing, which are imperative to read up on before visiting a venue. These guidelines allowed for returning some of France’s most loved events, including the Cannes Festival, Eurovision, and concerts in Paris.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Shows and Events | 3,483,024,940 | 31.24% |
| Movies and Television | 1,720,617,270 | 15.43% |
| Cannes Festival | 1,113,940,210 | 9.99% |
| Concerts & Paris | 1,107,270,460 | 9.93% |
| Games | 1,033,419,050 | 9.27% |
| MG & TV | 884,510,290 | 7.93% |
| Eurovision | 639,536,240 | 5.74% |
| Les Marseillais vs le Reste du Monde | 568,315,510 | 5.10% |
| Dancing with the Stars | 301,590,370 | 2.71% |
| Miss France | 295,996,950 | 2.66% |
Finance
Sometimes topics overlap! You’ll see below more mentions of what look like sports topics rather than finance topics. However, this year, many headlines covered player transfer and purchasing costs and the selling of clubs, making it to our top finance topics.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Investing | 1,476,575,160 | 43.01% |
| Bourse Neymar & PSG | 1,127,292,960 | 32.83% |
| Banking | 194,133,080 | 5.65% |
| Messi & PSG | 154,566,700 | 4.50% |
| Bourse – Elon Musk & Tesla | 143,625,170 | 4.18% |
| Euro | 106,626,230 | 3.11% |
| Credit | 71,589,590 | 2.09% |
| Real Madrid & PSG | 60,317,920 | 1.76% |
| Bourse | 55,239,960 | 1.61% |
| Malaise & PSG | 43,505,980 | 1.27% |
Sports
Move over, football (soccer), basketball is coming for you! The men’s basketball team won the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and female basketball dominated the basketball discussion this year due to the EuroBasket 2023 qualification and the Women’s Euroleague.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Football (Soccer) | 9,844,019,420 | 39.47% |
| Ligue 1 & PSG | 3,014,297,830 | 12.09% |
| PSG | 2,870,459,500 | 11.51% |
| Neymar | 2,815,287,050 | 11.29% |
| Boat Racing | 1,746,790,180 | 7.00% |
| Basketball | 1,390,530,840 | 5.58% |
| Longoria | 1,133,113,230 | 4.54% |
| Basketball & JO | 883,780,250 | 3.54% |
| Euro | 790,668,430 | 3.17% |
| Tour de France | 453,120,450 | 1.82% |
Business
Construction has been top of mind for business-savvy French citizens. We saw a majority of our pageviews point to construction, road work, and interventions in Toulouse and Strasbourg.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Toulouse | 1,582,995,130 | 50.19% |
| Construction | 473,827,690 | 15.02% |
| Toulouse & Paris – Route | 393,524,650 | 12.48% |
| Astrazeneca, Neymar & PSG | 365,614,270 | 11.59% |
| Space & Thomas Pesquet | 194,027,520 | 6.15% |
| Strasbourg & Toulouse | 80,303,040 | 2.55% |
| Alain delon & Nathalie Delon | 42,015,790 | 1.33% |
| 60 Millions Consumers | 21,382,840 | 0.68% |
Health & Fitness
At-home skin care continues to trend in France, with readers searching for what products are best for their type of skin. This includes oils, coconut butter, and other natural products.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| COVID & Emmanuel Macron | 4,056,738,260 | 74.90% |
| Cancer & Pregnancy | 809,280,010 | 14.94% |
| The Moon & Sleep | 228,190,170 | 4.21% |
| Oil & Face | 224,617,800 | 4.15% |
| Spirituality | 67,161,180 | 1.24% |
| Skin | 30,377,580 | 0.56% |
Australia
Entertainment
“Film” and “Sydney” may seem like an odd duo for Australia’s entertainment topic, but not when you hear who’s been filming in Sydney this year! Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt were seen in full costume for the first time on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney’s Centennial Park. We’ll be looking up those photos now… Another Marvel movie making headlines? Black Widow. Presumably, due to Johansson resolving a lawsuit against Disney.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Dieter Brummer & Home and Away | 647,716,450 | 36.26% |
| Film & Sydney | 497,879,230 | 27.87% |
| Netflix & Squid Game | 308,025,840 | 17.24% |
| Marvel & Black Widow & Scarlett Johansson | 140,592,180 | 7.87% |
| Netflix | 49,221,440 | 2.76% |
| Netflix & Prince Philip | 43,315,850 | 2.43% |
| Design & Kitchen | 40,529,550 | 2.27% |
| Harry Potter & Robin | 23,778,730 | 1.33% |
| TikTok | 15,897,580 | 0.89% |
Sports
Australian-native athletes from different sports dominated Australia’s 2021 pageviews, including Ashleigh Barty, Connor McGregor, and Ben Simmons. This year Barty, Australian professional tennis player and former cricketer ranked #1 in the world in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| National Rugby League (NRL) & The Brisbane Broncos | 1,571,038,430 | 17.19% |
| Tokyo Olympics + Gold Medals | 1,509,486,580 | 16.51% |
| United & England | 1,026,595,040 | 11.23% |
| Ashleigh Barty | 742,749,820 | 8.13% |
| Tour de France | 649,874,590 | 7.11% |
| England World Cup | 584,539,040 | 6.40% |
| McGregor & UFC | 424,611,290 | 4.65% |
| Ben Simmons & The NBA | 325,270,720 | 3.56% |
Health & Fitness
No matter where in Australia readers are located, most 2021 open web browsers are gathering information on COVID vaccines. We also see interest from Australian readers in other countries’ COVID information, including the U.S. and Israel.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| COVID – Sydney & Victoria Areas (Melbourne) | 3,721,240,780 | 62.8% |
| COVID Vaccine | 1,718,385,800 | 29.0% |
| Trump & Weight Loss | 334,716,050 | 5.6% |
| Biden, Trump, & Vaccines | 35,414,550 | 0.6% |
| Married At First Sight – Sarah Roza & surgery | 33,210,420 | 0.6% |
| Daniel Lanzer, Hospital, & Surgery | 27,801,010 | 0.5% |
| Human Brain & Thought | 26,204,540 | 0.4% |
| COVID, Israel, & Vaccines | 14,432,590 | 0.2% |
| Biden & Vaccines | 10,327,020 | 0.2% |
| Health Insurance | 7,026,040 | 0.1% |
Germany
Source: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
General News
Privacy concerns grew more apparent in 2021, with Germany’s internet users reading up on new features and terms from their most-trusted technology websites and apps, including Google and Meta. We also saw considerable pageviews for technology brands, including Samsung and Apple.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Internet Technology | 1,177,051,160 | 27.07% |
| Google & Whatsapp | 545,060,370 | 12.54% |
| Samsung | 487,825,930 | 11.22% |
| Hardware | 455,641,670 | 10.48% |
| Euro & Samsung | 454,672,100 | 10.46% |
| Northwest Police | 451,843,690 | 10.39% |
| FC Bayern Munich | 374,468,130 | 8.61% |
| Android, Apple, & Google | 286,310,950 | 6.58% |
| Football (Soccer) Euro (Europameisterschaft) | 59,317,360 | 1.36% |
| Football (Soccer) Euro | 56,111,350 | 1.29% |
Entertainment
Readers in Germany want Bond, James Bond. No Time To Die, the twenty-fifth spy film in the James Bond series, was released in September 2021, starring Daniel Craig (spoiler) for the last time.
But nothing beats the thrill of good versus evil displayed in Tag & Nacht, a scripted reality TV show straight out of the capital city of Berlin, which has seized one of Germany’s top topic spots.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Shows & Events | 1,765,633,810 | 26.00% |
| Berlin – Tag & Nacht | 1,524,519,480 | 22.45% |
| Movies & TV | 1,124,879,070 | 16.57% |
| Amazon & TV | 626,665,730 | 9.23% |
| James Bond & Netflix | 498,213,340 | 7.34% |
| Eurovision Song Contest | 354,382,470 | 5.22% |
| Games on Steam | 332,013,110 | 4.89% |
| Let’s Dance – Rúrik Gíslason & Renata Lusin | 240,945,490 | 3.55% |
| Bikini | 215,424,620 | 3.17% |
| Helene Fischer & Florian Silbereisen | 107,128,430 | 1.58% |
Finance
It’s all about where your euros are headed for German readers! You’ll notice traditional German bank names like “Volksbank,” “Deutsche Bank,” and “Commerzbank” have ranked in our top topics. This shows German readers are considering their banking options and investments in 2021. On the flip side, our readership data shows more and more excitement about investing and start-up topics.
| Top Financial Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Bank | 731,422,100 | 39.66% |
| Bank & Euro | 495,974,820 | 26.89% |
| Investing | 192,434,220 | 10.43% |
| Höhle der Löwen & Investors | 71,193,160 | 3.86% |
| Bank, Euro & Volksbank | 67,634,140 | 3.67% |
| Deutsche Bank & Euro | 63,739,780 | 3.46% |
| Bayer & DAX | 57,539,150 | 3.12% |
| Commerzbank | 55,827,830 | 3.03% |
| Shares, Stock Exchange & Euro | 54,272,360 | 2.94% |
| Euro | 54,152,650 | 2.94% |
Sports
Football (Soccer) still seems to be the most popular sport to read up on in Germany. FC Bayern München is a common denominator among Germany’s leading sports topics. This year’s top stories around FC Bayern München include praise for player Corentin Tolisso and insight into Coach Julian Nagelsmann.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Football (Soccer) | 6,328,667,870 | 39.66% |
| FC Bayern München & Nagelsmann | 3,207,411,020 | 20.10% |
| Champions League & FC Bayern München | 1,844,883,710 | 11.56% |
| Olympics | 1,447,374,080 | 9.07% |
| Germany & Olympics Tokyo | 1,151,126,440 | 7.21% |
| Germany & EURO | 1,115,885,310 | 6.99% |
| Dynamo & FC Bayern München | 441,325,520 | 2.77% |
| Champions League | 419,008,640 | 2.63% |
Business
There’s no shortage of 2021 headlines regarding the automotive industry this year. Cars suddenly became a must-have during the pandemic, as people looked for ways to get around without contact with other individuals.
Here, you’ll see car topics including Volkswagen and Audi, as well as other forms of contactless transportation, including motorcycles and bicycles.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Cars | 8,855,155,410 | 51.06% |
| Euro & VW | 3,901,916,240 | 22.50% |
| Police & Accident | 1,413,657,190 | 8.15% |
| Formula 1 – Hamilton & Verstappen | 658,750,950 | 3.80% |
| Motorcycles | 523,338,300 | 3.02% |
| Euro & Accident | 461,031,350 | 2.66% |
| Audi & VW | 408,160,380 | 2.35% |
| Bicycles & Equipment | 383,678,360 | 2.21% |
| Euro | 380,647,170 | 2.19% |
| Audi, BMW, & VW | 355,682,890 | 2.05% |
Health & Fitness
Even royalty need physical and mental health checks. In November 2021, Insider reported Princess Charlène of Monaco was being treated for emotional and physical exhaustion.
The news of the Princess being admitted to a treatment facility made headlines on top publishers, accumulating pageviews on the Taboola network and providing some distraction for readers during the second year of the pandemic.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Illness & Health | 7,803,068,530 | 50.67% |
| Germany & Vaccinations | 2,640,255,720 | 17.14% |
| Germany & Health Minister Spahn | 1,735,664,650 | 11.27% |
| Princess Charlène of Monaco | 1,166,395,780 | 7.57% |
| Robert Koch Institute (RKI) | 564,445,340 | 3.67% |
| Bavaria & COVID | 554,673,240 | 3.60% |
| COVID – Germany, Nuremberg | 464,611,780 | 3.02% |
| COVID | 244,754,330 | 1.59% |
| Hamburg | 226,712,830 | 1.47% |
Brazil
General News
Conflict in government is an overarching theme in 2021’s Brazil general news topics. This year brought conflicts between President Bolsonaro and the Supreme Court, between the Senate and the Supreme Court, and between federal police and the Supreme Court.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Government | 1,823,881,580 | 22.48% |
| Bolsonaro & STF | 1,443,263,550 | 17.79% |
| Senate & STF | 1,426,681,450 | 17.58% |
| Federal Police & STF | 1,057,252,880 | 13.03% |
| The United States & Taliban | 759,556,180 | 9.36% |
| Politics | 540,711,960 | 6.66% |
| China & The United States | 536,331,840 | 6.61% |
| Fire | 278,040,600 | 3.43% |
| Public Ministry | 249,233,280 | 3.07% |
Entertainment
It’s all about BBB! Big Brother Brasil, one of the biggest reality television shows in Brazil, has landed three of our top entertainment spots, including mentions of the host of the show, Tiago Leifert, and Big Brother Brasil 21 2021 winner, Juliette.
Also tragically making headlines, Brazil lost two celebrity icons, singer Marília Mendonça and comedian Paulo Gustavo. Mendonça died this year in a helicopter crash, while Gustavo passed away from complications caused by COVID-19.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Shows & Events | 4,198,049,740 | 43.05% |
| Films | 1,866,156,500 | 19.14% |
| Marília Mendonça | 1,578,749,260 | 16.19% |
| Netflix | 723,541,760 | 7.42% |
| Diogo Nogueira & Paolla Oliveira | 458,498,380 | 4.70% |
| Tiago Leifert | 387,678,220 | 3.98% |
| Juliette | 316,284,780 | 3.24% |
| Big Brother Brasil | 120,137,370 | 1.23% |
| Paulo Gustavo | 84,849,430 | 0.87% |
| Neymar | 17,292,030 | 0.18% |
Finance
Investments, inflation, and income make up Brazil’s top financial topics this year. Those readers whose income were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are researching new, creative ways to make more money and overcome the rising cost of living.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of Pageviews Out of Top Topics |
| Investments | 3,981,164,120 | 48.63% |
| CAIXA | 1,688,276,500 | 20.62% |
| Bolsonaro | 663,286,990 | 8.10% |
| Inflation | 623,446,800 | 7.62% |
| Government | 420,460,910 | 5.14% |
| Income Tax | 323,810,110 | 3.96% |
| Income | 171,538,860 | 2.10% |
| Paulo Guedes | 119,481,060 | 1.46% |
| XP | 102,176,340 | 1.25% |
| Petrobras | 92,948,650 | 1.14% |
Sports
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics hosted this summer brought Brazil its first medals ever in three sports, tennis (which we also see on this topics list), skateboarding, and surfing. Brazil was awarded seven gold medals, six silver, and eight bronze medals.
We also see arguably Brazil’s two most popular football (soccer) teams, Corinthians and Flamengo, at the top of our results. The Flamengo’s reached the Libertadores Final (another top topic!) this year.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 7,281,331,360 | 54.29% |
| Corinthians | 2,510,477,730 | 18.72% |
| Olympics | 960,537,350 | 7.16% |
| Flamengo | 664,296,150 | 4.95% |
| Copa do Brasil | 607,110,080 | 4.53% |
| Neymar | 441,797,970 | 3.29% |
| Final Libertadores | 437,352,650 | 3.26% |
| UFC | 241,916,160 | 1.80% |
| Tennis | 135,375,060 | 1.01% |
| Copa America | 131,831,450 | 0.98% |
Health & Fitness
Headlines regarding COVID-19, its symptoms, and the vaccines to prevent people from becoming infected with the illness overtook Brazilian publishers’ content. What’s less talked about but very real is the anxiety pandemic caused and is still causing.
| Top 10 Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness | 9,154,893,710 | 50.44% |
| COVID | 6,327,751,350 | 34.86% |
| Vaccine | 1,790,034,100 | 9.86% |
| Pfizer | 465,013,610 | 2.56% |
| Anxiety | 249,798,870 | 1.38% |
| Ministry of Health | 162,438,300 | 0.89% |
Japan
Source: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
General News
This year, readers in Japan were most engaged with national news – and rightfully so! With live events that brought in international travelers, like the Tokyo Olympics, resuming in Japan despite rising COVID cases in the area, citizens relied on local premium publishers to provide up-to-date information on the pandemic and other national concerns.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of PVs Out of Top Topics |
| National News | 253,000,690 | 59.88% |
| Yoshimoto | 130,785,380 | 30.95% |
| MLB | 38,750,510 | 9.17% |
Entertainment
One of Japan’s most famous comedians, Hitoshi Matsumoto, gave fans what they’ve been asking for this year – the much-anticipated return of his Amazon Original series, Hitoshi Matsumoto Presents Documental. Watchers of the show took to the open web to find more information on Matsumoto, new episodes, and how to stream the series.
| Top 10 Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of PVs Out of Top 10 Topics |
| Movies and TV | 863,414,040 | 38.25% |
| Shows and Events | 532,445,020 | 23.59% |
| Hitoshi Matsumoto | 496,704,830 | 22.01% |
| Nogizaka 46 | 364,607,760 | 16.15% |
Finance
The global financial movement for more knowledge on banking, investments, and insurance continues as we look at readership trends in Japan. In recent news, the Japanese government announced it wants greater premium payments from employers and employees as the employment insurance system is running low on funds.
| Top 10 Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of PVs Out of Top 10 Topics |
| Bank | 200,197,650 | 52.28% |
| Investment | 134,149,700 | 35.03% |
| Insurance | 48,580,460 | 12.69% |
Sports
Despite hosting concerns due to the pandemic, Japan had its best Olympic display yet, including the most gold medals, the most medals overall, and a third-place finish in gold medals behind the United States and China. Japan received the gold medal for baseball and nine gold medals for Judo.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of PVs Out of Top 10 Topics |
| Baseball | 2,902,899,020 | 57.30% |
| Olympics | 1,139,975,050 | 22.50% |
| Tokyo Olympics | 611,110,820 | 12.06% |
| Judo | 412,530,100 | 8.14% |
Health & Fitness
There are no surprises here in Japan’s health & fitness top topics – the pandemic continues to dominate readership trends, with those searching for more information on vaccinations and hospitals in Tokyo.
| Top 10 Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network | Percentage of PVs Out of Top 10 Topics |
| Disease | 1,262,285,200 | 72.05% |
| Tokyo & Vaccinations | 355,919,720 | 20.32% |
| Hospital | 133,737,390 | 7.63% |