We wish we could say that Covid disappeared from the most-read news worldwide in 2022. Instead, it lingered as most countries shifted to a “live with it” approach, and was joined in the headlines by mpox, influenza and RSV.
On the flip side, a much nicer contagion was endemic: World Cup Fever. Known in most of the world as football, soccer dominated the sports narrative in nearly every country, and even managed to catch the attention of Americans.
These are just some of the thousands of stories our news, entertainment, sports, health and fitness, technology, business, and finance publishers created in 2022 (so far) to inform, fascinate, and sometimes alarm readers. Which stories riveted audiences the most? It’s all in the pageviews. Our 2022 publisher data and insights reveal which topics, trends, and incidents mattered most to the public, all over the world.
Country by country, walk through the top stories of 2022. Any surprises? Let us know what you think!
The United States
Source: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo
General News
After some pretty rough years, it’s no surprise that Americans are ready to have fun and maybe even hope for a better tomorrow. So while the presidential election was the most viewed news story in 2021, this year it was the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries. You may remember that Powerball created its first billionaire in 2022.
While the grim topic of Covid remained in the Top 10 news stories, it was flanked by something more fun: celebrity news. Kim Kardashian and TV host Nick Cannon drew a lot of views. Of course, not all celebrity news is good news: Readers were saddened to learn of rapper Aaron Carter’s death, and appalled at Kanye West’s behavior.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Powerball & Mega Millions | 1,101,833,100 |
| CNN | 1,035,424,850 |
| Kim Kardashian | 682,872,600 |
| Nick Cannon & Pregnancy | 536,180,650 |
| Aaron Carter | 520,353,600 |
| COVID | 165,914,100 |
| Kanye West & Adidas | 93,384,850 |
| Trump | 77,465,550 |
| Local News | 53,627,550 |
| News | 49,643,650 |
Entertainment
When you think of the entertainment industry, you may think of higher-budget productions first, but it turns out that soap operas have a strong hold on the web-browsing public. So much so that General Hospital was the No. 3 search term in this area. The Young and the Restless also made the Top 10.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Movies & TV | 10,795,744,300 |
| Death | 4,255,187,100 |
| General Hospital | 3,888,131,650 |
| Disney | 3,338,620,000 |
| Tattoo | 3,298,323,950 |
| Big Brother | 2,597,438,950 |
| Black Panther | 1,671,597,000 |
| The Young and the Restless & The Beautiful | 935,266,100 |
| Venice Film Festival | 912,816,600 |
| Kim Kardashian & Birthday | 761,409,450 |
Finance
In the financial world, “Biden & Forgiveness” drew a lot of interest, due to the president’s plan to forgive student loans. “Inflation,” of course, was also a hot topic, since year-over-year price increases topped 9% over the summer.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Investing | 5,403,262,400 |
| Stocks | 3,702,456,950 |
| Personal Finance | 1,835,906,500 |
| Biden & Forgiveness | 1,384,530,050 |
| Inflation | 1,358,102,750 |
| Social Security | 756,738,400 |
| Bitcoin & Ethereum | 566,914,400 |
| Mortgage & Housing | 161,971,500 |
Business
Combine one of the richest people on earth with an unwelcome corporate takeover and the perennial hot topic of social media, and you have a story that’s going to keep everyone riveted. “Twitter & Elon Musk” easily drew more interest than any other business story this year — although “inflation” came close.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Twitter & Elon Musk | 2,338,261,050 |
| Inflation | 2,285,746,400 |
| Apple Watch | 1,758,522,500 |
| Amazon | 892,505,100 |
| Work & Jobs | 617,327,450 |
| Apple | 235,557,300 |
| Business | 143,513,000 |
| IPhone | 75,508,600 |
| Jobs & Job Fairs | 69,759,800 |
| Jobs & Manufacturing | 51,180,000 |
Sports
It’s always interesting to see which individual athletes’ names reach the Top 10 in pageviews, among broader terms such as “football” and “basketball.” Right there at No. 3 sits the top sports story of the year, in pageviews: Aaron Judge, who signed a $360 million deal to return to the New York Yankees. Other top-of-mind athletes in 2022: Serena Williams, who was lauded as one of the greatest athletes of all time in her final professional tennis matches, and Tom Brady, who dropped a divorce bombshell.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football | 29,547,221,950 |
| Basketball | 14,683,706,150 |
| Aaron Judge | 7,367,135,200 |
| Auto Racing & NASCAR | 4,339,484,200 |
| LIV Golf & PGA Tour | 2,416,435,150 |
| Chelsea & World Cup | 2,039,311,500 |
| Soccer | 1,575,263,750 |
| Serena Williams | 1,424,942,250 |
| Tom Brady & Divorce | 1,332,385,350 |
| College Basketball | 806,024,800 |
Health & Fitness
Sadly, there are many good reasons that “disease” topped health and fitness pageviews in the US this year: viruses. Not just Covid but influenza and RSV brought hospitals to 2020 crisis levels. Monkeypox — now known as mpox — grabbed attention too, but fortunately US cases declined in the second half of the year.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Disease | 6,321,302,200 |
| Covid & Vaccine | 5,228,288,550 |
| Mental Health | 1,228,386,350 |
| Outbreak & Recall | 849,796,400 |
| Monkeypox & Vaccine | 327,902,000 |
| Hair | 122,247,500 |
| Daylight Savings Time | 104,276,600 |
The United Kingdom
Source: Metin Aktas/Getty Images
General News
It was a tumultuous year in Europe, with headlines from the war in Ukraine grabbing much of UK readers’ attention. Domestically, there was plenty to read about as well, with Liz Truss replacing Boris Johnson as prime minister, only to resign 44 days later and be replaced by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Crime | 11,181,203,050 |
| Unrest & War | 8,595,895,600 |
| Ukraine & Putin & Russia | 8,260,004,900 |
| Boris Johnson & Liz Truss | 7,964,210,500 |
| Police | 9,865,040,650 |
| Rishi Sunak | 4,796,440,850 |
| Trump & Biden | 2,284,816,400 |
| Welfare | 2,146,219,700 |
| Covid | 2,052,624,700 |
| Scam & Martin Lewis | 1,873,980,800 |
Entertainment
England’s royals grab the attention of the whole world, and nowhere more so than at home. Prince William and Princess Kate get headlines and eyeballs daily with their busy schedules. California residents Harry and Meghan’s visit for their grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee generated plenty of interest as well. Popular reality shows I’m A Celebrity and Love Island also secured their spot in the top 10 topics, alongside long-running soaps Eastenders and Coronation Street.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| William & Kate | 12,550,025,200 |
| I’m a Celebrity | 7,566,921,150 |
| Eastenders & Coronation Street | 5,563,885,200 |
| Movies & TV | 3,719,062,450 |
| Love Island | 3,223,292,050 |
| Jubilee & Harry & Meghan Markle | 3,129,793,900 |
| Kim Kardashian | 3,052,067,550 |
| Platinum Jubilee | 2,485,333,250 |
| James Bond | 2,429,871,450 |
| Festival | 2,381,262,550 |
Finance
The cost of living crisis and high rates of inflation were apparent in online readership habits in the United Kingdom this year. The specific subjects with the most pageviews were pension, benefits and Universal Credit payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Benefits payments are set to increase by 10% in April, and the DWP is making some additional cost of living payments over the winter to those eligible. Popular articles labeled “personal finance” also largely centered on Universal Credit.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| DWP Payment & Pension | 3,454,752,050 |
| Personal Finance | 1,837,949,950 |
| Universal Credit Payment | 1,745,475,000 |
| Mortgage | 1,628,704,700 |
| Bank of England | 357,004,750 |
| Energy & British Gas & Martin Lewis | 352,794,150 |
| Savings Account | 351,079,200 |
| Mortgage & Martin Lewis | 275,380,850 |
| FTSE 100 | 159,228,450 |
| Bitcoin | 114,039,050 |
Technology
Elon Musk’s contentious takeover of Twitter captivated attention the world over, and the UK was no exception. Coverage of the drama outperformed all other tech topics here — although Apple and Samsung, the top two phone makers, also received plenty of attention.
| Top Technology Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Twitter & Musk | 1,515,143,950 |
| Apple & Samsung | 1,382,772,400 |
| Apple | 1,123,503,600 |
| Headphones & Amazon & Sony | 486,004,300 |
| Scam & Whatsapp | 375,251,750 |
| Playstation & Sony | 135,151,800 |
| Modern Warfare | 106,875,700 |
| PS5 & PS4 & Playstation | 82,497,600 |
Sports
Football (soccer) is always a hot topic in the UK, but even more so this year.. Topics related to the sport take up the top three slots as the most popular sports stories of the year. And with England winning the UEFA European Women’s Championship, then competing in the World Cup, it’s no wonder.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 38,487,768,500 |
| Chelsea & Manchester United | 33,237,068,900 |
| Nottingham Forest | 3,989,228,850 |
| Nick Kyrgios & Novak Djokovic | 2,817,656,500 |
| UFC & Jake Paul | 2,455,738,700 |
| Qatar | 2,437,512,450 |
| Isle of Man TT | 1,756,718,850 |
| Hull FC | 1,535,747,500 |
| LIV Golf & Golf Open & PGA Tour | 1,275,334,650 |
| Cricket | 1,083,900,650 |
Health & Fitness
Following the trend seen in other geographic areas, “disease” was the No. 1 topic in the UK, with popular coverage mostly focusing on Covid — which on its own charted as the third most read-about topic. In between the No. 1 and No. 3 spots was “cancer,” but even this coverage was Covid adjacent, with a lot of articles focusing on how symptoms of long Covid and cancer can be confused.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Disease | 6,180,595,450 |
| Cancer | 4,307,823,700 |
| Covid | 1,974,004,700 |
| Weight Loss | 1,493,928,400 |
| Sleep | 866,074,250 |
| Mental Health & Love Island | 697,118,600 |
| Smoking | 312,690,450 |
Mexico
Source: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
General News
Many Mexicans read stories about the death of former president Luis Echeverría at age 100. As Mexico’s leader from 1970 to 1976, Echeverría was blamed for a student massacre, although he was never tried.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Local News | 60,993,950 |
| National News | 34,455,650 |
| Luis Echeverría | 19,135,200 |
| Wounded | 13,370,750 |
| Tourist | 12,877,900 |
| Mérida | 8,559,850 |
| Oaxaca | 6,731,400 |
| Mexico City | 6,649,300 |
| Cutzamala | 5,276,950 |
| Fire | 2,927,850 |
Entertainment
The celebrities who garnered the most pageviews in Mexico’s entertainment news this year paint a picture of a very international society. First up is Shakira, the Colombian singer who has brought Latin music to an international fan base. Johnny Depp, of course, is American. Then there’s Andrés García, the Dominican-born Mexican actor. In fact, the only Mexican-born celebrity to receive this level of views is model/influencer Karely Ruiz.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans | 5,335,515,550 |
| Movies & Television | 1,253,945,500 |
| Shows & Events | 1,001,178,750 |
| Movies | 939,136,200 |
| Shakira | 895,332,650 |
| Karely Ruiz | 602,860,700 |
| Johnny Depp | 370,623,450 |
| Andrés García | 304,591,550 |
| TV Azteca | 246,781,900 |
| MasterChef | 238,672,100 |
Finance
As in most if not all countries, the price of oil loomed large in the Mexican public’s mind this year. One sign of that is the high ranking of “Pemex,” the state-owned petroleum company.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute) | 339,657,700 |
| Investing | 275,097,650 |
| USA | 273,813,450 |
| Pemex | 263,772,150 |
| Financial News | 188,030,800 |
| Dollar | 154,470,050 |
| Fed | 118,896,750 |
| Scholarships | 63,054,550 |
| Credit | 13,370,700 |
| Bitcoin | 11,325,500 |
Business
Just as the United States has Black Friday, Mexico has a major shopping event in November, “El Buen Fin.” Stories about hot deals happening then were among the most popular business stories of the year. Another attention-grabbing topic was the strike at communications company Telmex.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| USA | 319,850,300 |
| Buen Fin 2022 | 220,546,300 |
| 183,619,500 | |
| Advertising & Marketing | 172,336,050 |
| Telmex | 90,596,400 |
| Employment | 36,750,850 |
| China | 33,233,500 |
| Trolebús | 20,047,550 |
| Tickets | 12,410,150 |
| Young People Building Future | 2,758,480 |
Sports
Football (soccer) dominates sports fans’ hearts in Mexico. So of course “football” tops the charts when it comes to online views. The second most-popular topic, “Real Madrid,” is one of the top football clubs internationally. Both topics got a boost this year from the World Cup, as viewers obsessed over which players from Real Madrid and other teams would play for which country in the international competition.
We’d also like to call out Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez of team Red Bull. He may have won third place in this year’s Formula 1 World Championship, but he placed fourth in Mexico’s Top Sports Topics.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 3,447,847,350 |
| Real Madrid | 2,587,588,200 |
| Liga MX | 860,259,150 |
| Checo Peréz | 374,511,950 |
| Canelo Álvarez | 188,526,350 |
| NBA | 171,207,200 |
| Tour de France 2022 | 115,940,250 |
| Nadal | 74,804,000 |
| Athletics | 40,546,150 |
| Golf | 5,916,050 |
Health & Fitness
As in the United States, viruses weighed heavily on the minds of Mexican internet users, with the Spanish word for “illness” the most popular, and “Covid” right behind it. Popular terms such as “vaccination” and “National Autonomous University of Mexico” (which issues recommendations on disease prevention) also show the prevalence of concern over mpox, Covid, and other viruses.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness | 594,604,300 |
| Covid | 341,477,900 |
| Vaccination | 190,276,300 |
| Stress | 55,324,850 |
| Personality Test | 28,785,650 |
| Weight | 22,420,450 |
| Best | 11,702,100 |
| National Autonomous University of Mexico | 7,525,250 |
Spain
Source: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg
General News
Several of the top stories that drew Spaniards online this year had one thing in common: heat. The Spanish term for “heatstroke” was the topic specific topic, probably due to the tragic heat-related deaths of more than 2,000 in Spain and Portugal over the summer. Another high ranker: “firefighters,” as wildfires raged and forest fire crews agitated for their rights.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Local News | 295,990,000 |
| Heatstroke | 96,547,400 |
| National News | 56,741,500 |
| Firefighters | 86,094,550 |
| Ivana Trump | 47,501,150 |
| Science Fiction & Amazon & Streaming | 28,573,850 |
| Arrabal & Emma & Viva Vida | 18,805,000 |
Entertainment
Spain loves those foreign celebrities and franchises, with Marvel, Amber Heard, and Queen Elizabeth II of England stealing much of the nation’s online views in the entertainment realm. But Spaniards also spared time for homegrown celebrities, paying ample attention to their own Queen Letizia, actress Ana Milán, and model Laura Escanes (who got divorced).
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans & Gossip | 17,178,494,050 |
| Movies & Television | 3,833,497,900 |
| Shows & Events | 2,275,111,100 |
| Marvel | 1,663,579,650 |
| Amber Heard & Hija & Trial | 1,575,682,600 |
| Isabel II & Queen Letizia | 971,845,950 |
| Bikini & Ana & Hija | 964,619,750 |
| Feria & Festival | 809,787,400 |
| Laura & Divorce | 798,052,500 |
Finance
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, made plenty of news in the financial sector this year, drawing top pageviews when he successfully levied a windfall tax on energy firms and banks, and extended relief plans to cushion citizens from inflation. All four of the most-viewed topics in finance appear to be related to these moves.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| CaixaBank & Sánchez | 1,262,311,600 |
| Grants & Scholarships & Financial Aid | 842,521,750 |
| Pensions & Sánchez | 494,854,250 |
| Personal Finance | 221,190,650 |
| Europe & Crisis & Ukraine | 220,927,500 |
| Government & Town Hall | 153,979,600 |
| Dollar & Price | 117,734,450 |
Business
Although it comes in the form of several phrases, one business topic dominated Spaniards’ attention: energy prices. Content linking the rising prices of diesel, petroleum, and electricity to the war between Russia and Ukraine got a lot of pageviews.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Business News | 512,624,700 |
| Mercadona | 420,330,750 |
| Government | 400,525,500 |
| Electricity Prices | 263,611,950 |
| Ukraine Prices | 247,410,550 |
| Russia Gas | 137,299,550 |
| Madrid | 88,638,750 |
| Construction | 83,363,450 |
| Madrid. Venta | 76,640,400 |
| Granada | 65,360,550 |
Sports
Real Madrid is the apple of the football (soccer) world’s eye, so of course the team is one of the most popular online topics for internet users in its home country. Spain’s obsession with football, in fact, drove some 18 billion pageviews in 2022, easily topping all the other sporting topics we tabulated.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 11,585,748,700 |
| Real Madrid | 6,665,231,600 |
| Car Racing | 4,766,684,750 |
| Rafael Nadal | 1,020,091,150 |
| Eurobasket | 689,667,450 |
Health & Fitness
As with internet users in many other countries, Spaniards went online to learn how to prevent mpox, and how to get vaccinated against Covid and mpox.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness | 1,692,978,350 |
| Cancer | 1,334,261,400 |
| Covid | 991,436,150 |
| Sugar | 168,164,250 |
| Exercise | 111,958,350 |
| Breastfeeding | 21,978,200 |
| Newborns | 5,773,250 |
France
Source: Michael Sohn | Afp | Getty Images
General News
In 2022, French internet users read a lot about the local effects of two major challenges facing the world: Covid and climate change. The Covid virus was the top specific interest topic, while climate change contributed to the wildfires in the South of France, another top pageview-getter.
Another story that will sound familiar to readers the world over: a shortage of fuel, including gasoline for cars and heating fuel for swimming pools. Some pools in France even had to close because rising fuel prices made them too expensive to heat.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Local News | 9,438,967,550 |
| Covid | 3,705,653,250 |
| Toulouse & Fires | 2,698,188,450 |
| Gas Shortage & Cars | 860,638,300 |
| Emmanuel Macron | 776,002,650 |
| Agriculture | 588,838,000 |
| Weddings | 467,896,000 |
| Twitter & Musk | 289,513,150 |
| Swimming Pool | 191,848,700 |
Entertainment
Only in France would “books and literature” be a top entertainment topic. In fact, the books getting the most pageviews tend to center on politics, rather than more frivolous subjects.
Of course, the French have more lowbrow fun too, with lots of pageviews for celebrity gossip and TV. Many of the popular gossip-related articles focused on Cyril Hannouna, host of the popular program “Touche pas à mon poste,” or “”Don’t Touch My TV Set!”
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrities & Gossip | 4,556,491,200 |
| Television | 4,011,840,550 |
| Shows & Events | 2,637,315,300 |
| Books & Literature | 2,239,449,200 |
| Celebrations | 1,178,472,300 |
| Shakira | 544,650,650 |
| Films & Cannes | 531,701,450 |
| Christmas | 254,461,950 |
| Heritage Day | 254,461,950 |
| Strickly Come Dancing | 165,456,250 |
Finance
As with other European countries, utility prices affected by Russia’s war on Ukraine are top of mind in France. Topics with the most pageviews include “gasoline price” and “Russia and gas.” Other concerns common this year the world over also made the top 10, like “inflation” and “mortgage.” Perhaps concerningly, the phrase “financial crisis” also got a lot of pageviews in France.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Gasoline Price | 857,529,950 |
| Finance & Stock Exchange | 532,059,650 |
| Russia & Gas | 84,090,550 |
| EDF Stock Exchange | 67,530,050 |
| Inflation & Livret (Savings Accounts) | 57,808,550 |
| Government Financial Help | 52,928,900 |
| Mortgage & Loan | 51,754,100 |
| Financial Crisis | 51,754,100 |
| Council Taxes | 32,775,900 |
Business
Covid continued to have a strong impact on the business world in France in 2022, as evidenced by both “Covid” and “Pfizer” (maker of one of the Covid vaccines) receiving high pageviews. As in most countries, Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter also attracted plenty of attention.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Economic Affairs | 32,775,900 |
| Covid | 1,101,743,800 |
| Twitter & Elon Musk | 64,242,350 |
| Pfizer | 54,246,150 |
| Amazon | 37,560,700 |
| Macron | 31,747,800 |
| Shortages | 23,629,350 |
Sports
One sports story to make the Top 10 in France but not in other countries in this roundup: The Tour de France, of course. The annual 23-day bike race is always a big deal here. Another sport that seems to be more popular with French web users than others is skiing.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Tour de France | 3,160,055,550 |
| Football (Soccer) | 3,118,282,350 |
| Basketball | 1,147,779,100 |
| Football & Coupe France & Ligue 1 | 1,064,277,400 |
| PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) & Ligue 1 | 848,279,250 |
| World Cup 2022 – Qatar | 838,692,450 |
| Rugby & Top & XV de France | 464,251,600 |
| Formula 1 | 397,978,350 |
| Ski | 197,577,350 |
| US Open & Rafael Nadal | 193,359,250 |
Health & Fitness
Despite rates of Covid infection decreasing in 2022, it’s clear that the virus still holds a major place in the French peoples’ concerns over health. Along with another of the year’s big viruses, mpox, Covid worries dominated the Top 10 in this category, with topics one through four related to the viruses. Covid popped up again in spots six and seven, paired with related topics “health” and “masks.”
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Disease | 3,620,777,050 |
| Covid | 1,236,113,500 |
| Covid & Vaccine | 1,020,426,900 |
| Covid & Pandemic & Monkey Pox | 833,779,500 |
| Health | 415,483,600 |
| Health & Covid | 142,162,000 |
| Covid & Masks | 131,362,100 |
| Nutrition | 60,607,500 |
| Massage | 16,298,000 |
| Yoga | 8,959,400 |
Germany
Source: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Luisaviaroma
General News
The General News section includes both local and national news on world events. “Local News” received over 551 million pageviews. An example article includes information on the Tannenhausen fire department’s gas leak operation.
This section also demonstrates interest in topics on Ukraine aid, gas supplies in Germany, and, perhaps because of her European origin, Ivana Trump’s death drew a lot of reader interest in Germany.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Local News | 551,771,200 |
| Ivana Trump | 271,313,820 |
| Fire Department & Fire & Cologne & Cat | 211,506,400 |
| Germany & Driver’s License | 186,799,100 |
| Euro & Financier | 122,010,350 |
| Nationale Nachrichten & Ukraine Help | 44,616,750 |
| Coach Julian Nagelsmann | 36,141,650 |
| Gas & Germany | 28,889,050 |
| Shark Attack & Egypt | 21,702,150 |
| Psychiatry | 20,040,750 |
Entertainment
Heidi Klum is enjoying a moment in her native land, starring as a judge on Germany’s Next Topmodel, which she also produces. The No. 1 most popular category, “celebrity fans and gossip,” includes plenty of content about the German-American supermodel, while her name and the name of her show share the No. 2 slot. Rounding out the Top 10 are stories about Klum and her daughter, Leni Klum, who is also a model.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans and Gossip | 3,750,811,050 |
| Heidi Klum & Germany’s Next Topmodel | 2,574,877,300 |
| Movies & TV | 2,191,927,350 |
| Shows & Events | 1,125,680,250 |
| Friendship & TV Crime | 754,532,550 |
| Lord of the Rings Series | 637,004,250 |
| Hurricane & Southside Festival | 603,948,200 |
| Musik & Dieter Bohlen & Comeback | 557,847,400 |
| Dieter Bohlen & Schlager | 525,131,600 |
| Heidi Klum & Leni Klum | 427,097,400 |
Finance
As in other places, German readers are clearly concerned about increasing prices. “Pensioners” was a major topic, with a lot of stories focusing on allowances to help retirees pay for rising energy bills. “German economy, rising prices” and “oil prices” also made the Top 10, as well as the German version of Shark Tanks called “Höhle der Löwen” with popular Business Angels.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Deutsche Bank | 245,705,500 |
| Pensioners | 188,855,650 |
| Investments | 131,252,050 |
| German Economy & Rising Prices | 94,908,650 |
| Ticket Prices & Champions League | 89,219,600 |
| Stock Exchange & Germany | 86,679,550 |
| Sparkassen Bank | 50,125,200 |
| Investment TV Show “Höhle der Löwen” | 28,647,250 |
| Stock Exchange & Euro | 8,177,200 |
| Oil Prices | 3,818,750 |
Business
Amazon Prime recorded an impressive 419,087,450 pageviews, putting the term in first place in the German business and industry category, followed by topics on regional automotive champion BMW and the industry related IG Metall trade union strikes.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Amazon Prime | 419,087,450 |
| BMW | 173,695,850 |
| IG Metall Union Strikes | 156,751,850 |
| Antiques TV Show “Bares für Rares” | 110,329,100 |
| Post & Hybrid Mail & Web.de | 91,467,450 |
| Benefit Event & Ukraine & Russia | 53,931,100 |
| Aldi | 49,273,900 |
| Werbung und Marketing & MediaMarkt | 41,106,750 |
| MediaMarkt & Saturn &Consumer Electronics Retail | 41,019,750 |
| Amazon Prime Hits | 38,307,250 |
Sports
As with pretty much everywhere except the US, football (soccer) dominated sports fans’ attention in Germany this year. Particular football topics to top the chart include Munich’s Football Club Bayern, top-tier football league German Bundes League, and Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann. But that’s not all! Also popular: The UEFA Champions League, the multi-sport event European Championship in Munich , the FIFA World Cup, and Matthias Ginter, one of the players to represent Germany in the World Cup 2022.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 3,498,526,600 |
| FC Bayern & German Bundes League & Coach Julian Nagelsmann | 1,530,836,000 |
| Mick Schumacher & Formula 1 | 1,018,284,600 |
| FC Bayern & Champion League | 892,025,300 |
| FC Bayern München & Qatar & World Cup | 746,832,550 |
| Matthias Ginter & Soccer Player | 207,214,250 |
| Dresden Eislöwen & Ice Hockey | 120,288,050 |
| US Open, Alexand Zverev, Tennis | 120,217,100 |
| Germany & FC Bayern & Basketball | 110,784,650 |
| Germany & Munich & European Athletic Championships | 107,616,600 |
Health & Fitness
If 2020 and 2021 was dominated by a single virus, 2022 was the year of the viruses. German readers of health stories focused on illness in general, with specific interest in the Omicron variant of Covid, the flu, and vaccines for both. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s version of the Centers for Disease Control, also drew a lot of eyeballs as Germans looked for information about preventing and treating these diseases as well as the new Federal Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach. In addition, with 20,701,600 pageviews, the legalization of cannabis was also a major topic among readers.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness & Omicron & Vaccine | 971,087,750 |
| Germany & Flu Vaccine & Pharmacies | 360,994,450 |
| Germany & Robert Koch Institute | 220,340,200 |
| Robert Koch Institute & Flu | 136,051,250 |
| Drinking Water & Germany & Beer | 63,108,850 |
| Study & Covid & Going to Work | 50,872,700 |
| Biontech & Moderna | 39,037,100 |
| Dresden & Covid & Prison | 38,780,850 |
| Karl Lauterbach & Health Minister & Twitter | 33,416,250 |
| Cannabis & Legalization | 20,701,600 |
Brazil
Source: Eraldo Peres/Associated Press
General News
The story that riveted the most Brazilians this year was a tragic one: João Paulo Diniz, son of billionaire businessman Abilio Diniz, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 58, the day after completing a triathlon. Of course, the defeat of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro and his challenging the election results also led to plenty of pageviews.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Local News | 542,961,900 |
| National News | 93,818,050 |
| João Paulo Diniz | 79,392,100 |
| Jovem Pan & Bolsonaro | 64,482,000 |
| Imposto de Renda | 49,769,400 |
| SP | 44,485,200 |
Entertainment
One name: Annita! One of the only Brazilian entertainers ever to break out to the international stage, the singer had a great year, and it shows in the pageviews. Much of the No. 1 topic, “celebrity fans and gossip,” focused on Annita, and her name was the No. 3 most popular topic. The entertainer provided plenty to read about: Not only did she host the Latin Grammys and release a global hit album, “Envolver,” but Annita also delved into politics, speaking out against the Bolsonaro regime.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans & Gossip | 11,691,011,250 |
| Movies & TV | 2,340,045,450 |
| Anitta | 1,904,132,500 |
| Bolsonaro | 1,739,624,850 |
| Fazenda 14 & Deolane | 1,529,236,400 |
| Globo & BBB | 1,026,590,650 |
| Shows & Events | 977,403,200 |
| Rock in Rio & Festival | 496,281,300 |
Finance
Domestic companies commanded quite a bit of reader interest in the financial realm, with Brazilian fintech upstart Nubank topping the ranks and state-owned financial services giant Caixa not far behind. State-owned oil company Petrobras also drove traffic.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Nubank | 1,149,067,550 |
| Investing | 1,141,337,500 |
| Caixa | 945,682,100 |
| Petrobras | 611,546,300 |
| INSS | 606,856,450 |
| INSS, 14º Payment | 422,054,450 |
| Financial News | 220,706,900 |
| Help | 185,341,000 |
Business
Government and business are inextricably linked, as demonstrated by Brazil’s most popular business topic of 2022: outgoing President Bolsonaro. In particular, the public unrest following Bolsonaro’s ouster impeded the transportation of farm goods, driving the terms “agriculture” and “agribusiness” up the chart.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Bolsonaro | 843,696,450 |
| Agriculture & Forestry | 340,340,350 |
| Petrobras & Eletrobras & Preço | 306,271,950 |
| Agribusiness | 115,908,850 |
| Business News | 101,800,850 |
| Eletrobras | 86,065,750 |
Sports
Football, anyone? The sport wasn’t just the No. 1 topic of Brazilian sports fans’ obsession, it was also the No. 2 topic, in the form of the Palmeiras and Corinthians clubs, and topics Nos. 3 and 4, in the form of other club names and the South American football competition, Copa Libertadores de América.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Football (Soccer) | 6,569,153,100 |
| Palmeiras & Corinthians | 2,016,842,050 |
| Corinthians & Libertadores | 1,635,290,150 |
| Palmeiras & Inter | 1,437,158,900 |
| Sports News | 1,139,593,650 |
| Copa do Brasil | 819,017,150 |
| Neymar | 651,577,000 |
| Corinthians | 443,553,200 |
| Motor Racing | 372,372,650 |
| World Cup & Qatar | 300,019,550 |
Health & Fitness
One concern that is consistent throughout the world this year is illness, particularly viruses. In Brazil, most “illness” coverage was about Covid. That virus also shared the No. 2 spot with cancer, with stories about how some cancer drugs might hold promise for treating covid. On its own, the virus dominated the No. 4 spot as well, and the No. 6 spot was dedicated to Covid vaccines.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness | 2,296,925,300 |
| Cancer & Covid | 1,053,556,800 |
| Alzheimer | 433,800,750 |
| Covid | 305,177,800 |
| Cancer & Brain & Illness | 214,324,850 |
| Covid & Vaccines | 155,089,050 |
| Weight Loss | 104,624,150 |
| Smallpox & World Health Organization | 80,534,300 |
| Surgery | 68,674,950 |
| Menopause | 66,760,550 |
Australia
General News
It’s nice to see happy news dominate the headlines once in awhile, and that was the case in Australia this year, where readers focused most on their compatriots who won lottery jackpots. Not to be excluded, the less cheerful topic of Covid also made the chart, particularly in relation to the state of Victoria, where Daniel Andrews, controversial for his handling of the virus, was re-elected premier.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Lotto & Powerball & WA | 165,248,300 |
| Covid & Victoria | 42,005,250 |
| Auckland | 37,445,200 |
Entertainment
Although Australians pay plenty of attention to celebrities and shows from the rest of the English-speaking world, two Australian TV shows, The Block and Home and Away, garnered reader attention this year. The former, a renovation show, shared its billing with its longtime host, Scott Cam, who publicly criticized a couple of local influencers for leaving the show early.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Meghan & Harry & Kate | 681,007,350 |
| Death & Anne Heche | 537,018,250 |
| Kim Kardashian | 373,438,300 |
| Woman | 337,537,850 |
| Block & Scott Cam | 331,092,600 |
| Gun | 249,232,900 |
| House Dragon | 161,918,950 |
| Home & Away | 126,120,000 |
| AFL & Channel | 115,632,550 |
| Marvel & Thor | 76,995,550 |
Finance
Readers of financial news Down Under had a very clear focus: rate hikes. This played out with “RBA bank” and “RBA rate” taking the two top slots; both refer to interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The third most popular topic, “mortgage interest rates” was more of the same.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| RBA & Bank | 467,183,200 |
| RBA & Rate | 191,593,150 |
| Mortgage & Interest Rates | 70,643,100 |
| Australians | 62,776,350 |
| Centrelink | 29,271,300 |
| Border & Truckies & WA SA | 29,269,050 |
| Mortgage | 15,809,450 |
| China | 6,772,350 |
| Scam | 2,264,800 |
Business
The Covid pandemic has had a major impact on business worldwide, and even in its third year, this was evident in Australian business news readership. Readers paid attention to how the virus affected business in Western Australia and the city of Perth in particular.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| WA & Covid | 524,911,350 |
| Covid & Health | 235,521,550 |
| Recall & Chips & Plastic | 106,076,350 |
| WA | 86,489,500 |
| Agriculture & Forestry | 74,972,900 |
| Farmer | 62,940,450 |
| Covid & Perth& WA | 60,492,500 |
| Tax Return | 52,633,900 |
Sports
Covid also continued to hamper the sports world in Australia, with Australian Football League sanctions against teams for Covid protocol violations topping the charts. The State of Origin rugby competition was also disrupted when a key player was sidelined due to Covid infection.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| AFL & Covid & WA | 1,313,345,650 |
| Covid & Origin | 1,073,149,200 |
| Covid | 716,569,200 |
| Nick Kyrgios | 549,478,900 |
| T20 World Cup & England | 517,814,100 |
| World Cup & Qatar | 486,651,350 |
| AFL & Covid | 460,295,250 |
| Cody Simpson & Swimming | 345,751,650 |
| Shark | 315,215,050 |
Health & Fitness
Australia has consistently remained a Covid hotspot. Nowhere is this more evident than in the health news Australians are consuming. Covid-related stories dominated six of the top eight topics there, from the general topic of “disease” to “Covid 19″ on its own, to Covid’s impact on sleep, to Covid in conjunction with mpox.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Disease | 2,057,121,600 |
| Covid 19 | 1,554,781,000 |
| Covid 19 & Monkeypox | 660,830,650 |
| Covid & China | 390,930,250 |
| Health & Covid | 381,223,450 |
| Alzheimer | 190,871,900 |
| Cancer | 181,005,600 |
| Sleep & Covid | 178,500,800 |
| Covid & Vaccine | 151,658,450 |
Japan
General News
This year general news readers in Japan were quite focused on fun topics, including celebrities, sports, and entertainment. Topics unique to the nation include the casting of the TV show Kamakura Dono, a historical drama translated as The 13 Lords of the Shogun.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrities and Gossip | 6,264,705,000 |
| Baseball | 2,604,062,900 |
| Government | 2,324,972,800 |
| Movies & TV | 2,027,257,450 |
| Hanshin (Baseball Team) | 1,436,241,750 |
| Take Yukata (Jockey) | 1,357,517,950 |
| Casting of the Main Character of the TV Show Kamakura Dono | 1,153,788,700 |
| Male Idol Groups | 1,138,452,950 |
Entertainment
Among celebrities, few enjoy more limelight in Japan than pop music groups. Japanese web users lavished plenty of attention on the male groups Snow Man and King & Prince and the female group Nogizaka 46.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrities & Gossip | 6,264,705,000 |
| Movies & TV | 2,027,257,450 |
| Take Yutaka (Jockey) | 1,357,517,950 |
| Casting of the Main Character of TV Show Kamakura Dono | 1,153,788,700 |
| Male Idol Groups | 1,138,452,950 |
| Music | 904,354,850 |
| Snow Man and King & Prince (Idol Groups) | 756,655,150 |
| Snow Man (Idol Group) | 669,810,700 |
| Nogizaka 46 (Female Idol Group) | 439,363,850 |
| Minegishi Minami Getting Married | 396,921,000 |
Finance
In a nod to its role in the global financial system, a lot of web users in Japan took in stories about the financial impact of international events, including Russia’s war with Ukraine and the Chinese economy.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Russia | 138,324,150 |
| Investment | 51,896,150 |
| Personal Loan | 27,854,350 |
| Bank | 25,060,150 |
| Finance News | 22,388,300 |
| Cryptocurrency | 18,724,050 |
| Chinese Economy | 18,182,100 |
| Investors & Kei Komuro | 17,921,700 |
| Card & Insurance | 17,335,700 |
| Savings | 16,930,050 |
Business
As with financial news, the business news that the Japanese public consumed the most examined international events. But they also read plenty about Japanese companies, mainly the clothing retailer Uniqlo.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Russia | 300,106,100 |
| Uniqlo | 283,408,950 |
| Economics & Russia | 138,324,150 |
| Russia & China | 56,849,750 |
| Investment | 51,896,150 |
| Company | 50,989,950 |
| Business News | 45,343,300 |
| CEO | 37,297,200 |
| Nasa Rocket | 34,664,600 |
| Ichiro (A Famous Baseball Player) | 32,065,300 |
Sports
Not to say that Japan doesn’t love football (soccer) — the sport made the No. 3 slot, and stories about the World Cup fell at No. 8 — but there’s another sport that Japan loves even more: baseball. More than half of the most popular online topics for Japanese sports fans involved baseball, including Japanese teams Hanshin, Orix, Chunichi, and Nippon Ham.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Baseball | 2,604,062,900 |
| Hanshin (Japanese Baseball Team) | 1,436,241,750 |
| Football | 566,120,800 |
| Orix & Chunichi (Baseball Teams) | 399,074,800 |
| Yutaka Take & Seina Imamura (Jockeys) | 392,426,850 |
| Hanshin (Japanese Baseball Team) | 375,105,150 |
| Wrestling | 324,360,200 |
| Football & World Cup | 221,683,000 |
| Nippon Ham (Baseball Team) | 126,845,250 |
| Ai Fukuhara (Former Table Tennis Player) | 106,023,000 |
Health & Fitness
Although Japan achieved the milestone of re-opening to tourism in 2022, Covid continued to dominate the public’s health concerns, particularly in the city of Hiroshima.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Illness | 795,856,850 |
| Covid & Hiroshima & Hospital | 228,841,900 |
| Infections in Hiroshima | 191,264,100 |
| Virus & Covid | 153,392,400 |
| Vaccinations | 64,099,450 |
| Sleep | 46,885,750 |
| Imperial Household | 38,081,100 |
| Prime Minister & Covid | 29,089,700 |
| Comedian Nobu (Chidori) Getting Sick and Hospitalized | 20,884,500 |
| Ministry of Health | 10,554,450 |
India
General News
Rahul Gandhi, son of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, grabbed attention with his ongoing march across India. Another story that attracted quite a few readers was a spike in rape cases in the nation’s largest city, Mumbai.
| Top General News Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans & Gossip | 3,858,195,250 |
| Politics | 3,749,600,200 |
| Cricket | 2,160,820,550 |
| Crime | 2,006,234,850 |
| Pakistan & T20 World Cup | 1,859,042,100 |
| Alia Bhatt & Birthday | 1,532,796,350 |
| Congress & Modi | 1,375,194,400 |
| Transports | 1,156,727,300 |
| Koffee & Aamir Khan & Laal Singh Chaddha | 1,106,727,450 |
| Congress & Sena | 979,888,850 |
Entertainment
India’s film industry is renowned, and this year one of its productions, RRR, is rapidly becoming an international cult classic. So of course, the over-the-top action movie was one of the most read-about entertainment topics in India in 2022. Other Bollywood stories to get lots of attention covered actress Alia Bhatt, actor Aamir Khan, and the movies Laal Singh Chaddha and Brahmastra: Part One—Shiva.
| Top Entertainment Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Celebrity Fans & Gossip | 3,978,750,050 |
| Alia Bhatt & Birthday | 1,571,465,150 |
| Koffee & Aamir Khan & Laal Singh Chaddha | 1,142,947,250 |
| Box Office & Brahmastra & Film | 908,050,650 |
| BTS | 645,567,800 |
| Bigg Boss 16 | 418,071,850 |
| Box Office & Love and Thunder Thor | 205,598,750 |
| RRR | 173,179,550 |
| BTS & Army | 173,179,550 |
| Lastcannes & Awards & Film | 129,770,350 |
Finance
Indian readers took in a lot of stories about the September initial public offering of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, included in the No. 1 topic, “investing,” and the No. 2 topic, “Nifty. Sensex,” which refers to the Nifty 50 Indian and BSE Sensex stock market indices.
| Top Finance Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Investing | 876,600,850 |
| Nifty & Sensex | 404,381,400 |
| Oil & Russia | 307,890,200 |
| IPO & Stock | 211,632,450 |
| Bank & Interest Rates | 208,585,800 |
| Bank | 161,776,500 |
| Stock Market & Nasdaq | 59,614,100 |
| RBI | 42,599,450 |
| Rupee | 20,245,650 |
| Stocks & Bank & Reliance | 15,602,800 |
Business
Covid vaccines were a top topic of interest for consumers of Indian business news. The No. 1 topic, “China,” is related to that country’s export of vaccines. Covid itself was the second most popular business topic, and “vaccine. Covid” came in at No. 9.
Businessman Mukesh Ambani, the eighth richest person in the world, also generated quite a lot of buzz, as he considered buying a British football team and other moves.
| Top Business Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| China | 131,814,300 |
| Covid | 104,317,150 |
| 104,317,150 | |
| Farmers & Congress & Punjab | 78,137,300 |
| Mukesh Ambani | 63,381,950 |
| CEO & Business | 60,215,550 |
| Tata Steel & Mining | 47,411,200 |
| Chemical & Fire | 16,374,750 |
| Vaccine & Covid | 15,338,200 |
| Food & Russia & Ukraine | 13,783,700 |
Sports
If you pick up an English language sports section, how do you know if it’s from India? If cricket gets more coverage than any other sport, that’s a tell. The batting game may have originated in England, but it’s the No. 1 most-read-about sports topic in India in 2022.
| Top Sports Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Cricket | 2,160,820,550 |
| Pakistan T20 World Cup | 1,859,042,100 |
| FIFA World Cup Qatar | 242,844,000 |
| Commonwealth Games | 125,659,400 |
| Tennis | 112,677,700 |
| Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic | 111,433,400 |
| Commonwealth Games (Wrestling) | 51,860,250 |
| Commonwealth Games (Hockey) | 9,652,050 |
| Swimming & Vedaant Madhavan | 9,652,050 |
Health & Fitness
Covid continues to dominate readers’ attention in India, with topics related to the virus taking up about half the spots in the Top 10. Another virus, mpox, managed to share the No. 4 spot.
That doesn’t mean that Indian readers are focused on only the negative aspects of health. They also read plenty about weight loss, including the keto diet, and about a workout with a pretty good track record there: yoga.
| Top Health & Fitness Topics | Number of Pageviews on Taboola’s Network |
| Disease | 458,583,100 |
| Weight Loss & Keto | 355,071,600 |
| Covid | 242,639,150 |
| Monkeypox & Covid | 216,042,900 |
| Covid & Mumbai | 161,994,500 |
| Covid & Health | 156,761,850 |
| Yoga & Workout | 146,876,650 |
| Health & Heart | 53,586,350 |
| Pregnancy & Abortion | 34,860,200 |
| Protendim | 18,895,400 |
Taboola Newsroom is an editorial insights tool we provide at no cost to Taboola’s news publisher partners. Feel free to reach out to @franberkman with any questions or if you’d like to use our data for your research or reporting.
In 2022, the world went from worrying about one huge problem — Covid — to worrying about a smaller Covid problem in addition to a host of other issues, including other viruses and inflation. But unlike in 2020 and 2021, at least most of us were allowed to fully engage in the fun things in life again, from international sporting events to world travel.