Like last year, the coronavirus pandemic dominated Google search trends in 2021 - not just in the Netherlands but around the world. But that's not the only thing people search for this year.

Thanks to Google, let's take a look at the top searches in the Netherlands from the past year.

Google trends in the Netherlands in 2021

While many of last year's top searches had to do with COVID-19, interestingly, the most common coronavirus-related searches over the last 12 months were more closely tied to the various restrictions introduced by the Dutch government - everything from the curfew at the start of the year, to the Testen voor Toegang policy which was first launched in June. Google has also revealed that people in the Netherlands regularly searched the web for information about coronavirus tests and infection rates in the Netherlands, as well as the CoronaCheck app.

In spite of the overwhelming influence of the pandemic, however, the number one search query in the Netherlands actually had nothing to do with COVID-19. Back in July, the country was rocked by the shooting of prominent crime journalist and TV presenter Peter R. de Vries. This shock has been reflected in Google's Year in Review, with "Peter R. de Vries" being revealed as the country's top search query of the year.

In March, the Netherlands went to the polls for a general election - a major event that was also reflected in the country's Google searches. People everywhere hunted for a reliable stemwijzer (a voting guide for Dutch political parties) as they attempted to figure out who would get their vote. 

On a more light-hearted note, major Netflix titles like Bridgerton, Lupin, and, of course, Squid Game were popular search queries, as were a number of Formula 1 drivers.

What the Netherlands Googled this year

As is to be expected, people across the Netherlands turned to the world's number one search engine for answers and information about all kinds of topics - this is what the Netherlands Googled in 2021.

Top 10 search queries in the Netherlands:

1. Peter R. de Vries
2. Euros 2020 (EK 2021)
3. Stemwijzer
4. Curfew (Avondklok)
5. Access tests (Testen voor Toegang)
6. Snow tracker (Sneeuwradar)
7. Olympic Games (Olympische Spelen)
8. iPhone 13
9. Nelson Valkenburg
10. Whatsapp outage (Whatsapp storing)

The Netherlands' most asked questions:

• What time is the press conference? (Hoe laat is de persconferentie?)
• How is Peter R. de Vries? (Hoe gaat het met Peter R. de Vries?)
• How long does coronavirus last? (Hoe lang duurt corona?)
• What is 2G? (Wat is 2G?)
• What is the childcare benefit scandal? (Wat is de toeslagenaffaire?)
• Who is William Engel? (Wie is Willem Engel?)
• Who is Peter R. de Vries? (Wie is Peter R. de Vries?)
• What time does the F1 start? (Hoe laat begint de F1?)
• How can you vote? (Hoe moet je stemmen?)
• How reliable is a self-test? (Hoe betrouwbaar is een zelftest?)

Google's 2021 Year in Search 

Want to know more about 2021's biggest trends, or what the people in your home country were Googling? Visit the Google Trends website, or check out their Year in Search video: