Tomorrowland fire and strikes: what Belgians have been Googling this year

Google has released its annual report of the most-searched terms in various countries, including Belgium, over the last year.

In 2025, Charlie Kirk dominated search results, followed closely by Belgian celebrities Wendy Van Wanten and Isabelle A, Labubu soft toys, strikes and the Tomorrowland fire.

Divisive American activist Charlie Kirk was the subject of much media coverage before and after his death, and topped the list of trending searches in Belgium ahead of actress Émilie Dequenne, French rapper Werenoi and footballer Diogo Jota, all of whom also died in 2025.

Other common queries centred around AI and privacy, with one of the most popular searches being: "How do I stop Meta from using my data?"

Other searches followed political and legal news including: "Why is Sarkozy going to prison?"

The list of most searched-for Belgian celebrities is topped by Wendy Van Wanten, following the official recognition of her son Clément as a royal child. After her comes former radio presenter Bart de Raes and actor Felix Heremans, star of the series Putain and the game show De Slimste Mens ter Wereld.

Red Sebastian, Belgium's representative at Eurovision, tops the music rankings, ahead of K3 and Isabelle A, who has spoken publicly about abuse she suffered during her career.

For athletes, the Belgian Cats, European basketball champions, top the sports searches ahead of cyclist Tim Wellens and tennis player Zizou Bergs.

Searches related to series and films were dominated by Netflix releases: Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Squid Game and Adolescence were the top three.