India’s Google search trends for 2025 show an unexpected surge in defense-related queries, with “ceasefire” and “mock drill” emerging as the top two most-searched phrases of the year.
The spike was driven by intense public interest during the May 2025 military standoff with Pakistan, Google’s “Year in Search” report revealed.
Millions of Indians rushed online to understand basic military terminology as news channels repeatedly used words like “ceasefire,” “missile strikes,” and “mock drills” during the four-day escalation.
The crisis began on May 7, when India fired missiles at what it claimed were “terrorist bases” in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
Tensions peaked when India fired missiles at Pakistan’s military bases. Pakistan responded by striking Indian installations across the border.
As fears of full-scale war grew, US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire.
The May 10 ceasefire ended four days of intense cross-border strikes but left a lasting digital footprint.
Search analysts say the episode turned defence vocabulary into a national obsession, pushing terms like “ceasefire” and “mock drill” to the top of India’s 2025 search rankings.
