Google’s Search Engine Market Share Drops Below 90% for the First Time Since 2015

Highlights

• Google’s market share dipped below 90% in late 2024 for the first time since 2015.
• There was a decline in October (89.34%), November (89.99%) and December (89.73%).
• Bing, Yandex and Yahoo have gained market share from Google’s decline.
• Bing maintained just under 4% market share over the last five months of 2024.

Google has remained the go-to search engine for as long as we learned what search engines actually are. However, there have often been talks about how Google might lose its grip as many other search engines tried to challenge its top position. But most of the challengers including the recent rise of AI-powered search engines haven’t managed to gain enough market share to become an actual threat to Google until now.

Google’s global dominance in the search engine market took a hit in late 2024 as its market share dipped below 90% for the first time since 2015.

According to a Search Engine Land report citing Statcounter data, Google’s share fell to 89.34% in October, 89.99% in November and 89.73% in December.

The last time Google’s market share dropped below 90% was in early 2015 with figures of 89.52% in March, 89.47% in February and 89.62% in January of that year.

The report highlights a growing trend of Google gradually losing market share, particularly in Asia. In other regions, its numbers have remained relatively stable.

In the US, Google’s market share peaked at 90.37% in November 2024 but dropped significantly to 87.39% in December.

It’s unclear if this decline is tied to users shifting toward AI-based search tools like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity. Statcounter primarily tracks traditional search engines such as Bing, Yandex, Yahoo, Baidu, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia.

Among these competitors, Bing emerged as the second-most popular search engine maintaining just under 4% market share over the last five months of 2024. Yandex and Yahoo also benefited from Google’s decline.

This shift comes at a challenging time for Google since the company has been facing criticism for nearly two years over the perceived decline in the quality of its search results. Google has been under legal scrutiny in the US for its alleged monopoly status after holding a consistent 90-92% market share for nearly a decade.

FAQs

Q1. When was a dip in Google’s global market share below 90% after 2015?

Answer. Google’s global market share in the search engine market dipped below 90% in late 2024 for the first time since 2015 with figures of 89.34% in October, 89.99% in November and 89.73% in December.

Q2.  How did Google’s market share change in the US during late 2024?

Answer. In the US, Google’s market share peaked at 90.37% in November 2024 but dropped significantly to 87.39% in December 2024.

Q3. Which search engines have gained market share after Google’s decline?

Answer. Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo have gained market share as a result of Google’s decline. Bing emerged as the second-most popular search engine, maintaining just under 4% market share over the last five months of 2024.

Also Read: Google Searches Spike for “Eyes Hurt” After Solar Eclipse Viewing Frenzy

Also Read: Google Considers AI-Enhanced Premium Search Tier for Users