Ranking of Internet search engines in Poland and worldwide for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In today's world, the internet is the most effective source of information. Users have access to countless resources, such as data, articles, videos, graphics, websites, online stores, and many others. To access them, we use internet search engines. Internet search engines allow us to search through the vast resources gathered on the internet in a simple and fast way. Algorithms strive to match search results to user queries to meet their expectations as closely as possible. Undoubtedly, Google is the undisputed leader among internet search engines, both in Poland and worldwide. Read about Core Web Vitals, the new indicator affecting search rankings on Google. How do search engine rankings look in different regions of the world?
Ranking of Search Engines in Europe
In the field of internet search engines, Google has been the undisputed leader for years, and it probably doesn't need an introduction. Evidence of Google's true dominance can be seen in the data from December 2021, which shows that as many as 92.64% of Europe's population used the mentioned search engine. Interestingly, the chart is stable - in November 2021, there was a slight decrease to 91.8% in favour of another search engine, Bing (4.48%) - but in December, Google regained its position and reached 92.64%.
Updated in January 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 92.23% | |
| bing | 3.65% |
| YANDEX | 1.98% |
| Yahoo! | 0.97% |
| DuckDuckGO | 0.53% |
| Ecosia | 0.29% |
| Others | 0.35% |
Data as of January 4th, 2023 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Europe - January 2023 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 92.23% | |
| bing | 3.67% |
| YANDEX | 1.66% |
| Yahoo! | 0.94% |
| DuckDuckGO | 0.64% |
| Ecosia | 0.31% |
| Others | 0.55% |
Data as of August 12th, 2022 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Europe - July 2022 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Currently, 92.64% of European users use Google, indicating that Google is the leader among search engines.
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 92.64% | |
| bing | 3.55% |
| YANDEX | 1.49% |
| Yahoo! | 0.97% |
| DuckDuckGO | 0.56% |
| Ecosia | 0.37% |
| Others | 0.42% |
Data as of January 22th, 2021 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Europe - December 2021 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
The History of the Internet in Poland
Poland's connection to the internet is attributed to the Scientific and Academic Computer Network (NASK). Thanks to their efforts, we have been able to use the internet in our country since December 1991. August 17th of the same year is a noteworthy date as it is then, that Rafał Pietrak - an employee of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw - sent the first email to the capital of Denmark. Widespread access to the internet was another milestone in the development of information technology in Poland. This happened thanks to the efforts of Telekomunikacja Polska, which allowed its subscribers to connect to the global network using a modem and a telephone socket. The service offered by TP SA replaced popular BBSes (Bulletin Board Systems) from 1991 to 1996, which were computers owned by individuals allowing the use of basic functions such as forums, chats, simple games, and internet connection at a dizzying speed of 9.6 kb/s.
Sagem Fast 800-Neostrada Modem (Foto: Łukasz Pietruszka)
The First Search Engines
The World Wide Web would be useless without effective methods of searching for information within it. Rankings of the best and most popular search engines over the years have been a battleground for dominance, and different companies have occupied the top position over the past thirty years. The market proved to be very dynamic, and candidates eager to reach the top had to create a more competitive product - something more than just an ordinary search engine.
Here, we should mention Archie, which was created in 1990 and was the first product of this kind on the market. Its main task was to search servers for FTP files to find the right HTML files. Archie worked by creating a database based on file names placed on FTP servers. The first version was limited to command searching, and only later, more advanced features were introduced.
The Archie Search Engine
Wandex, the Prototype of the Modern Search Engine
In 1993, the search engine Wandex, created by Matthew Grey, appeared on the market. Its innovative functionality was the use of hypertext links to reach interesting phrases. All this became possible thanks to the use of WWW Wanderer, the first content-indexing robot. Wandex, although a it was a step forward, was an imperfect tool because it did not analyse the content of web pages.
JumpStation and Excite provided a different perspective on finding information in HTML files. They could retrieve both titles and headers of documents. They are referred to as indexing and evaluating crawlers.
The Search Engine Wandex
A Revolutionary Solution - WebCrawler as a Tool for Internet Content Search
The year 1994 brought significant changes. WebCrawler, created by Brian Pinkerton, was the first search engine that could fully read the content of HTML documents. Its main functionality - the ability to search based on selected keywords - was revolutionary.
Yahoo! - A Well-Known Service in the United States/USA
The original version of Yahoo! was more like a directory divided into subcategories. Unfortunately, user interest (mainly in the US market) was not enough to attract investors. The project had to sustain itself, and from 1995, advertisements became the main source of income.
Yahoo! is a service and search engine that, despite its enormous potential, missed its chance for success. Failing to notice the niche in the internet search engine market from 1994 to 2002 the company missed the opportunity for further global service development. In 2011, there was even a Polish version of Yahoo!, but unfortunately, it is no longer active. The service's popularity is estimated at 1.61% globally, while in Poland, it is negligible.
Yahoo! - The Service and Search Engine
The Revolutionary Year 1996 - The Beginning of the Google Revolution
The student project of 1996 turned out to be the beginning of a technological revolution. Page and Brin, the creators of Google, came up with a completely new way of indexing internet content. Thanks to this, they stood out in the market, and two years later, in 1998, they founded the company and, starting from scratch, achieved 92.78% of the search market worldwide (as of November 8th, 2019) and became the undisputed leader.
Google Beta 1998
MSN Search - 1998
MSN Search was created as an informational service in 1998. Under Microsoft's management, it underwent significant changes and expansions. In 2005, it became a fully-fledged search engine available in 10 language versions. In 2009, MSN underwent a major overhaul and a name change to Bing. Currently, it is the second most popular internet search engine in the world with a 2.55% search market share
MSN Search 2005
Google - A Network of Connected Vessels
Google is not just an internet search engine. It is a network of interconnected vessels that accompany us at every step. Google's functionalities make our lives easier at home, work, and during travel. Its indispensable tools allow us to send emails, find favourite products, or reach our destination.
The revolution initiated by Google affected various industries, often leading them to closure or acquisition by the giant itself. The navigation market is a fascinating example. Just a few years ago, it was a product available to only a small number of drivers - too expensive and technologically advanced to reach the masses. Now, everyone has Google Maps, which is updated in real-time and available for free.
Thanks to Google, everything is at our fingertips - current maps allow us to safely travel on vacations, all our data can be stored in one place using GDrive, and we can send emails in just a few seconds. However, our privacy is the price we pay for these conveniences. Google knows more about us than we might think.
Seznam - The Exception that Proves the Rule of Search Engine Popularity
The Czech search engine Seznam, mainly operates in its domestic market and is a significant player, achieving 9.45% of all searches. The situation of the portal, which was initially founded in 1996 as a directory of websites, along with the search engine, is stable but not very progressive. Its popularity declined from about 13% to 9% in favour of the American giant. It can be expected that in the near future, Google will take over a significant portion of Seznam's users.
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in the Czech Republic in 2023
Percentage market share of search engines in the Czech Republic in January 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 83.34% | |
| Seznam | 10.86% |
| Bing | 4.20% |
Most Popular Search Engines in the Czech Republic - January 2023 [Source:gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in the Czech Republic in 2022
Percentage market share of search engines in the Czech Republic in July 2022
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 81.04% | |
| Seznam | 14.91% |
| Bing | 2.93% |
Data as of August 12th, 2022 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in the Czech Republic - July 2022 [Source:gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in the Czech Republic in 2021
Percentage market share of search engines in the Czech Republic in December 2021
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 84.88% | |
| Seznam | 9.56% |
| Bing | 3.6% |
Data as of December 22th, 2021 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in the Czech Republic - December 2021 [Source:gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in Poland in 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 95.68% | |
| Bing | 3.20% |
| Yahoo! | 0.57% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.24% |
| Yandex | 0.19% |
| Ecosia | 0.02% |
| Others | 0.12% |
Data as of January 4th, 2023 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Poland - January 2023 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in Poland in 2022
The search engine market in Poland in 2022 is stable. Google has dominated nearly 96% of searches, leaving other search engines far behind. The chart above clearly shows the overwhelming advantage of Google over other search engines such as Bing or Yahoo.
Percentage market share of search engines in Poland in July 2022
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 95.47% | |
| Bing | 3.26% |
| Yahoo! | 0.69% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.28% |
| Yandex | 0.18% |
| Ecosia | 0.03% |
| Others | 0.09% |
Data as of August 12th, 2022 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Poland - August 2022 [Source:gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in Poland in 2021
Percentage market share of search engines in Poland in December 2021
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 96.32% | |
| Bing | 2.69% |
| Yahoo! | 0.61% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.22% |
| Yandex | 0.07% |
| Ecosia | 0.02% |
| Others | 0.07% |
Data as of December 12th, 2021 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in Poland - December 2021 [Source:gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of Internet Search Engines from January 2020 to December 2021 in Poland
The situation in the internet search engine market in Poland is stable, with slight fluctuations in favour of Google, which seems to have fully dominated our local market. On the other hand, the MSN search engine has completely fallen behind. Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo has returned to around 0.22% from approximately 0.50%, perhaps indicating that users no longer prioritize privacy. Or maybe the search results served by Google are among the best and worth users' data to further improve the search engine's algorithm.
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Search engine ranking in March 2021 in Poland - Percentage summary:
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 95.36% | |
| Bing | 2.64% |
| Yahoo | 0.68% |
Ranking of search engines in Poland during the 2020-2021 pandemic
Worldwide search engine ranking in 2023
Percentage share of search engines worldwide in 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 92.57% | |
| Bing | 3.04% |
| Yahoo! | 1.24% |
| Yandex | 1.00% |
| Baidu | 0.72% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.58% |
| Others | 0.85% |
The world's most popular search engines January 2023 Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most popular search engines in the world January 2023 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Worldwide search engine ranking in 2022
Percentage share of search engines worldwide in July 2022
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 91.95% | |
| Bing | 2.93% |
| Yahoo! | 1.51% |
| Baidu | 1.35% |
| Yandex | 1.03% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.66% |
| Others | 0.57% |
Most popular search engines in the world in July 2022, Source: gs.statcounter.com
Worldwide search engine ranking in 2021
The Polish and global market shows a significant advantage of Google over other search engines available on the market. However, the situation looks much more interesting in the Russian and Chinese markets. While in the first case, the domestic search engine Yandex has gradually succumbed to the capabilities offered by the American giant, the Chinese market practically rejects Google in favour of Baidu.
Percentage share of search engines worldwide in December 2021
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 91.95% | |
| Bing | 2.93% |
| Yahoo! | 1.51% |
| Baidu | 1.35% |
| Yandex | 1.03% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.66% |
| Others | 0.57% |
Most popular search engines in the world in December 2021. Source: gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share
Most popular search engines in the world in December 2021 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Russian search engine ranking in 2023
Percentage share of search engines in Russia in January 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| Yandex | 53.95% |
| 43.70% | |
| Bing | 1.36% |
| Yahoo! | 0.37% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.25% |
| Mail.ru | 0.22% |
| Others | 0.15% |
Most popular search engines in Russia - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most popular search engines in Russia in January 2023 [source:gs.statcounter.com]
Russian search engine ranking in 2022
Percentage share of search engines in Russia in July 2022
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 48.68% | |
| Yandex | 47.15% |
| DuckDuckGo | 1.75% |
| Mail.ru | 1.09% |
| Bing | 0.95% |
| Yahoo! | 0.23% |
| Others | 0.15% |
Most popular search engines in Russia - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most popular search engines in Russia in July 2022 [source:gs.statcounter.com]
Russian search engine ranking in 2021
The chart regarding the popularity of search engines in Russia is a very interesting example. Every increase in Google's popularity is directly proportional to a decrease in the Yandex curve, and vice versa. The lines are almost a mirror reflection of each other. The past year is a breakthrough for the Russian market. Observing the entire available history, we can see that the American search engine has recovered losses and is again at the peak of popularity.
Percentage share of search engines in Russia in December 2021
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| 55.3% | |
| Yandex | 42.24% |
| Mail.ru | 1.19% |
| Bing | 0.52% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.32% |
| Yahoo! | 0.32% |
| Andere | 0.11% |
Most popular search engines in Russia - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most popular search engines in Russia in December 2021 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Asian search engine ranking in 2023
Percentage share of search engines in Asia in January 2023
| Yandex | Baidu | ||
| Russia | 43.70% | 53.95% | - |
| China | - | 2.91% | 60.74 |
| Japan | 76.93% | - | 0.17% |
| South Korea | 64.80% | - | - |
| India | 98.52% | 0.01% | - |
Most popular search engines in Asia in January 2023
Asian search engine ranking in 2022
Percentage share of search engines in Asia in July 2022
| Yandex | Baidu | ||
| Russia | 48.68% | 47.15% | - |
| China | 3% | - | 70.48% |
| Japan | 75.75% | 0.11% | 0.15% |
| South Korea | 67.89% | 0.27% | - |
| India | 98.52% | 0.01% | - |
Most popular search engines in Asia in July 2022
Most popular search engines in Asia in July 2022
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in Asia in 2021
In the analysis of the search engine rankings in Asia, the period from November 2020 to December 2021 was used. The chart clearly shows the stable position of Google at around 92%. The second position of the most popular search engine is held by Baidu, with a result of 3.03%. The difference is overwhelming. It is worth noting that this is a global perspective, and data will vary significantly in individual countries. China is an interesting case, where Baidu dominates (86.82% of the search market). The situation in Russia is equally interesting, where the market is divided between Google (55.3% - data from December 2021) and Yandex (42.24% - data from December 2021). The Asian market is very diverse, with some regions not using Google at all, while in others, it has over 90% of the search market. The share of search engines in specific countries is worth attention.
Percentage market share of search engines in Asia in July 2021
| Yandex | Baidu | ||
| Russia | 55.3% | 42.24% | - |
| China | 2.22% | - | 86.82% |
| Japan | 75.58% | 0.05% | 0.11% |
| South Korea | 78.05% | 0.19% | - |
| India | 98.75% | 0.01% | - |
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in China in 2023
Percentage market share of search engines in China in July 2023
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| Baidu | 60.74% |
| Sogou | 12.58% |
| Bing | 12.33% |
| Haosou | 5.06% |
| Shenma | 3.72% |
| Yandex | 2.91% |
Most Popular Search Engines in China - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in China - January 2023
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in China in 2022
Percentage market share of search engines in China in July 2022
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| Baidu | 70.48% |
| Sogou | 12.25% |
| Bing | 10.06% |
| 3% | |
| Haosou | 1.94% |
| Shenma | 1.54% |
The most popular search engines in China - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in China - July 2022
Ranking of Internet Search Engines in China in 2021
The Chinese market is most surprising when it comes to search engine popularity. The diversity of internet browsers in the Far East is significant, and unlike the rest of the world, Google is not the biggest player there. Its popularity decreased from 40% to 2% of search queries over nine years. This happened due to internet censorship imposed by the Chinese government, which forced the American corporation to withdraw its products from the country. The void in the market was quickly filled by the domestic Baidu, which is currently at the top of the popularity ranking. The situation may change within the next few years. It is worth keeping an eye on the changes and actions of the Asian entity.
Percentage market share of search engines in China in December 2021
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| Baidu | 86.82% |
| Sogou | 4.69% |
| Bing | 3.94% |
| 2.22% | |
| Shenma | 1.12% |
| Haosou | 0.98% |
Most Popular Search Engines in China - Source: gs.statcounter.com
Most Popular Search Engines in China - December 2021 [source: gs.statcounter.com]
Ranking of the Most Popular Websites and Internet Search Engines from 1996 to 2019
Ranking of the Most Popular Internet Browsers in the World
The ranking of browsers, just like the search engine ranking, has been dominated by a product from Google, namely Chrome. Its speed, security, and numerous plugins overwhelmingly push the competition off the top positions.
| Internet search engine in the ranking | Percentage share in the search engine market |
| Chrome | 64.06% |
| Safari | 19.22% |
| Edge | 4.19% |
| Firefox | 3.91% |
| Samsung Internet | 2.8% |
| Opera | 2.34% |
Data as of August 12th, 2022 – Source:gs.statcounter.com
Author: Łukasz Pietruszka
Since 2014, Łukasz has been working in marketing. He gained professional experience in advertising agencies, print shops as the team leader of the graphic department, as well as a programmer and project manager in web agencies in Wrocław. For years, his ideas and solutions have been used by clients to achieve their business goals. A photography enthusiast and urban explorer.
