Bitcoin as a search term, ranked by countries. Nigeria, South Africa, Austria

[AppliedOptimal]

Here is the explanation from Google, I just changed the terms to bitcoin, as I searched for bitcoin:

See in which location bitcoin was most popular during the specified time frame. Values are calculated on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 is the location with the most popularity as a fraction of total searches in that location, a value of 50 indicates a location which is half as popular. A value of 0 indicates a location where there was not enough data for this term.
Note: A higher value means a higher proportion of all queries, not a higher absolute query count. So a tiny country where 80% of the queries are for "bitcoin" will get twice the score of a giant country where only 40% of the queries are for "bitcoin."

This statistic is for the past 12 months, and I am not really amazed that most bitcoin searches came from Nigeria. However, I would think Venezuela would be on the top 5 as well. I don't understand why Austria was above Switzerland, but oh well. I imagine South Korea is in 58 because they are searching for altcoins or something.

So what do you think about this ranking? Here is the complete order:
Rank
Country, Percentage
1
Nigeria, 100
2
South Africa, 69
3
Austria, 59
4
Ghana, 59
5
Switzerland, 54
6
Netherlands, 54
7
St. Helena, 52
8
Germany, 44
9
Singapore, 42
10
Australia, 41
11
Ireland, 39
12
Brazil, 38
13
Slovenia, 38
14
Canada, 36
15
Malaysia, 36
16
Venezuela, 35
17
United Arab Emirates, 35
18
United States, 32
19
United Kingdom, 31
20
New Zealand, 31
21
Turkey, 30
22
Pakistan, 29
23
Portugal, 28
24
Philippines, 28
25
Belgium, 27
26
Norway, 25
27
Sweden, 25
28
Hong Kong, 25
29
Colombia, 24
30
Kenya, 24
31
Spain, 23
32
Czechia, 23
33
Lithuania, 23
34
Croatia, 23
35
Italy, 21
36
Finland, 21
37
Bulgaria, 19
38
Romania, 19
39
Israel, 18
40
Slovakia, 18
41
Denmark, 18
42
Vietnam, 17
43
Poland, 16
44
Peru, 16
45
Serbia, 15
46
Indonesia, 15
47
France, 15
48
Argentina, 14
49
Bangladesh, 14
50
Morocco, 14
51
Iran, 14
52
Hungary, 13
53
India, 13
54
Thailand, 13
55
Mexico, 12
56
Greece, 12
57
Chile, 12
58
South Korea, 9
59
Egypt, 8
60
Saudi Arabia, 8
61
Ukraine, 6
62
Russia, 5
63
Taiwan, 4
64
Japan, 2

[timerland]

Does make sense, why underdeveloped countries like Nigeria and South Africa would be extremely popular for Bitcoin, it provides a lot of earning opportunities that for countries like America or Canada, it wouldn't be very worth it, but in those countries where things are cheaper, earning like 20 dollars a day online would be a dream come true.

I am surpised to see countries like Singapore and Australia above countries like Venezuela though, it sort of makes sense for Singapore, but no way would I think Australia would be ranked so highly.

[goto22]

Here is the explanation from Google, I just changed the terms to bitcoin, as I searched for bitcoin:

See in which location bitcoin was most popular during the specified time frame. Values are calculated on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 is the location with the most popularity as a fraction of total searches in that location, a value of 50 indicates a location which is half as popular. A value of 0 indicates a location where there was not enough data for this term.
Note: A higher value means a higher proportion of all queries, not a higher absolute query count. So a tiny country where 80% of the queries are for "bitcoin" will get twice the score of a giant country where only 40% of the queries are for "bitcoin."

This statistic is for the past 12 months, and I am not really amazed that most bitcoin searches came from Nigeria. However, I would think Venezuela would be on the top 5 as well. I don't understand why Austria was above Switzerland, but oh well. I imagine South Korea is in 58 because they are searching for altcoins or something.

So what do you think about this ranking? Here is the complete order:
Rank
Country, Percentage
1
Nigeria, 100
2
South Africa, 69
3
Austria, 59
4
Ghana, 59
5
Switzerland, 54
6
Netherlands, 54
7
St. Helena, 52
8
Germany, 44
9
Singapore, 42
10
Australia, 41
11
Ireland, 39
12
Brazil, 38
13
Slovenia, 38
14
Canada, 36
15
Malaysia, 36
16
Venezuela, 35
17
United Arab Emirates, 35
18
United States, 32
19
United Kingdom, 31
20
New Zealand, 31
21
Turkey, 30
22
Pakistan, 29
23
Portugal, 28
24
Philippines, 28
25
Belgium, 27
26
Norway, 25
27
Sweden, 25
28
Hong Kong, 25
29
Colombia, 24
30
Kenya, 24
31
Spain, 23
32
Czechia, 23
33
Lithuania, 23
34
Croatia, 23
35
Italy, 21
36
Finland, 21
37
Bulgaria, 19
38
Romania, 19
39
Israel, 18
40
Slovakia, 18
41
Denmark, 18
42
Vietnam, 17
43
Poland, 16
44
Peru, 16
45
Serbia, 15
46
Indonesia, 15
47
France, 15
48
Argentina, 14
49
Bangladesh, 14
50
Morocco, 14
51
Iran, 14
52
Hungary, 13
53
India, 13
54
Thailand, 13
55
Mexico, 12
56
Greece, 12
57
Chile, 12
58
South Korea, 9
59
Egypt, 8
60
Saudi Arabia, 8
61
Ukraine, 6
62
Russia, 5
63
Taiwan, 4
64
Japan, 2

Some parts make sense, but I'm surprised by the fact that Japan is the last one, or that the US is so deep down the list. Other places are higher than expected, but for the most part — yeah, It does make sense.

[ololajulo]

The search only shows the interest for knowledge on the space, it does not indicate interest in cryptocurrency investment. Some new project observing this are considering the exploit of the west African state. Nigeria as now is putting lot of regulation to money laundering, spending and bank money deposit. The scammers and politicians want reduce public knowledge of there wealth especially with banks, they are likely to turn to cryptocurrency but the volatility is still scary to new investors.

[erikalui]

Japan and Australia should have topped the list but in fact Japan is the last one despite being so supportive of cryptocurrency. Infact, India is ranked higher despite having such a negative view point (probably because of the case). Hasn't Nigerian banks adopted a ban on virtual currencies? Still it being so popular is weird. It's not still recognized by banks.

[teosanru]

Well this is an interesting interpretation. underdeveloped Countries like Nigeria, South africa and Ghana are getting a lot of outsourcing work these days which implies they are searching for some interesting opportunities to earn BTC. Naturally in such third world countries earning even a few mBtc is enough for a week's meal so they are really into it. Also high population rates in countries like Nigeria is a reason for this interesting statistics. Surprising is to see India on number 53, it is a country with highest number of internet users and it has a hell lot of outsourced work. It must have been atleast in top 10. I think may be the restriction by the Govt. has made the searches go low.

[AppliedOptimal]

Does make sense, why underdeveloped countries like Nigeria and South Africa would be extremely popular for Bitcoin, it provides a lot of earning opportunities that for countries like America or Canada, it wouldn't be very worth it, but in those countries where things are cheaper, earning like 20 dollars a day online would be a dream come true.

I am surpised to see countries like Singapore and Australia above countries like Venezuela though, it sort of makes sense for Singapore, but no way would I think Australia would be ranked so highly.

Well, I just saw on the news that you can buy Bitcoin in the newsstands all over Australia. so Australia is big on bitcoin and it is more popular than many people think. I'm not saying it based on any statistic but that is my observation so I do not have any evidence for it.
Here is the source for the news for Australia:
https://bestroi.io/blog/bitcoin-in-australia-for-cash-can-now-be-bought-at-every-newsstand/

Bitcoin in Australia for cash can now be bought at every newsstand.
Binance has launched a platform that allows you to buy Bitcoin for cash at more than 1300 newsstands in Australia. Binance Lite Australia is its name and so far only BTC is available, but the developers promise to add different crypts to the assortment over time.


Binance has launched a platform that allows you to buy Bitcoin for cash at more than 1300 newsstands in Australia. Binance Lite Australia is its name and so far only BTC is available, but the developers promise to add different crypts to the assortment over time.

The buyer will have to pay a commission for such a purchase in the amount of 5%. I believe that for such convenience you can pay 5%, but remember that there are a bunch of alternatives with less commission.

Well, I congratulate all the people of Australia on receiving such a convenient service.

[NathanJB]

Well this is an interesting interpretation. underdeveloped Countries like Nigeria, South africa and Ghana are getting a lot of outsourcing work these days which implies they are searching for some interesting opportunities to earn BTC. Naturally in such third world countries earning even a few mBtc is enough for a week's meal so they are really into it. Also high population rates in countries like Nigeria is a reason for this interesting statistics. Surprising is to see India on number 53, it is a country with highest number of internet users and it has a hell lot of outsourced work. It must have been atleast in top 10. I think may be the restriction by the Govt. has made the searches go low.

You are clearly underestimating South Africa here, mate. Let me correct you. South Africa is not underdeveloped. Neither is it a third world country. I guess you are with the assumption that when a country is in Africa it is a poor underdeveloped country. That is wrong. It is a bit offensive to say that in that country a few mBTC is enough for a week's meal. Although there are poor people in that country as there are in India and everywhere, your generalization seems to be hasty.

The data shows how Bitcoin is gaining traction in the African continent. That is a great sign that adoption in that region is growing.  

[ChrisPop]

I've always stated that Africa is the first continent in the world where crypto-currency should be adopted because most people there are unbanked. The fact that they manifest such a high interest for BTC is an amazing thing. Smart projects and companies should focus their attention there in my opinion and then expand from there.

[LeGaulois]

I don't think the Google graph is representative of what's really going on and it's something that can be manipulated easily btw. I mean, it could be the result of spam queries to fool signal scrappers, trading bots, etc... Nigeria is listed #1, maybe because all scammers are sitting in a cybercafé all day long looking for new scams in BTC lol

A rational explanation could be the citizens of these countries are going to inject their money into the crypto world, but then why i.e. Venezuela isn't showing while the interest is a lot more important

[Zemomtum]

This cannot be entirely correct, searching for Bitcoin does not mean investment. I may be hearing that there exist something called digital currency in which Bitcoin is taking the lead which might spur the interest in making some research but not for the sole purpose of investment. The figure does not justify the adoption of Bitcoin in those countries.

[Shenzou]

To be honest this comes to no surprise as for the recent years and with the raise of cryptocurrency we have seen more project coming from undeveloped countries than from the progressed ones, and this comes from the fact  that they are constantly looking for ways to improve their financial state other than the people in the developed countries, but keep in mind that this shows interest and not actual people involved in the bitcoin community, none the less this is a good example to how bitcoin is changing the world

[ILuckyGuyI]

Nigeria doesn't make me too surprised but how Japan can be the last in this list. It seems like impossible to me when we think people of Japan have a big interest in cryptocurrencies. But it shows that I am wrong then.

[mr3dds]

I didn't see my country on the list. I hoped to find it on the list. I live in Egypt and most of the people I know, know nearly nothing about the whole crypto field.
Some of them never heard of it.
It's a bad sign for our future here, not following the new movements.
We will get left behind.

[dimastegar]

I'm sure the data explains the value of each country's interest in the picture. At least they need basic knowledge about crypto and look for it through online media. And I'm sure the data will continue to grow as time goes by.

[Mike Mayor]

Well this is an interesting interpretation. underdeveloped Countries like Nigeria, South africa and Ghana are getting a lot of outsourcing work these days which implies they are searching for some interesting opportunities to earn BTC. Naturally in such third world countries earning even a few mBtc is enough for a week's meal so they are really into it. Also high population rates in countries like Nigeria is a reason for this interesting statistics. Surprising is to see India on number 53, it is a country with highest number of internet users and it has a hell lot of outsourced work. It must have been atleast in top 10. I think may be the restriction by the Govt. has made the searches go low.

You are clearly underestimating South Africa here, mate. Let me correct you. South Africa is not underdeveloped. Neither is it a third world country. I guess you are with the assumption that when a country is in Africa it is a poor underdeveloped country. That is wrong. It is a bit offensive to say that in that country a few mBTC is enough for a week's meal. Although there are poor people in that country as there are in India and everywhere, your generalization seems to be hasty.

The data shows how Bitcoin is gaining traction in the African continent. That is a great sign that adoption in that region is growing.  

I can help you guys out. I live in South Africa. Technically it is a third world country but think of it more as  mix. It is like a third world country with some first-world infrastructure. Almost everyone has a phone and thus internet access. We have fibre internet as well. Half the people here are jobless and the minimum wage is $1.35-$1.50/ hour. The largest sector is the labour sector and is also the worst paid. Salaries between $250-$400 are common. Working at a pharmacy will ean more then at a supermarket, for example, it pays 2x more. This I call semi-skilled work. Semi-skilled salaries are between $350-$600/month Skilled work pays anywhere from $600-$2500.

Most of my friends and people my age I know make between $500-$1200 there are one two that make over $2000/ month.

The living costs are.

Rent= +-$200-$800 or so on average.
Things cost bascially 2x less then people from the USA and UK pay.
You buy mcdonalds in the USA for $10 the same meal is here for $5
The cost of technology and things we import like cars and things are about 30% more then what you pay in the USA.
ADSL= $15-$30 for 10mb line and fibre is $30-$80 for 10mb-200mb line
Bread= $1.25
1 gallon milk= $3.25
1 gallon fuel is almost $4

But we love crypto here and there are many places that accept it. Online only though for now. There is ne massive market that is our version of amazon called bidorbuy.co.za and everything there you can buy with bitcoin and have it sent to your address. We also had payfast.co.za which is like bitpay but they no longer support bitcoin since the fees are not constant and the price changes too much they said they will still support crypto but only in the future so who knows what will happen there. That large market bidorbuy.co.za has most of what I need otherwise I buy elsewhere online with fiat. Delevery takes 2 days on average.

[Wexnident]

Its kinda unexpected since most developed countries are at the middle to bottom side. The very developed ones I mean like Japan and USA. Though it really is great news since this simply means more and more countries are being knowledgeable about the existence of bitcoin and starting to acknowledge it's existence. Countries that are less influenced by banks are more likely to adopt bitcoin itself, one example of which is SouthAfrica which is second on the list.

[NathanJB]

snip

This is a confirmation that crypto is indeed widely accepted in your country. That is good to hear. A domestic amazon-like market must be a huge one in your country. And knowing that it accepts Bitcoin is a great news. There must already be a clear set of policies and regulations in there since a market such as that cannot operate without complying with those.

$600-$2500 is actually pretty much decent. Although the living cost is a bit higher also, it is still a lot higher than many of the Asian countries. If the minimum wage is $1.35-$1.50/hour, that means you are living a far better life than many of the third world countries where $4/day is payed to a lot of employees.

[Lizzylove1]

This search is a reflection of awareness and quest to know what bitcoin is all about. While developing nations top the chart, this means not much has been known about bitcoin in these countries compared to developed nations who more exposed to technology. In Nigeria for example, the blockchain body has been going round campuses to educate undergraduate about bitcoin, this factor may has contributed to chart topping. 

[Lucius]

This list may or may not be accurate, but some things are taken for granted though they are far from reality. Venezuela is a specific country because of its political and economic situation, but that doesn't mean it should be at the top of this list. Problems with electricity supply, availability and price of the Internet, minimum wages that do not cover even the essentials of life+more than a million people who have emigrated from the country.

The reason why Nigeria is at the top is probably because some people in that country have recognized Bitcoin as a possible source of income, and that country has always stood out as one of enterprising nations.

For countries like Austria and Switzerland, there is an explanation in that "twice the score", since they are in a category of tiny countries. People from these countries google Bitcoin because they see so many crypto ATMs (Austria have biggest number in Europe - 250), and Switzerland is ranked sixth in the world. Bitcoin can be also purchased in Austria post offices and their partners (over 1700 places), and in Switzerland, they sell Bitcoin via ticket machine (train stations).