Google's search engine market share falls below 90%

This marks the first time since March 2015 that the Google market share has fallen below 90%, when it dropped to 89.52%

Google’s dominance in the global search engine market has taken a hit, with its share dropping below 90% for the first time in nearly a decade. According to a report from Search Engine Land citing Statcounter data, Google's share in the final quarter of 2024 dipped to 89.34% in October, 89.99% in November, and 89.73% in December.

Falling market share in multiple regions

This marks the first time since March 2015 that the Google market share has fallen below 90%, when it dropped to 89.52%. The decline is particularly noticeable in Asia, although the report notes that Google’s position in other regions remained relatively stable.

In the United States, Google’s search engine market share peaked at 90.37% in November 2024 but dropped significantly to 87.39% by December. While the reasons for this shift remain unclear, some experts speculate that users may be turning to alternatives, including AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity. However, Statcounter tracks traditional search engines, such as Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia, so the influence of AI tools on this decline is still uncertain.

Rivals gaining ground

Bing has emerged as one of the biggest Google competitors, benefiting from the decline in Google’s market share. With the Bing market share just under 4% in the last five months of 2024, the competition between Bing vs Google has become increasingly relevant. Despite the shift, Google still holds a commanding lead in the overall search engine market, though this growing competition signals a potential shift in user preferences.

This dip in the Google market share also comes amid ongoing criticism over the relevance and usefulness of its search results. For nearly two years, Google has faced mounting pressure, especially in the United States, over concerns that its results are becoming less effective. Despite these challenges, Google continues to lead the search engine market, maintaining a dominant position for nearly a decade.