Set to take place in less than two months, the upcoming BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, scheduled for August 22 to 24, has captured global attention. Anticipation is mounting as ministers from the BRICS countries convene to explore potential avenues for expanding the bloc’s membership and introducing a unified currency. Recent data from Google Trends reveals a surge of interest in the BRICS, with search terms such as “BRICS,” “de-dollarization,” and “BRICS currency” reaching their peak scores last week, signifying widespread curiosity on a global scale.
Google Trends Data Exposes Heightened Curiosity in BRICS Subjects
In the past four weeks, the spotlight has been shining brightly on the BRICS bloc, a dynamic alliance of nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 2023 has witnessed an incredible surge in news coverage and content centered around these influential nations.
Over the last 30 days, the world’s interest in the BRICS bloc has witnessed a spike. According to Google Trends (GT), the search term “BRICS” skyrocketed to a perfect score of 100 out of 100 on July 3, 2023. The day before, the search term “BRICS” garnered a score of 72 out of 100.
Among the countries showing the greatest interest in the search term “BRICS” are Burundi, Botswana, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Bangladesh, according to GT data. Notably, associated topics linked to the “BRICS” search term encompass “gold,” “de-dollarization,” “Bangladesh,” “Vladimir Putin,” and “France.”
Furthermore, global interest in the search term “de-dollarization” has experienced a dramatic increase over the past 30 days, culminating in a perfect score of 100 on GT on June 24, 2023. Throughout the past month, “de-dollarization” has witnessed several spikes, achieving scores of approximately 94, 97, and 99, further underscoring its significance.
Singapore and the United States emerged as the leading regions in search of the term “de-dollarization,” reflecting a global fascination with this subject. Likewise, the search term “BRICS currency” has been steadily gaining traction over the past month. According to GT data, on July 2, 2023, this query reached a score of 38.
However, just two days later, on July 4, the “BRICS currency” query skyrocketed to a perfect score of 100. Currently, Malawi, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Croatia stand out as the regions displaying the highest interest in this search term. Related topics include the “economy,” “currency union,” “Americans,” “Arabia,” and “Zimbabwe.”
Notably, GT data also reveals a common question asked: “When will a BRICS currency be released?” Captivating the world’s attention this week is South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the upcoming BRICS Summit will be conducted in-person, with the possibility of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s attendance.
While Ramaphosa remained tight-lipped about Putin’s participation in the Johannesburg Summit, curiosity looms as people eagerly anticipate the outcomes of this year’s event. The discussions revolving around expanding the bloc’s membership and establishing a common BRICS reserve currency have fueled speculation and intrigue.
Regardless of personal sentiments towards these subjects, global citizens have unequivocally demonstrated an insatiable interest in the BRICS bloc and its endeavors, as clearly indicated by the Google Trends data.
What are your thoughts on the surging global interest in the BRICS bloc? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.
