As 2025 draws to a close, fresh data paints a clear picture of Pakistan’s digital habits from apps flooding smartphones to trending searches that reflect public mood, tech interest, and cultural preoccupations.
What Pakistanis Searched for Most
- According to the 2025 edition of “Year in Search” data for Pakistan, the top trending searches were dominated by technology and entertainment themes: AI-related tools such as Gemini led the list, followed by searches for Tamasha, DeepSeek, Myco, On4t, Google AI Studio, Claude, the spotlighted smartphone iPhone 17, Grok, and topics around Non-Fungible Token (NFT).
- On the social and news-related front, searches surged around national events, public figures and sports. For instance, interest in a high-profile military official became a standout topic this year.
- The mix of everyday curiosity and extraordinary interest — from weather forecasts and smartphone-app tutorials to investigations into major news developments — reflects a population increasingly engaged with both ordinary and extraordinary online content.
In short: 2025’s searches in Pakistan reflect a population increasingly tuned to AI and technology tools — while still deeply engaged with culture, media, and national events.
Which Apps Were Downloaded Most in Pakistan
Recent market data confirms that a handful of mobile apps captured the lion’s share of attention in 2025.
| Rank (2024-25) | App | Approx. Downloads or Significance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TikTok | ~ 32.4 million | Reaffirmed its dominance in short-video social content. |
| 2 | CapCut (video editor) | ~ 27.1 million | Editors and creators using CapCut to produce/share videos. |
| 3 | ~ 24.3 million | Despite competition, still widely used for social networking & community interaction. | |
| 4 | ~ 22.7 million | Continues as a foundational messaging platform across Pakistan. | |
| 5 | WhatsApp Business | ~ 20.9 million | Growing use among businesses and for professional/personal messaging. |
Additionally, overall data show that Pakistan has emerged as one of the world’s top markets in terms of app downloads, ranking among the top globally.
This suggests a dual reality: while global, mainstream social platforms dominate, there’s also substantial local appetite for tools enabling video creation, messaging, and business communication.
What These Trends Reveal (and What to Watch Next)
- Strong Appetite for AI & Emerging Tech — The surge in searches for AI-related tools (Gemini, DeepSeek, Claude, Google AI Studio) and tech-focused keywords (iPhone 17, NFT) indicate growing digital literacy and curiosity within Pakistan. This could influence future demand for AI-powered services, localised content, and tech-enabled platforms.
- Video & Short-form Content Remains King — The dominance of TikTok and CapCut underscores that short video remains the preferred mode of online content consumption and creation. That aligns with global mobile content trends — but also suggests local creators and marketers can still tap significant audiences via video.
- Messaging & Connectivity are Foundational — Despite the flashy growth of trendy apps, messaging and social-networking platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook) remain essential infrastructure for daily communication, information sharing, and business use.
- Digital Economy & App Market Growth, But Developer Activity Is Slowing — While downloads surged — making Pakistan a top global app market — there’s a noted decline in new app creation and active developer numbers.This may raise concerns for the sustainability and diversification of local app ecosystems.
What 2026 Could Bring — Key Likely Shifts
- Greater adoption of AI tools and localised AI services, as curiosity from 2025 translates into everyday usage (chatbots, productivity, content creation).
- Emergence of regional content platforms, as creators leverage short-form video popularity — possibly producing more local-language or culturally tailored content.
- Pressure/opportunity for developers, to fill the gap left by declining new app development by building apps that serve Pakistani users’ specific needs (finance, governance, e-commerce, utilities).
- Digital payments & fintech growth, especially with increased smartphone penetration and growing familiarity with apps like CapCut and social-media driven commerce.
2025 shows Pakistan at a digital inflection point — a large, engaged online population exploring a hybrid of global social apps, emerging AI/tech interest, and stable demand for communication platforms. The mix of downloads and search trends reflects both continuity (messaging, social media) and disruption (AI, short-form video, tech curiosity). How this evolves through 2026 may define the shape of Pakistan’s digital economy, content landscape, and user behaviour for years to come.
