Where do you typically seek answers when you have a question?
Similar to many individuals worldwide, when we are faced with numerous questions, we often turn to Wikipedia as their primary source for seeking answers. The non-profit company that hosts Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation, reported that the English Wikipedia had received over 84 billion views in just the current year alone.
It may not be shocking to know that the ChatGPT article, with 49.5 million page views, holds the top spot in the website’s annual ranking of its most popular pages. You probably already know that ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot that OpenAI unveiled in November of last year, became very popular, unless you’ve been living under an iceberg for the past twelve months.
The most viewed Wikipedia articles of 2023 tell the story of people, like you and society at large, actively searching the world’s largest encyclopedia for information on the constantly evolving world we live in.
Cricket World 2023 & IPL are in Top 5
- ChatGPT, 49,490,406 pageviews
- Deaths in 2023, 42,666,860
- 2023 Cricket World Cup, 38,171,653
- Indian Premier League, 32,012,810
- Oppenheimer (film), 28,348,248
In 2023, cricket articles made a significant impact on English Wikipedia’s top 25 list, constituting 16% of the most-viewed articles. Securing the third spot with 38.2 million views, the third most popular Wikipedia article of the year is “2023 Cricket World Cup” hosted in India this time. The 2023 Cricket World Cup emerged as the third most-viewed, experiencing a 304% increase in interest compared to its previous edition, with over 1.25 million views on the day of the final.
Australia clinched the World Cup title, with India securing second place. Virat Kohli, awarded Player of the Tournament, garnered over ten million Wikipedia pageviews this year, surpassing the total for the entire 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Notably, sustained interest in World Cup, Indian Premier League, 2023 Indian Premier League, and English football’s Premier League articles suggests ongoing engagement, likely for checking live scores and information. However, confirmation is challenging due to Wikipedia’s stringent privacy policy.
Films and Entertainment
In the middle of 2023, many people were really excited about the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. If you want to know more about it, there’s a detailed article on Wikipedia.
Even though Barbie’s popularity in the global box office was about 50% more than Oppenheimer’s, Oppenheimer had more pageviews on English Wikipedia – about 57% more.
People visited Wikipedia to find out about the race to build the first atomic bomb, led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and how filmmaker Christopher Nolan told the story in his movie.
Interest in the film wasn’t just from English speakers. Over 47 million people from all languages checked Oppenheimer’s Wikipedia articles this year. In Italy, for example, journalists noticed the increase in pageviews and wrote articles about the film and the history of the atomic bomb.
Close behind Oppenheimer were two other successful films in 2023: Pathaan and Jawan. They became some of the highest-grossing Hindi-language films ever. Pathaan, released in January, broke records at the box office, but Jawan surpassed it after its release in September.
Both films starred Shah Rukh Khan. Around their release dates, both films got over one million views in a single day on English Wikipedia alone.
Celebrities
With regard to celebrities, Lionel Messi is ranked 15th on Wikipedia, and Taylor Swift, who was recently selected Time magazine’s Person of the Year, is ranked 12th. Swift’s music remains a chart-topping force, complemented by the triumph of the Eras Tour and its subsequent concert film. Musk consistently engages with controversy through his social media posts, public comments, and business choices. Messi made his debut as captain for the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
The full list of the top 25
- ChatGPT, 49,490,406 pageviews
- Deaths in 2023, 42,666,860
- 2023 Cricket World Cup, 38,171,653
- Indian Premier League, 32,012,810
- Oppenheimer (film), 28,348,248
- Cricket World Cup, 25,961,417
- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 25,672,469
- Jawan (film), 21,791,126
- 2023 Indian Premier League, 20,694,974
- Pathaan (film), 19,932,509
- The Last of Us (TV series), 19,791,789
- Taylor Swift, 19,418,385
- Barbie (film), 18,051,077
- Cristiano Ronaldo, 17,492,537
- Lionel Messi, 16,623,630
- Premier League, 16,604,669
- Matthew Perry, 16,454,666
- United States, 16,240,461
- Elon Musk, 14,370,395
- Avatar: The Way of Water, 14,303,116
- India, 13,850,178
- Lisa Marie Presley, 13,764,007
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, 13,392,917
- Russian invasion of Ukraine, 12,798,866
- Andrew Tate, 12,728,616
Final Words
In 2023, India and Southeast Asian audiences had a significant impact on the list, contributing one-fifth of the media included. India, in particular, played a notable role.
“Currently, we have about 4,700 active English Wikipedia volunteer editors in India. This places India third, behind only the United States and the United Kingdom. India boasts a rich media environment and a thriving information technology sector.” said Anusha Alikhan, chief communications officer at the Wikimedia Foundation in an interview with CNN.
Considering that India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country, reaching an estimated 1.43 billion by the year-end according to the United Nations, its influence on global media comes as no surprise. Notably, Wikipedia is prohibited in China by the government.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India, along with market data analytics firm Kantar, predicts that the number of active internet users in India will increase from the current 759 million to 900 million.
