According to Google Trends, the ‘Bitcoin’ keyword has been steadily increasing over the past years. These results have spiked across many major cities and countries between June 2018 and June 2019.
The results paint a picture that Bitcoin’s reach really does run the gamut of cross-continental interest.
Top-10 Bitcoin Cities#1: Lagos, Nigeria
Coming in at the top is Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. Nigeria is coincidentally also the top country for the Bitcoin search term over the past year.
The country has the largest economy on the African continent and is also the most populous country in Africa. Since online payment providers like PayPal do not operate in the country due to scams, many young, tech-savvy Nigerians view cryptocurrencies as a primary online payment transaction method.
Sadly, Nigeria remains notorious for internet fraud, either as perpetrators or as victims. But it’s not all bad news. The country’s presidential candidate of the leading opposition party has spoken out in favor of cryptocurrencies. As part of his ‘Get Nigeria Working Again’, he believes that it could aid job creation and income generation for the government.
#2: Vienna, Austria
Vienna is crypto-friendly through and through. The city’s CIO isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty: “From the start, we knew the only way to test the blockchain technology‘s potential was “learning by doing.”
They’re developing a localized citizen rewards token that will live on the blockchain, and the largest energy provider is developing a blockchain fridge. Learning by doing, indeed. Austria as a whole is number six on the list of countries frequenting a Bitcoin browser search.
#3: Los Angeles
While the USA is 17th on the list of the Bitcoin search horde, LA is no stranger to the currency. Bitcoin ATMs first did the rounds in the city all the way back in 2014. It seems Angelenos aren’t haven’t given up on the digital currency just yet.
#4: New York
Short on its West Coast cousin’s heels is another city that never sleeps. Where Bitcoin is concerned, the Big Apple has been a crypto-hit since the early days.
2013 saw the opening of Bitcoin Center NYC, frequented by such notaries as Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin and Bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos. Since 2015, the state of New York has issued BitLicences for crypto businesses.
#5: Munich
At #11, Germany hasn’t quite broken into the top 10 Bitcoin-searched countries. Munich, however, is another ballgame.
Though the city got its first bitcoin ATM as late as 2018, there’s been an active development community for years. The city is home base to several crypto startups, and crypto companies even have a 30% equity stake in a local bank.
Top 10 Bitcoin Cities: 6-10
Other cities in the top 10 include
#6 Toronto (Canada)
#7 Berlin (Germany)
#8 Singapore
#9 London (UK)
#10 Sydney (Australia
Top 10 Bitcoin Countries
The top 3 countries keeping a watchful eye on Bitcoin are all African. Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana – coming in at #1, #2, and #3 respectively – all regularly put fingers to the keyboard where the Big B is concerned.
#4 is the Netherlands. #5 on the list is proof that Bitcoin’s reach stretches everywhere. St. Helena is a tiny island (population 4,534) and has been one of the most remote inhabited islands on the planet. Austria is #6, followed closely by neighboring Switzerland at #7. Singapore, as stated, is #8. Slovenia in Eastern Europe stands at #9, and Australia down-under is #10.
What do these search trends tell you about Bitcoin’s popularity and reach? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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