Diabetes the number one most-searched health condition online

• New data by Compare the Market shows the top health conditions in Google queries for the past year across 155 nations
• Diabetes was the most Googled health condition, followed by cancer and pain
• Relevant treatment for specific conditions may fall under different types of cover

“Dr Google” has become one of the primary sources of info on medical conditions and symptoms, so what are people searching for the most?

Compare the Market dived into the Google Trends data to find the top three most searched medical conditions for 155 countries across the planet.

Diabetes was the number one condition, appearing in the top three results for 57 countries out of 155. It was the top result for countries such as Australia, Bahrain, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and The Bahamas. In the United Kingdom it was the second most Googled condition.

Cancer was the second-most searched condition overall, appearing in 50 of the 155 countries. Cancer was the number one most-Googled health condition in Armenia, Burkina Faso, Guyana, Pakistan, Portugal, Rwanda, and Togo.

In third place was the searched term ‘pain’, appearing in the top three results for 39 different countries. It was the number one condition in nations including Andorra, Bangladesh, Ghana, Jamaica, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Other commonly searched conditions included HIV, blood pressure, diarrhea, malaria and headaches. The table below showcases the results for the top 10 conditions.

The most-searched health conditions by number of countries

Compare the Market’s Head of Health Insurance, Lana Hambilton, notes that when it comes to private health insurance in Australia, there are different types of services and categories that can be included. Each will pay a benefit towards specific health conditions.

“Diabetes is an example of where private health insurance isn’t always straightforward. Hospital insurance policies can include ‘Diabetes Management’, but this doesn’t include ‘Insulin Pumps’, which fall under their own separate clinical category,” Hambilton explains. “This makes it really important to navigate health insurance carefully to ensure your policy suits your specific needs.

To view the full list of results, visit: https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/health-insurance/features/most-googled-health-conditions/