Darts star Luke Littler trends higher than PM on Google in 2024

Dart sensation Luke Littler has said he “can’t quite believe” he has trended higher than the prime minister and the King in Google’s most searched for lists in 2024.

The 17-year-old star was an unknown when he came to prominence as the youngest player to reach the World Darts Championship final in January.

He has subsequently risen to fourth in the world rankings and his fame has led him to lie behind only Catherine, Princess of Wales, and US president elect Donald Trump as Google’s most searched for person in the UK in 2024.

He has also taken the top slot as the most searched for athlete on the search engine, which he said was “a proud moment” in what had been “an amazing year”.

A peak TV audience of 3.7m watched the then-16-year-old’s appearance in the final.

He lost by seven sets to four to world number one Luke Humphries, but earned £200,000 as the runner-up.

He beat Michael van Gerwen later in the same month to win the Bahrain Darts Masters and secure his first Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) senior title.

The event also saw he become the youngest person to make a nine-dart finish on live television, which is considered one of the sport’s highest achievements and sees a player score the required 501 in the lowest number of darts possible.

In May, Littler won the 2024 Premier League Darts, his first major PDC title, and in November, Littler won the Grand Slam of Darts for his first major ranking title.

The corporation’s statistics showed that after each win, there was increased interest in Littler online, with even his first round exit on his World Grand Prix debut in October appearing in searches.

Littler, who plays under the nickname of The Nuke, said it had been “an amazing year for me personally, and for the sport of darts as a whole”.

“To be recognised in two Year in Search lists is a huge honour,” he said.

“I can’t quite believe I’m trending higher than both the prime minister and the King in the ‘People’ category—and in a year of such great sporting achievements, it’s a proud moment for me to be the top trending athlete in 2024.”

Google’s most searched people in UK in 2024

1. Catherine, Princess of Wales (searched as Kate Middleton)
2. Donald Trump
3. Luke Littler
4. Sir Keir Starmer
5. Imane Khelif

Google’s most searched for athletes in UK in 2024

1. Luke Littler
2. Lamine Yamal
3. Simone Biles
4. Jude Bellingham
5. Adam Peaty

Google’s Year in Search lists were also impacted by the announced return of rock superstars Oasis for a 2025 tour.

The Mancunian legends topped the list of most searched for musicians, ahead of Sabrina Carpenter, One Direction, Dave Grohl and Raye, while “how to get Oasis tickets” was second only to “how to vote in the UK” in the list of searched questions.

Matt Cooke from the Google News Initiative said 2024 had been “a year of comebacks, curiosity, and community”.

“Whether it’s fans reuniting for Oasis, young sports stars like Luke Littler making waves, or Brits voting in everything from elections to Eurovision, these searches show a nation full of passion and interest,” he said.

“It’s amazing to see what captivated the UK, and it’s always a privilege to highlight these moments in our Year in Search.”