Which is more popular, KFC or McDonald's?
McDonald's. Over the last five years (September 2021 to September 2026), the world Googled McDonald's 2.6 times as often as KFC: about 36.9 million searches a month against 14.4 million, by our estimate from Google Trends.
Think you can call the next one? Two names, one hidden curve: pick the one the world Googled more.
Play the Food gameWhich was Googled more each year?
McDonald's was ahead in all 4 full years.
| Year | KFC | McDonald's |
|---|---|---|
| 2021* | 16.9 million | 40.1 million |
| 2022 | 15.6 million | 38 million |
| 2023 | 15.1 million | 37.6 million |
| 2024 | 13.5 million | 35.9 million |
| 2025 | 13.3 million | 36.4 million |
| 2026* | 13.3 million | 35.6 million |
Average searches a month, estimated. Partial years: the data starts in September 2021 and ends in September 2026.
Which is more popular right now?
McDonald's still leads over the last 12 months, with 2.7 times as many searches: 36.3 million a month against 13.5 million.
When was each one searched the most?
- KFC: the week of December 19, 2021, 1.6 times a usual week.
- McDonald's: the week of December 25, 2022, 1.4 times a usual week.
How often did the lead change?
McDonald's out-searched KFC in 262 of 262 weeks. On a four-week average, the lead never changed hands.
What are they?
- KFC
- American fried chicken fast food chain
- McDonald's
- American fast food restaurant chain
How is this measured?
Each curve is Google Trends interest, worldwide, one point per week from September 26, 2021 to September 27, 2026. Trends only gives relative numbers, so every name is put on one scale against a shared anchor and turned into estimated searches. The ratios between two names are the solid part; the absolute counts are estimates. Both names are measured as Google Trends topics, which group every spelling and language. Not affiliated with Google.