The Wikipedia page for conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the most-viewed article on the online encyclopedia in 2025, attracting close to 45 million page views. A significant surge in traffic followed the tragic event of 10 September, when Kirk was fatally shot during a debate on a university campus.
A Global Search for Information
While Charlie Kirk was a well-known figure in the United States as the co-founder of the Turning Point USA organisation, his death prompted headline coverage worldwide. Data from the Wikimedia Foundation reveals that more than 40% of the views for the top article came from outside the US, underscoring the global reach of the story.
The annual list, released as Wikipedia prepares to celebrate its 25th birthday on 15 January, highlights the diverse interests of the site's billions of users. The platform maintains its credibility through the work of 250,000 volunteer writers and editors, who adhere to core principles of neutrality, reliability, and the avoidance of original opinion.
Familiar Faces and Viral Trends
The second most-read entry was the perennial list of notable deaths in 2025, which also claimed the top spot the previous year. The top five was dominated by American public figures, including serial killer Ed Gein (31.2m views), who featured in a Netflix true crime series, former President Donald Trump (25.1m views), and Pope Leo XIV (22.1m views).
Film and television articles remain a staple of the list, driven by the 'second screen' effect where viewers look up details on their phones. The 2025 films 'Sinners' and 'Superman' both placed in the overall top ten. Meanwhile, page views for the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series 'Severance' nearly tripled between its first season in 2022 and its second in 2025.
Politics, Music and Online Stardom
US politics accounted for a quarter of the top 20 entries. Zohran Mamdani secured a top-ten place following his extraordinary run for New York mayor, ranking just below Elon Musk. The list also featured rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and, for the first time, YouTube megastar MrBeast.
The full list of Wikipedia's most-read English-language pages for 2025 is as follows:
- Charlie Kirk – 44.9m views
- Deaths in 2025 – 42.5m
- Ed Gein – 31.2m
- Donald Trump – 25.1m
- Pope Leo XIV – 22.1m
- Elon Musk – 20.2m
- Zohran Mamdani – 20.1m
- Sinners (2025 film) – 18.2m
- Ozzy Osbourne – 17.8m
- Superman (2025 film) – 17m
The remaining entries in the top 20 were Pope Francis, Severance (TV series), the United States, Thunderbolts*, Weapons (2025 film), JD Vance, Adolescence (TV series), MrBeast, Cristiano Ronaldo, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
