How has Bing’s market share changed over time compared with Google and DuckDuckGo?
Executive summary
Bing has clawed back small but consistent gains over the past few years while Google’s iron grip has softened slightly from its decade-long highs, and DuckDuckGo has remained a small, steady privacy-focused niche; sources put Bing in the ~3–4% global range in 2024–25 while Google still commands roughly 85–90% depending on the dataset and region, and DuckDuckGo sits under 1–1.1% globally [1] [2] [3] [4]. These changes are meaningful for advertisers and desktop search dynamics but do not represent a tectonic shift in market leadership.
1. Historical baseline: Google’s dominance and Bing’s long tail
Since the mid-2010s Google has held roughly 90% of global search queries in many major trackers, with StatCounter and other trackers reporting Google shares in the mid-80s to low-90s range depending on date and device, while Bing traditionally occupied a low-single-digit share around 3% and DuckDuckGo was a sub‑1% player worldwide [5] [2] [6]. Analysts and chronology in the reporting underscore that Bing’s position has been steady but small relative to Google for much of the last decade [6].
2. Recent shift: small upward movement for Bing vs. slight erosion for Google
Multiple compilations of 2024–25 statistics show Bing ticked upward from roughly 2.8–3.3% in early 2023–2024 to about 3.5–4.0% by 2025, while Google’s share fell a few percentage points in the same interval—figures that reflect small but consistent gains for Bing rather than a dramatic takeover [1] [3] [2]. ExposureNinja and Impression report nearly identical patterns: Bing rising from ~3.3% to ~3.9% and Google dropping from the low-90s to high-80s on some trackers [3] [1].
3. Desktop vs. mobile: where Bing punches above its weight
The gains for Bing are concentrated in desktop search, where some datasets show Bing accounting for double-digit shares—for example, Statista and other compilers report Bing having materially higher desktop share (single-digit to low-teens) while its mobile share remains tiny, often around 1–3%, which helps explain why global averages stay low even as desktop penetration improves [7] [8]. Those device splits also explain why Bing looks more important for publishers tracking desktop referrals and certain B2B and finance verticals [7].
4. Regional and channel nuance: Bing stronger in pockets
Bing’s share varies by country and channel: it’s meaningfully larger in markets where Microsoft integrations and Windows defaults matter—Canada and the U.S. show higher relative Bing penetration—and in contexts like console and desktop ecosystems where Bing tooling is embedded, while Google retains overwhelming mobile dominance globally [9] [8] [4]. These geographic and platform contours mean local market share can diverge sharply from global averages [9].
5. DuckDuckGo: steady niche, modest growth ceiling
Across the same time window DuckDuckGo has remained a small, privacy-oriented alternative with global share consistently under about 1% in most trackers, sometimes reported at roughly 0.7–1.05%, signaling loyal but limited uptake compared with Bing’s incremental gains [2] [4] [9]. Reporting notes DuckDuckGo’s value proposition—privacy—has not translated into broad market disruption but keeps it relevant to a specific audience [2].
6. Why Bing grew: product pushes, AI features, and ad economics
Reporting connects Bing’s growth to Microsoft’s product integration (Windows defaults, browser and console placements), renewed investment in search advertising, and new AI-enabled features that have driven desktop adoption and higher engagement in specific verticals; Microsoft’s advertising business has also expanded, supporting search revenue growth even as market share remains small relative to Google [1] [7] [4]. Sources also highlight that Bing referrals can deliver higher engagement in B2B/finance segments and that Microsoft gives users more granular privacy controls than Google in some settings—points that can influence user choice [7].
7. Caveats: measurement differences and narrative agendas
Different trackers use different methodologies (pageviews vs. queries vs. device mixes) producing divergent headline numbers—StatCounter, Statista, and industry bloggers report ranges for the same period—and some vendor-published summaries lean toward emphasizing Bing’s growth or Google’s decline depending on agenda (marketing firms may stress competitive gains; privacy-focused outlets stress DuckDuckGo’s role), so the modest numerical shifts require cautious interpretation [10] [8] [1].
8. Bottom line
Bing has grown modestly from low-single-digit shares to roughly 3–4% globally by 2025, primarily on desktop and in regions where Microsoft defaults and AI features matter, while Google remains dominant at roughly 85–90% across most global measures and DuckDuckGo holds a consistent sub‑1% privacy niche; the trend is meaningful for vertical advertisers and desktop ecosystems but does not overturn Google’s market leadership [3] [1] [2].