Last year, English Wikipedia raked in more than 97 billion page views. Despite its vast global reach, the online encyclopedia is still very much a labor of love.
Articles on popular topics tend to attract the most views. However, other factors can affect an article’s popularity. For example, a sudden burst of interest in a topic can cause it to rise in the rankings.
General popularity
The English version of Wikipedia racked up more than 84 billion page views this year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the free, crowdsourced encyclopedia. The most popular article was about ChatGPT, the open source artificial intelligence chatbot from OpenAI that has gone viral as it makes its way into schools, health care and even religious sermons. It was followed by articles about people who died this year and a page on the film The Manhattan Project, which tells the story of the development of the atomic bomb.
The popularity of particular pages fluctuates throughout the year, reflecting current events and interests among the broader audience of readers who consult Wikipedia. News stories about scientific and technological developments, natural disasters and public health crises all lead to spikes in engagement within their respective language editions of the site. Local political events have also shown similar effects – for example, the Kashmir Solidarity Day led to a rise in engagement with Urdu Wikipedia.
Popular entertainment is also a driving factor. Movies and television shows appear in the top 10 for most viewed pages across several languages, including English, Italian, Polish and Russian. The TV series Game of Thrones is especially popular, while Taylor Swift and Lionel Messi occupy spots 12 and 15 respectively. Overall, more than a third of American adult Internet users consult Wikipedia on a typical day, and those who use broadband are earlier adopters of the site compared to those who use dial-up connections.
Mobile popularity
Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world, and it has become a major resource for millions of users worldwide. Prior research suggests that shallow information gathering – looking up facts and answers, or asking and answering questions – is the dominant motivation for use of the website.
Earlier this year, the free online encyclopedia’s most-viewed page in English was about ChatGPT, the open-source AI chatbot that’s been spotted on countless platforms. The article raked in more than 84 million pageviews this year, according to the Wikimedia Foundation.
The runner-up in the English category was the article about the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which drew more than 38 million pageviews this year. The popularity of the competition was boosted by a strong performance from India, led by top-order batter Virat Kohli. The film “Oppenheimer,” about the physicist and his role in the development of the atomic bomb, was also popular, garnering nearly 50 million pageviews across all language editions of Wikipedia this year.
News stories and events can trigger spikes in readership for individual pages, as can the presence of links to the page on other articles, such as in a See also section or in navigational templates. Some studies suggest that gendered differences in the way people use Wikipedia may also be at play.
Gender popularity
Unlike most informational sites, Wikipedia is free to use. As a result, anyone with a computer or mobile phone can access it. The platform’s massive article pool covers a wide range of topics, from ancient history to popular culture. This variety is one reason why the site attracts so many visitors. Another reason is that it is updated constantly. New tech terms or celebrity gossip can be added within minutes.
A third of American adults consult Wikipedia on a typical day. This makes it more popular than some well-known sites, such as CNN and BuzzFeed. However, it is still less popular than some other activities that people engage in on a regular basis, such as online shopping and visiting dating websites.
Existing research demonstrates that a range of motives drives people to consult Wikipedia articles. Fact lookup and checking are common, but the site also serves as a crucial learning resource for adults Huisman et al. and is used as a source of reference for students in various subject areas including history Singer et al.
The website is also a popular choice for entertainment and news. Page views spike when a major event occurs, such as the release of a blockbuster film or an important discovery in science. For example, the page about real-life physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer received more page views than the page about the Barbie film released that year.
Topical popularity
The topics most popular on Wikipedia reflect the cultural and current events that people are interested in at any given time. This can include the latest celebrity scandal or sports event, or it could be a recent book, movie or TV show. As a result, articles about these topics tend to have much higher traffic than would be expected from their subject matter alone.
For example, in 2023 the most visited article on the English Wikipedia was about ChatGPT, the generative AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that was the subject of a major box office hit film this year. Its popularity reflects the increased interest in artificial intelligence and the debates about its promise and risks.
While anyone can create an article on Wikipedia, there is a hierarchy and several hundred administrators (Wikimedians) who control the site. As a result, the information is generally reliable, although some of it is questionable. Generally, only subjects that can be verified in multiple independent sources make it onto the site. For example, living persons, businesses and bands can’t have their own articles unless significant primary source material is available.
In addition, some pages have more topical popularity than others due to their placement on the main page of the encyclopedia or their presence in navigational templates. Also, the number of people visiting a particular page may change with the availability of new content or changes in technology.
