28 August — 14 November 2026

2026 in review: what the world wrote about

Which stories took the most headlines in different parts of the world, where they were written about more than elsewhere, which people and countries were named most. We count shares of each part of the world’s own headlines, not raw numbers.

863 272

of headlines

5 469

stories

12

parts of the world

The main stories of the year

By the average share of headlines across all parts of the world: a story written about everywhere ranks above one written about a lot in one place.

1. 1
   Violent clashes, looting and buildings ablaze as hundreds arrested after France protests

   12 October — 31 October · 1 612 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 0.58% Europe 0.48% Canada 0.48% Middle East 0.46%
2. 2
   Lula wins fourth presidential term in Brazil, defeats Bolsonaro in close runoff

   6 October — 2 November · 1 146 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Latin America 1.3% Russian-language media abroad 0.36% Middle East 0.31% China 0.26%
3. 3
   Trump strikes diesel deal with Putin, reversing years of pressure on Russia over Ukraine war

   9 October — 20 October · 1 218 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 1.0% Ukraine 0.73% Canada 0.29% Middle East 0.25%
4. 4
   US midterms: Democrats win US House in growing midterms wave against Trump

   1 November — 7 November · 1 189 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Canada 0.57% Europe 0.34% Russian-language media abroad 0.34% USA 0.34%
5. 5
   Ukraine says SpaceX restricted Starlink services, disrupting military operations as Russian attacks continue

   13 October — 31 October · 1 119 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 0.95% Ukraine 0.79% Canada 0.18% Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia 0.12%
6. 6
   Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid spy, affair scandals

   5 November — 14 November · 1 383 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 0.46% Asia and Oceania 0.42% Canada 0.31% Middle East 0.29%
7. 7
   Mid-Air Attack on Flydubai Flight: Pilot Allegedly Tries to Take Control of Plane

   30 September — 13 October · 1 274 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 0.61% Canada 0.41% Middle East 0.41% Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia 0.23%
8. 8
   Saudi Arabia: Riyadh airport struck again by Yemen's Houthis

   23 September — 15 October · 1 189 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Middle East 0.76% Russian-language media abroad 0.32% China 0.30% Canada 0.25%
9. 9
   Ukraine, Russia and US to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi

   31 October — 13 November · 1 047 headlines · parts of the world: 12

   Russian-language media abroad 0.73% Ukraine 0.47% China 0.27% Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia 0.18%
10. 10
    Trump welcomes China's Xi for high-stakes summit

    22 September — 3 October · 948 headlines · parts of the world: 12

    China 0.82% Russian-language media abroad 0.22% Canada 0.20% Asia and Oceania 0.18%

Percentages are the story’s share of all of that part of the world’s headlines over the year.

The story of each month

Where they wrote more than the rest

For each part of the world: a big shared story whose share there most exceeds its average share in the other parts.

People in the year’s headlines

By the largest share of headlines in any part of the world; next to the name, where the person was named most.

Donald Trump Russian-language media abroad · 6.8% Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukraine · 6.0% Mark Carney Canada · 2.9% Xi Jinping China · 2.6% Bola Tinubu Africa · 2.5% Benjamin Netanyahu Middle East · 1.5% Ilham Aliyev Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia · 1.5% Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia · 1.2% Peter Obi Africa · 1.0% Friedrich Merz Russian-language media abroad · 0.80% Pope Leo XIV Latin America · 0.75% Vladimir Putin Russian-language media abroad · 0.70%

Countries in the year’s headlines

The average share of headlines about the country across the parts of the world, its own left out.

1. USA 9.5%
2. Russia 8.6%
3. Ukraine 4.2%
4. Iran 1.9%
5. Israel 1.7%
6. France 1.5%
7. China 1.4%
8. Germany 1.3%
9. European Union 1.3%
10. United Kingdom 1.3%

The site has compared countries since 28 August 2026; earlier headlines are not in the count. The page is recounted once a day. A coincidence does not claim a cause: this is only who wrote and how much.