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Wikipedia has released its list of the most-read English-language articles of 2025, showing strong interest in U.S. political events, celebrity deaths, and major film and television releases.
The year’s most-read page was the entry on Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot during a university campus debate on Sept. 10.
The article about Kirk received nearly 45 million views. Wikimedia Foundation data shows that more than 40% of those views came from outside the United States.
Traffic to his page surged the day after his death, when the entry drew 15 million views, averaging more than 170 views per second.
The list reflects what drew global attention this year while offering insight into how audiences respond to major news events, the release of new entertainment content, and the ongoing influence of U.S. political figures.
Kirk’s page topped the Top 20 list, followed by “Deaths in 2025,” a regular entry that accumulates millions of views each year as readers look up notable deaths.
It received 42.5 million views, making it the second-most read page.
The third most-read article was the entry on serial killer Ed Gein. Interest in Gein rose after Netflix released the third season of "Monster," its true crime anthology series based on his crimes.
Donald Trump’s page ranked fourth with 25.1 million views, continuing his long presence on the annual list. This is his eighth appearance in Wikipedia’s most-read ranking. Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, completed the top five with 22.1 million views.
Wikipedia marks its 25th birthday on Jan. 15, 2026. The platform continues to rely on more than 250,000 volunteer editors who follow strict rules such as citing reliable sources, maintaining neutrality, and avoiding personal interpretation.
Film and television entries remained highly visible on this year’s list, driven by what researchers describe as the “second screen” effect.
Many viewers look up plot details or background information while streaming a show or watching a film.
Pages for "Sinners" and "Superman," two major 2025 film releases, appeared within the Top 10. Netflix’s four-part series "Adolescence" also secured a place in the Top 20, with views peaking ten days after its release as it became a viral success.
The entry for Apple TV’s Severance continued to grow in popularity as well, with page views nearly tripling between its first season in 2022 and its second season this year.
Entries linked to U.S. politics made up a quarter of the Top 20. These included pages on Zohran Mamdani, who won the New York mayoral race and reached 20.1 million views; Elon Musk; JD Vance; and the general “United States” page, which recorded 13 million views.
Other high-traffic pages reflected global cultural interest. Ozzy Osbourne’s article reached 17.8 million views following his death earlier this year. Sports fans continued to return to the page of Cristiano Ronaldo, which drew 10.8 million views. The YouTuber MrBeast entered the Top 20 for the first time with 11.5 million views.
According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the most-read pages were:
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