Seoul, Dec 21 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ranked the third most searched politician by internet users worldwide this year, data showed on Tuesday.

Online searches for Kim totaled a monthly average of 1.9 million, behind US President Joe Biden, who topped the list with 7 million searches, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson with 2 million, according to German data analytics firm Statista.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked fourth with 1.4 million searches, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The most searched keyword related to the North Korean leader this year was "weight loss", separate analysis by Google Trends found.

In June, the 37-year-old Kim appeared at a politburo session appearing to have lost a significant amount of weight, raising speculation about his health and sparking keen public interest.

South Korea's state intelligence agency told lawmakers in October that Kim has lost around 20 kg from a weight of about 140 kg but appears to have no major health problem.