Lee Kuan Yew

About Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015) was the founding Prime Minister of Singapore, serving from 1959 to 1990. As a dominant political figure, his most significant contribution was transforming the small, resource-poor island nation into one of the world's most prosperous and developed economies, a success often termed the "Singapore Miracle." This monumental geopolitical and economic shift secures his rank at #641 in the Historical Popularity Index compiled by MIT's Pantheon project.

Despite his significant global influence, Lee Kuan Yew's modern internet attention appears relatively muted compared to other politicians. Ranking #641 in historical importance, he garnered 1.6 million Wikipedia views in 2025. This places him significantly behind contemporaries in the same field; for instance, Benjamin Netanyahu (#744 importance) received 6.9 million views, showing an overattention of approximately +5x relative to his historical ranking for Lee Kuan Yew in this comparison. His attention is not negligible, however, as his interest is currently surging, evidenced by a strong +29% momentum in Q1 versus Q3 2025 views and a +28.1% year-over-year increase.