📌 What are the 10 largest
companies in the world?
Table of Contents
- 🏦 Introduction
- 📈 The 10 Largest Public
Companies
- 💰 10 Berkshire Hathaway
- 🛢 9 ExxonMobil
- 🏭 8 Johnson &
Johnson
- 💊 7 Roche Holding
- 🛒 6 Walmart
- 🏦 5 JPMorgan Chase
- 🍎 4 Apple
- 💻 3 Microsoft
- 📱 2 Saudi Aramco
- 💵 1 ICBC
- ⚖️ Measuring Company Size
- 📈 Growth Trends and
Trajectories
- 🔮 What Does the Future
Hold?
- 🏁 Conclusion
- ❓ FAQs
🏦 Introduction
When we think of the world's
largest companies, the first names that spring to mind are probably tech giants
like Apple, Google or Microsoft. However, the biggest multinational
corporations in the world come from a diverse range of industries and countries.
🗺️
To determine the largest public
companies globally, Forbes publishes an annual ranking based on total sales,
profits, assets and market value. By these key metrics, the 10 largest public
companies represent oil producers and banks as well as big tech and retail
brands. 📊
Keep reading to discover the top
10 publicly traded corporate giants at the pinnacle of global industry.
Understanding what makes these complex organizations tick provides fascinating
insight into the backbone of the modern global economy. 💰
📈 The 10 Largest Public Companies
💰 10 Berkshire
Hathaway
The sprawling conglomerate
Berkshire Hathaway made its name in the textile manufacturing industry.
However, the company took a different direction under the leadership of
legendary investor Warren Buffett. 👔
Today, Berkshire Hathaway manages
a vast portfolio of subsidiary businesses across insurance, transportation,
utility, retail and even fast food sectors. Notable Berkshire Hathaway
companies include battery maker Duracell, confectioner See's Candies and fast
food chain Dairy Queen. 🍫
With over $700 billion in assets
and 60+ subsidiary brands under its belt, Berkshire Hathaway certainly merits
its place among global corporate titans. 🏢
🛢 9 ExxonMobil
The Houston, Texas based oil and
gas mammoth ExxonMobil fuels our modern world - quite literally. 🛢️
ExxonMobil's foundations lie in
the Standard Oil company founded by billionaire tycoon John D. Rockefeller way
back in 1870. Later merging with Mobil, the company has only expanded since,
generating over $230 billion in sales annually. 💰
Today, the ExxonMobil empire
spans exploration, extraction, transportation and global marketing of oil, gas
and petrochemical products. From motor oil to plastic wrap, this corporate
giant provides the fuel and raw materials powering modern life as we know it. ⛽
🏭 8 Johnson &
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson ranks as
the world’s largest healthcare company, producing a vast array of popular
consumer brands. 🩺 From BandAids to Baby
Powder, Listerine to Benadryl, Tylenol to Nicorette gum, J&J products are
bathroom and medicine cabinet staples around the globe. 🌎
The multibillion-dollar company
operates across three core business divisions - pharmaceuticals, medical
devices and consumer packaged goods. In addition to manufacturing healthcare
products, Johnson and Johnson also conducts pioneering medical research in
areas like robotics, stem cell research and immunology. ⚗️
With famous subsidiary brands
trusted by consumers worldwide, it’s no wonder Johnson & Johnson breaks
into the top 10 biggest public companies globally. 🙌
💊 7 Roche Holding
Swiss giant Roche Holding earns
its place among the corporate elite as the world’s largest biotechnology
company. 🧪
Roche develops groundbreaking
drugs and diagnostic tools, preventing and treating a vast range of health
conditions from cancer to cardiovascular disease. The company spends over $11
billion per year researching innovative lifesaving treatments. 💉
Core business units include
pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, with well known brands including Herceptin for
treating cancer, Avastin inhibiting tumor growth, and Tamiflu for flu symptoms.
Roche’s potentially life changing innovations cement its standing among the
cream of the corporate crop. ✅
🛒 6 Walmart
Arkansas based retail titan
Walmart is undoubtedly a household name. As the world’s largest company by
revenue, Walmart raked in over $500 billion last year alone. 💰
The retail conglomerate operates
over 10,000 stores globally, covering everything from groceries and household
goods to auto parts and optical services. Browsing the aisles of a Walmart
superstore, it seems there’s little you can’t buy! 🛍️
Originally founded in 1962 by Sam
Walton, Walmart remains family owned to this day. Heirs of Sam Walton
collectively possess around half the company’s shares, making it one of the
world’s biggest family owned businesses too.👨👩👦👦
🏦 5 JPMorgan Chase
When it comes to banking
behemoths, few names stand taller than JPMorgan Chase. 🏙️
Headquartered in New York City,
this multinational investment bank manages over $3 trillion in assets including
commercial banking, securities brokerage and wealth management services. 💼
JPMorgan Chase is actually the
largest bank in the United States by total assets and market capitalization.
The banking giant provides services ranging from consumer savings accounts to
corporate mergers and acquisitions.
From Wall Street to Main Street,
JPMorgan Chase helps keep the wheels of global finance turning. Therefore,
banking leviathan JPMorgan Chase has undoubtedly earned its place among the
very top tier of public multinationals worldwide. 💵
🍎 4 Apple
Innovation giant Apple needs
little introduction, as the trailblazer behind era-defining devices like the
iPhone, iPad and MacBook. ♾️
Apple revolutionized personal
computing since being founded back in 1976 by the late great Steve Jobs. Today,
Apple yearly revenues exceed $300 billion thanks to global sales of sleekly
designed, game changing tech products adored by consumers. 💕
Ranking as the world’s most
valuable brand for 10+ years running, Apple continues going from strength to
strength. Under the visionary leadership of Tim Cook, the company enters new
spheres like financial services and autonomous vehicles to further grow its
tech empire. 🤖
By any metric - sales, profits,
branding or sheer pop culture impact - Apple earns its place among the
uppermost echelon of corporate titans striding the world stage. 👣
💻 3 Microsoft
Another trailblazer driving
forward the digital revolution is Microsoft. 🖥️ Founded in 1975 by
Bill Gates and Paul Allen, few companies match Microsoft’s colossal impact on
shaping the modern, tech driven world. 💾
Microsoft’s Windows operating
systems and Office software suit have long reigned supreme over the personal
computing landscape. Though Apple may take the limelight for sleek gadgets,
Microsoft provides the practical digital infrastructure relied upon by billions
for work and play. 📈
And with cloud computing
platforms like Azure taking off, Microsoft has staked its claim in cutting edge
spheres to uphold domination through decades to come. Thanks to smart
leadership from Satya Nadella and nearly $200 billion in yearly revenues, this veteran
computing titan still leads the pack when it comes to true corporate scale and
sales figures. 😎
📱 2 Saudi Aramco
Saudi Arabian oil and gas
behemoth Saudi Aramco transports and trades more crude than anyone on Earth. 🛢
As such, it seizes the 2 spot among top public companies worldwide.
Saudi Aramco originated from the
1933 merger of Texaco-California Asiatic Oil Company and Standard Oil of
California to form the Aramco venture. Over decades, the Saudi government
gradually acquired bigger stakes in the oil assets until taking full ownership
by 1980 and rebranding as Saudi Aramco in 1988. 🇸🇦
Today, this gargantuan fossil
fuel enterprise sits atop all competitors. Producing roughly 1 in every 8
barrels of crude oil globally, Saudi Aramco netted an annual $88 billion
profits - far beyond any other company. 📈 With the world still
heavily dependent on natural gas and petrol, Saudi Aramco remains a sea monster
straddling the world stage.
💵 1 ICBC
Claiming the crown as largest
public company on Earth is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).
This Beijing based bank stands tall above all rivals in the corporate world by
total assets and market valuation. 💰
State owned ICBC operates over
16,000 branches across China and globally which facilitate loans, savings,
insurance policies and investment banking for hundreds of millions of customers
worldwide. 🏦 No other bank manages even half the assets
under ICBC’s control, making it the undisputed king among public multinationals
for years running.
So, while Wall Street names like
JPMorgan Chase or household tech brands like Apple make headlines, this Chinese
banking behemoth tops them all in terms pure corporate size, reach and
financial muscle. 💪 When it comes to the
true heavyweights of global business, ICBC takes the crown as 1 public company
on the planet! 👑
⚖️ Measuring Company Size
When determining the world’s
largest companies, firms are typically ranked by these key metrics:
Total Revenue - Known as
turnover or sales, this refers to the total income companies generate annually
from products and services before any expenses deducted. More revenue means a
larger overall enterprise. 💵
Net Profit - After
operating costs deducted from revenues, the remaining income is profits. Bigger
profits generally signal more efficient and stable corporations with pricing
power. 💹
Total Assets - This
includes everything companies own, from cash to physical buildings to
investments. More assets under control can mean larger, more globally dominant
organizations. 💼
Market Capitalization -
This tracks the total value of all company stock shares trading on exchanges.
High market value comes from investor optimism in corporations with strong
future outlooks. 📈
By weighing companies across
these four vital indicators, analysts paint a meaningful picture of the world’s
bonafide business behemoths - both financial services firms like ICBC as well
as innovators like Apple or Microsoft. 📊
Combining these metrics also
surfaces multifaceted conglomerates like Berkshire Hathaway or JPMorgan
operating diverse business models across sectors. Ultimately the largest
companies shape the modern economic landscape, each in different but equally
important ways. ⚖️
📈 Growth Trends and Trajectories
Reviewing the list of top 10
global companies reveals a cross section of both long standing titans with
decades of history alongside relative newcomers making their mark. 📜
Legacy institutions like
ExxonMobil, JPMorgan and Johnson & Johnson were already forces to be
reckoned with over a century ago during the original Gilded Age, as railway and
oil empires took shape. These companies grew into diversified corporate ecosystems
delivering steady revenues year over year, cementing unshakeable market
dominance over generations. 🏗️
Meanwhile, we find more recently
minted giants like Apple, Microsoft or Walmart - founded in the 60s/70s digital
era or later. With game changing innovations and savvy adaptation to modern
times, these brands rapidly ascended from ambitious upstarts into unprecedented
corporate juggernauts shaping the 21st century economy. 💫
In fact, the ascent of Silicon
Valley tech firms highlights their potential to overhaul older stalwarts like
Big Oil over coming decades. As society grows evermore digital, software
centric companies may come to lead the pack - knocking early front runners down
a peg in the process! 📉
And of course, we can’t ignore
international players like Chinese banks ICBC and healthcare specialists Roche
disrupting the ranks. Such foreign firms emphasize globally diversified
ownership at the top tier of world business in our increasingly interconnected
economy. 🌐
In short, while long term
stability keeps certain historical giants grounded as top firms, we’re
undoubtedly witnessing Chinese banks, Big Tech and beyond redefining what it
means to be a world leading multinational in today’s transformative age! 🔀
🔮 What Does the Future Hold?
Glancing once more at the largest
companies topping the global leaderboard, we also catch glimpses of coming
shifts on the horizon. 🚀
In coming years, the prominence
of Middle Eastern oil powers like Saudi Aramco may decline amid a worldwide
transition from fossil fuels to renewables. And old school Western banks face
rising threats from fintech disruptors and blockchain innovation. 💸
Meanwhile, Chinese banks and
Asian companies are almost certain to gain ground as economic activity steadily
pivots Eastwards this century. Not to mention Indian tech firms crawling up the
global ranks as outsourcing booms. 🌄
And who knows what radical new
technologies - quantum computing? Biotech breakthroughs? AI networks? - shall
breed the next generation of corporate behemoths built from scratch before our
eyes!?️
Of course, crystal ball gazing is
no sure bet. In all likelihood, today’s firmly entrenched giants have
sufficient momentum and adaptability to still rule decades from now via
constant self-reinvention! 💫
Nevertheless, by examining these
industry leading superstars of modern business, we catch a glimpse into what
the future may resemble when tomorrow finally arrives! 🔭
So which companies do you
predict shall dominate the corporate landscape in years to come? Let the
fortune telling begin! 🤔☝️
🏁 Conclusion
Naming the 10 biggest public
companies on the planet has revealed a highly diverse assortment of corporate
powerhouses large and small, old and new. 🏆
We’ve covered:
- ⛽ Ancient oil enterprises with
ExxonMobil
- 🍎 Digital era darling
Apple
- 🏦 Banking behemoth
ICBC
- 💊 Innovative drugmaker
Roche
...And more spanning tech,
healthcare, insurance, retail sectors and beyond! 🌐
The largest firms touch virtually
every facet of the global economy - extracting natural resources, manufacturing
products at scale, streamlining finance and trade as well keeping over 7
billion customers satisfied world over! 👨👩👧👦
In closing, exploring these
industry captains offers insight into the very building blocks underpinning
modern civilization itself. So next time you fill up at an Exxon gas pump, shop
at Walmart or video call friends with an iPhone or Mac - take a second to thank
the corporate titans making it all conveniently possible in the first place! 😉👍
Now over to you - which
megacompany is your personal favorite? Let me know in the comments! ⬇️
❓ FAQs
What are some emerging competitors to already established companies in
the top 10 global firms?
Up and coming challengers to
current corporate giants include:
- Chinese tech developers like
Alibaba or Tencent nibbling market share from Amazon, Google or Apple
- Electric vehicle makers like
Tesla ramping up to displace fossil fuel companies
- Fintech apps like PayPal or
Square transforming banking/finance
- Healthcare innovators like
Thermo Fisher Scientific pioneering new drugs and tools
The next decade may see such
relative newcomers edge their way up the ranks of the world’s truly largest
companies!
Which corporations have the greatest international/global footprint?
Some of the most
internationally dominant names among top multinationals include:
- Walmart with 10,000+ retail
stores worldwide
- ExxonMobil supplying oil/gas
reserves across six continents
- Nestle distributing food/drink
brands globally like Nescafe, KitKat etc
- Microsoft providing near
universally used Windows/Office software
- Coca Cola as the 1
non-alcoholic beverage everywhere
These giants generate big chunks
of overall revenue outside their home countries, giving them unmatched global
influence!
What industries most commonly produce the world’s biggest companies?
Sectors most represented among
the very largest global corporations are:
- Banking/finance - ICBC,
JPMorgan Chase
- Fossil fuel production -
ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco
- Consumer tech - Apple,
Microsoft, Samsung
- Mass retail - Walmart, Amazon
- Pharmaceuticals - Johnson &
Johnson, Roche
The above industries tend to
reward scale, fueling natural monopolies or oligopolies controlling supply
chains. This concentration of power nurtures corporate kingdoms!
Which nation is home to the most of world’s mega multinationals?
The United States remains
headquarters for 5 of the top 10 global companies by size and value.
Chinese (ICBC, Sinopec), Swiss
(Roche) and Saudi Arabian (Saudi Aramco) firms make just one appearance each
among elite ranks.
This shows the US still dominates
higher up the chain, though China captures more spots among the top 50-100
corporations worldwide overall.
Do tech companies like Apple or Microsoft make enough profits to rank
higher in future?
For perspective, Apple pockets
over $90 billion in annual profits compared to under $30 billion for largest
company ICBC.
If tech margins keep widening in
years ahead while banks face fintech threats, Apple could easily claim 1 by
profits, knocking finance firms down the leader rankings.
And recall tech superstars are
still younger, founded in the 70s/80s versus old-school 1900s
hydrocarbon/banking industries. Given their meteoric rise already, another
decade of exponential growth could position Amazon, Alphabet, Meta or rising
giants from China/India into top 3 status.
In short, while ICBC and Saudi
Aramco enjoy 1 and 2 positions currently, their reign may prove short-lived if
software continues eating the world! 💻
What emerging industries appear positioned to nurture the next
generation of corporate empires?
Future facing sectors primed
to potentially hatch tomorrow’s business behemoths include:
- Renewable energy - Solar, wind
and battery technologies as countries decarbonize.
- Biotechnology - Genomics,
immunotherapy and precision medicine unlocking health insights.
- Cryptocurrencies - Blockchain
and digital assets transforming fintech and finance.
- Artificial intelligence -
Machine learning and neural nets reinventing decision making.
Each of these spaces entails high
upfront research costs and complexity favoring big corps with ample resources
to achieve scale and consistency. Startups innovating across these frontiers
today may very well emerge as giants in coming decades!
How can everyday people invest in and benefit from these corporate
titans?
Average individuals can stake
a claim in elite multinational companies via:
Stocks - Buying public
shares through brokerage accounts or specialist platforms like Robinhood
Mutual funds - Investing
through diversified bundles of stocks like index or retirement funds
Careers - Seek employment
directly with the biggest global firms to earn income
Customer loyalty -
Repeatedly purchasing products/services from brands like Apple or J&J
Tying personal finances and
shopping habits to leading corporations grants people everywhere a chance to
prosper as these titans continue rising higher! 📈
What future threats or black swan events could topple even mighty
corporate empires?
Potential rare occurrences
which could unravel current giants include:
- War/civil unrest disrupting
global supply chains
- Cyber attacks/hacking/viruses
corrupting crucial data
- Climate catastrophes like
droughts or floods
- Unexpected innovative market
disruption (blockchain for banking)
- Political sea change rewriting
laws and regulation
- Public backlash/reputation
damage from scandals
Though such black swans seem
unlikely, their low probability belies immense chaos potential. Fortune favors
the nimble, so corporate titans must remain vigilant! ⚠️
Could antitrust regulation or public disillusionment cause declination
of these leading brands?
Populist distrust of big business
coupled with antimonopoly legislation may indeed gradually erode today’s
empires in some sectors.
For example:
- Calls to break up Amazon or
block future mergers
- Tax reforms targeting
multinationals gaming global systems
- Privacy overhauls following
public scandals
- Reining in special advantages
of patent protections or lobbying influence
Public opinion and political
winds remain ever shifting. Corporate kings therefore face regular danger of
palace coups from mobs or legislatures alike!
However, the innate human
tendency to centralize combined with juggernaut business inertia implies the
biggest brands will likely remain so over long-run in some form.
Do these corporate titans owe the public greater transparency and
accountability?
Critics argue today's billion-dollar
multinationals wield excessive, unchecked influence over politics, labor rights
and even academic research.
Global companies counter their
unmatched economies of scale and efficiency drive progress benefitting all of
society via:
- Technological
breakthroughs
- High quality jobs
- Billions paid in taxes
- Trillions in investment capital
Ultimately balance remains key.
Too little regulation allows greed and harms. But overbearing bureaucracy or
public shaming stifles innovation too.
With great power comes great
responsibility. All sides deserve a seat at table shaping optimal oversight so
progress continues apace towards mutual understanding!