Markets
The Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2022
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The Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2022
View a higher resolution version of this graphic.
Given the elusive nature of brands, determining a brand’s financial value is a difficult task.
Despite a brand’s intangibility, it’s hard to deny just how effective a strong one can be at boosting a company’s bottom line.
With this in mind, Brand Finance takes on the challenge of identifying the world’s most valuable brands in the world in its annual Global 500 Report. The graphic above, using data from the latest edition of the report, highlights the top 100 most valuable brands in 2022.
Editor’s note: This ranking measures the value of brands, which can be thought of as marketing-related intangible assets that create a brand identity and reputation in the minds of consumers. It attempts to measure this in financial terms, calculating what the brand is worth to the company that owns it. For more information on methodology, calculations, and sourcing, go to the bottom of this article.
A Full Breakdown of the Most Valuable Brands
With an increase of 35% since last year’s report, Apple retains its top spot on the ranking as the world’s most valuable brand, with a total brand value of $335.1 billion.
This is the highest brand value ever recorded in the history of the Global 500 report, which has been published each year since 2007.
As one of the world’s largest tech companies, Apple dominates the smartphone market, especially in the U.S., where more than 50% of operating smartphones are now an iPhone.
Here’s a complete list of the 100 most valuable brands according to the report:
Rank | Brand | 2022 Brand Value ($B) | Country | Sector |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apple | $355.1 | United States | Tech & Services |
2 | Amazon | $350.3 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
3 | $263.4 | United States | Media & Telecoms | |
4 | Microsoft | $184.2 | United States | Tech & Services |
5 | Walmart | $111.9 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
6 | Samsung Group | $107.3 | South Korea | Tech & Services |
7 | $101.2 | United States | Media & Telecoms | |
8 | ICBC | $75.1 | China | Banking & Insurance |
9 | Huawei | $71.2 | China | Tech & Services |
10 | Verizon | $69.6 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
11 | China Construction Bank | $65.5 | China | Banking & Insurance |
12 | Toyota | $64.3 | Japan | Automobiles |
13 | $62.3 | China | Media & Telecoms | |
14 | Agricultural Bank Of China | $62.0 | China | Banking & Insurance |
15 | Mercedes-Benz | $60.8 | Germany | Automobiles |
16 | State Grid | $60.2 | China | Energy & Utilities |
17 | Deutsche Telekom | $60.2 | Germany | Media & Telecoms |
18 | TikTok/Douyin | $59.0 | China | Media & Telecoms |
19 | Disney | $57.1 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
20 | Home Depot | $56.3 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
21 | Ping An | $54.4 | China | Banking & Insurance |
22 | Taobao | $53.8 | China | Retail & Consumer Goods |
23 | Shell | $49.9 | United Kingdom | Energy & Utilities |
24 | Bank of China | $49.6 | China | Banking & Insurance |
25 | Tmall | $49.2 | China | Retail & Consumer Goods |
26 | AT&T | $47.0 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
27 | Tencent | $46.7 | China | Media & Telecoms |
28 | Tesla | $46.0 | United States | Automobiles |
29 | Starbucks | $45.7 | United States | Food & Bev |
30 | Allianz Group | $45.2 | Germany | Banking & Insurance |
31 | Aramco | $43.6 | Saudi Arabia | Energy & Utilities |
32 | Moutai | $42.9 | China | Food & Bev |
33 | Volkswagen | $41.0 | Germany | Automobiles |
34 | China Mobile | $40.9 | China | Media & Telecoms |
35 | NTT Group | $40.7 | Japan | Media & Telecoms |
36 | McDonald's | $39.7 | United States | Food & Bev |
37 | Mitsubishi Group | $39.2 | Japan | Automobiles |
38 | UPS | $38.5 | United States | Energy & Utilities |
39 | BMW | $37.9 | Germany | Automobiles |
40 | Costco | $37.5 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
41 | Bank of America | $36.7 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
42 | Marlboro | $36.3 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
43 | accenture | $36.2 | United States | Tech & Services |
44 | Coca-Cola | $35.4 | United States | Food & Bev |
45 | Citi | $34.4 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
46 | Porsche | $33.7 | Germany | Automobiles |
47 | $33.5 | United States | Media & Telecoms | |
48 | Lowe's | $33.4 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
49 | Nike | $33.2 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
50 | UnitedHealthcare | $32.9 | United States | Healthcare |
51 | Xfinity | $31.3 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
52 | Chase | $30.1 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
53 | Wells Fargo | $30.1 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
54 | Deloitte | $29.8 | United States | Tech & Services |
55 | PetroChina | $29.7 | China | Energy & Utilities |
56 | Netflix | $29.4 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
57 | Oracle | $29.1 | United States | Tech & Services |
58 | JP Morgan | $28.9 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
59 | Wuliangye | $28.7 | China | Food & Bev |
60 | Target | $28.3 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
61 | Honda | $28.2 | Japan | Automobiles |
62 | CSCEC | $27.4 | China | Energy & Utilities |
63 | American Express | $27.2 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
64 | JD.com | $27.2 | China | Retail & Consumer Goods |
65 | VISA | $27.1 | United States | Banking & Insurance |
66 | Cisco | $26.6 | United States | Tech & Services |
67 | CVS | $26.2 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
68 | FedEx | $26.0 | United States | Energy & Utilities |
69 | Intel | $25.6 | United States | Tech & Services |
70 | Sinopec | $25.2 | China | Energy & Utilities |
71 | Sumitomo Group | $25.1 | Japan | Tech & Services |
72 | Hyundai Group | $25.0 | South Korea | Automobiles |
73 | SK Group | $24.4 | South Korea | Media & Telecoms |
74 | China Merchants Bank | $24.4 | China | Banking & Insurance |
75 | Mitsui | $24.3 | Japan | Energy & Utilities |
76 | Ford | $24.2 | United States | Automobiles |
77 | Spectrum | $24.1 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
78 | TATA Group | $23.9 | India | Energy & Utilities |
79 | YouTube | $23.9 | United States | Media & Telecoms |
80 | China Life | $23.9 | China | Banking & Insurance |
81 | Louis Vuitton | $23.4 | France | Retail & Consumer Goods |
82 | EY | $23.2 | United Kingdom | Tech & Services |
83 | PWC | $23.2 | United States | Tech & Services |
84 | Alibaba.com | $22.8 | China | Retail & Consumer Goods |
85 | Uber | $22.8 | United States | Tech & Services |
86 | Siemens Group | $22.4 | Germany | Energy & Utilities |
87 | Dell Technologies | $22.2 | United States | Tech & Services |
88 | Mastercard | $21.4 | United States | Tech & Services |
89 | IBM | $21.4 | United States | Tech & Services |
90 | Nestlé | $20.8 | Switzerland | Food & Bev |
91 | LG Group | $20.8 | South Korea | Tech & Services |
92 | Pepsi | $20.7 | United States | Food & Bev |
93 | TSMC | $20.5 | Taiwan | Tech & Services |
94 | Sony | $19.8 | Japan | Tech & Services |
95 | General Electric | $19.7 | United States | Energy & Utilities |
96 | CRCC | $19.7 | China | Energy & Utilities |
97 | Walgreens | $19.7 | United States | Retail & Consumer Goods |
98 | Vodafone | $19.5 | United Kingdom | Media & Telecoms |
99 | Aldi | $19.2 | Germany | Retail & Consumer Goods |
100 | RBC | $19.0 | Canada | Banking & Insurance |
After Apple, coming in a close second is Amazon with a brand value of $350.3 billion. This is not surprising, considering the tech giant has often found itself neck-and-neck with Apple in the rankings, and has even come in first place in previous editions of the report.
One other brand worth highlighting is TikTok. The social media company saw a 215% increase in its brand value year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing brand on the entire list.
Between 2019 and 2021, the platform saw its userbase skyrocket, growing from 291.4 million to 655.9 million in just two years. If this growth continues, TikTok could reach nearly one billion users by 2025, according to projections from Insider Intelligence.
Most Valuable Sectors
Over a third of the brands on the list fall into the tech and services sector. Combined, this category has a brand value of $2.0 trillion.
Sector | Brand Value | % of Top 100 |
---|---|---|
Tech & Services | $2.0 trillion | 36.8% |
Media & Telecoms | $1.0 trillion | 19.2% |
Retail & Consumer Goods | $910 billion | 16.8% |
Banking & Insurance | $634 billion | 11.7% |
Energy & Utilities | $411 billion | 7.6% |
Automobiles | $400 billion | 7.4% |
Healthcare | $33 billion | 0.6% |
Media is the second most valuable sector—19% of the top 100 brands fall under the media and telecoms sector, including Google, Facebook, and WeChat.
COVID-19 is partly the reason for this, as media consumption increased throughout the global pandemic. For example, in the first nine months of 2021, Snapchat’s daily usage grew by 77%. Despite increased traction with users, it’s worth noting the company is now feeling the sting as the real world competes for attention spans once again and advertisers begin to ghost the app due to recession jitters.
As pandemic restrictions fade out around the world, and murmurs of a global recession threaten global economic growth, next year’s report could see some big shifts in brand value.
The Geography of Valuable Brands
When looking at where these brands are based, we see that the United States and China account for 73 of the top 100 brands on the ranking. Even more surprising—just six countries make up 94% of the list.
The growth of Chinese companies on the global stage is reflected in this visualization. As a point of comparison, a decade ago, only six Chinese companies made Brand Finance’s Top 100 ranking, and none of them were in the top 30 for brand value.
Interestingly, European countries only make up 14% of the list, which is a testament to just how much Europe’s economic dominance has dwindled over the last few decades.
Back in the 1960s, Europe accounted for nearly a third of the world’s total GDP. But by 2017, it had dropped down to 16%. According to a forecast by the Pardee Center of the University of Denver, the EU’s share of global GDP is expected to drop down to 10% by 2100.
Of course, if history has taught us anything, it’s that a lot can change over the span of a century. How a ranking like this will look in coming decades is anyone’s guess.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Brand Finance Global 500 Report
Important note: The values shown above are brand value calculations as opposed to market capitalization. See below for more details.
How is brand value calculated? In simple terms, the methodology for calculating “brand value” is a formula that is as follows:
Brand Strength (BSI) x Brand Royalty Rate x Brand Revenues = Brand Value
Brand Strength Index (BSI) looks at brand investment, brand equity, and brand performance. The brand royalty rate is determined based on sector. Lastly, forecast brand-specific revenues are determined based on the proportion of parent company revenues attributable to the brand in question. Brand value itself is discounted to net present value.
We recommend visiting page 94 and 99 of the report to view the full explanation of the methodology.
Markets
Beyond Big Names: The Case for Small- and Mid-Cap Stocks
Small- and mid-cap stocks have historically outperformed large caps. What are the opportunities and risks to consider?
Beyond Big Names: The Case for Small- and Mid-Cap Stocks
Over the last 35 years, small- and mid-cap stocks have outperformed large caps, making them an attractive choice for investors.
According to data from Yahoo Finance, from February 1989 to February 2024, large-cap stocks returned +1,664% versus +2,062% for small caps and +3,176% for mid caps. Â
This graphic, sponsored by New York Life Investments, explores their return potential along with the risks to consider.
Higher Historical Returns
If you made a $100 investment in baskets of small-, mid-, and large-cap stocks in February 1989, what would each grouping be worth today?
Small Caps | Mid Caps | Large Caps | |
---|---|---|---|
Starting value (February 1989) | $100 | $100 | $100 |
Ending value (February 2024) | $2,162 | $3,276 | $1,764 |
Source: Yahoo Finance (2024). Small caps, mid caps, and large caps are represented by the S&P 600, S&P 400, and S&P 500 respectively.
Mid caps delivered the strongest performance since 1989, generating 86% more than large caps.
This superior historical track record is likely the result of the unique position mid-cap companies find themselves in. Mid-cap firms have generally successfully navigated early stage growth and are typically well-funded relative to small caps. And yet they are more dynamic and nimble than large-cap companies, allowing them to respond quicker to the market cycle.
Small caps also outperformed over this timeframe. They earned 23% more than large caps.Â
Higher Volatility
However, higher historical returns of small- and mid-cap stocks came with increased risk. They both endured greater volatility than large caps.Â
Small Caps | Mid Caps | Large Caps | |
---|---|---|---|
Total Volatility | 18.9% | 17.4% | 14.8% |
Source: Yahoo Finance (2024). Small caps, mid caps, and large caps are represented by the S&P 600, S&P 400, and S&P 500 respectively.
Small-cap companies are typically earlier in their life cycle and tend to have thinner financial cushions to withstand periods of loss relative to large caps. As a result, they are usually the most volatile group followed by mid caps. Large-cap companies, as more mature and established players, exhibit the most stability in their stock prices.
Investing in small caps and mid caps requires a higher risk tolerance to withstand their price swings. For investors with longer time horizons who are capable of enduring higher risk, current market pricing strengthens the case for stocks of smaller companies.
Attractive Valuations
Large-cap stocks have historically high valuations, with their forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) trading above their 10-year average, according to analysis conducted by FactSet.
Conversely, the forward P/E ratios of small- and mid-cap stocks seem to be presenting a compelling entry point.Â
Small Caps/Large Caps | Mid Caps/Large Caps | |
---|---|---|
Relative Forward P/E Ratios | 0.71 | 0.75 |
Discount | 29% | 25% |
Source: Yardeni Research (2024). Small caps, mid caps, and large caps are represented by the S&P 600, S&P 400, and S&P 500 respectively.
Looking at both groups’ relative forward P/E ratios (small-cap P/E ratio divided by large-cap P/E ratio, and mid-cap P/E ratio divided by large-cap P/E ratio), small and mid caps are trading at their steepest discounts versus large caps since the early 2000s.
Discovering Small- and Mid-Cap Stocks
Growth-oriented investors looking to add equity exposure could consider incorporating small and mid caps into their portfolios.
With superior historical returns and relatively attractive valuations, small- and mid-cap stocks present a compelling opportunity for investors capable of tolerating greater volatility.
Explore more insights from New York Life Investments
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