Markets
Ranked: The 100 Biggest Public Companies in the World
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The Biggest Companies in the World in 2022
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This year has been shaped by uncomfortable macroeconomic headwinds.
Trillions of dollars were erased in public company market capitalizations, investor confidence waned, and cost pressures squeezed consumer pocketbooks.
Taken together, many of the world’s largest companies experienced sharp declines in market share. Still, a few companies in key sectors had positive growth over the year.
As 2022 comes to a close, the above infographic shows the biggest companies in the world, using data from Companiesmarketcap.com.
The World’s Largest Public Companies in 2022
Today, Apple stands as the world’s most valuable company, towering at a $2.3 trillion valuation.
Despite the tech downturn of 2022—driven by rising interest rates and slower sales—Apple maintained its top spot. This was largely thanks to record revenues and healthy consumer demand for iPhones, which drive about half of its total revenue.
Following Apple is Microsoft. Unlike Apple, Microsoft has faced slower earnings over the year due to lower demand for personal computers and the weighing impact of a strong U.S. dollar. Overall, about 50% of the company’s sales take place overseas.
As we show below, there are now only four companies left in the trillion dollar market cap club.
2022 Rank | Company | Market Capitalization | Sector | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apple | $2.3T | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
2 | Microsoft | $1.9T | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
3 | Saudi Aramco | $1.8T | Energy | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia |
4 | Alphabet | $1.2T | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
5 | Amazon | $924B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
6 | Berkshire Hathaway | $686B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
7 | Tesla | $522B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
8 | UnitedHealth Group | $510B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
9 | Johnson & Johnson | $465B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
10 | Visa | $454B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
11 | NVIDIA | $437B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
12 | Exxon Mobil | $437B | Energy | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
13 | TSMC | $417B | Technology | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
14 | Walmart | $399B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
15 | Tencent | $397B | Technology | 🇨🇳 China |
16 | JPMorgan Chase | $394B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
17 | LVMH | $377B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇫🇷 France |
18 | Procter & Gamble | $361B | Consumer Staples | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
19 | Eli Lilly | $349B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
20 | Mastercard | $344B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
21 | Home Depot | $334B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
22 | Chevron | $328B | Energy | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
23 | Nestlé | $322B | Consumer Staples | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
24 | Kweichow Moutai | $313B | Consumer Staples | 🇨🇳 China |
25 | Samsung | $306B | Technology | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
26 | Meta (Facebook) | $304B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
27 | Pfizer | $293B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
28 | AbbVie | $292B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
29 | Novo Nordisk | $292B | Health Care | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
30 | Coca-Cola | $277B | Consumer Staples | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
31 | Merck | $276B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
32 | Roche | $267B | Health Care | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
33 | Bank of America | $263B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
34 | Pepsico | $253B | Consumer Staples | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
35 | ASML | $247B | Technology | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
36 | Alibaba | $245B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇨🇳 China |
37 | Broadcom | $225B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
38 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $223B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
39 | Oracle | $219B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
40 | Costco | $216B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
41 | Astrazeneca | $215B | Health Care | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
42 | Reliance Industries | $214B | Energy | 🇮🇳 India |
43 | ICBC | $208B | Financials | 🇨🇳 China |
44 | McDonald's | $203B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
45 | Cisco | $203B | Telecommunications | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
46 | Shell | $201B | Energy | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
47 | Danaher | $199B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
48 | L'Oréal | $197B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇫🇷 France |
49 | Toyota | $197B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇯🇵 Japan |
50 | Novartis | $196B | Health Care | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
51 | Abbott Laboratories | $109B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
52 | Accenture | $184B | Industrials | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
53 | T-Mobile | $177B | Telecommunications | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
54 | Nike | $175B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
55 | Walt Disney | $173B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
56 | Nextera Energy | $172B | Utilities | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
57 | Hermès | $169B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇫🇷 France |
58 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $168B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
59 | Linde | $166B | Basic Materials | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
60 | Wells Fargo | $163B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
61 | Texas Instruments | $161B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
62 | BHP Group | $160B | Basic Materials | 🇦🇺 Australia |
63 | Verizon | $159B | Telecommunications | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
64 | Philip Morris | $159B | Consumer Staples | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
65 | Comcast | $158B | Telecommunications | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
66 | UPS | $158B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
67 | Adobe | $157B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
68 | Morgan Stanley | $154B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
69 | China Construction Bank | $152B | Financials | 🇨🇳 China |
70 | TotalEnergies | $152B | Energy | 🇫🇷 France |
71 | Charles Schwab | $150B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
72 | Amgen | $148B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
73 | Raytheon Technologies | $146B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
74 | Tata Consultancy | $146B | Technology | 🇮🇳 India |
75 | CATL | $145B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇨🇳 China |
76 | China Mobile | $145B | Telecommunications | 🇨🇳 China |
77 | Honeywell | $144B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
78 | Agricultural Bank of China | $141B | Financials | 🇨🇳 China |
79 | Netflix | $140B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
80 | Meituan | $140B | Technology | 🇨🇳 China |
81 | ConocoPhillips | $139B | Energy | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
82 | AT&T | $138B | Financials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
83 | CVS Health | $136B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
84 | Dior | $136B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇫🇷 France |
85 | Qualcomm | $136B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
86 | Prosus | $135B | Technology | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
87 | RBC | $135B | Financials | 🇨🇦 Canada |
88 | IBM | $134B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
89 | Salesforce | $133B | Technology | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
90 | Union Pacific | $133B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
91 | Deere & Company | $132B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
92 | Unilever | $130B | Consumer Staples | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
93 | CM Bank | $130B | Financials | 🇨🇳 China |
94 | HDFC Bank | $129B | Financials | 🇮🇳 India |
95 | Elevance Health | $128B | Health Care | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
96 | AIA | $128B | Financials | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
97 | Lockheed Martin | $127B | Industrials | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
98 | PetroChina | $127B | Energy | 🇨🇳 China |
99 | SAP | $127B | Technology | 🇩🇪 Germany |
100 | Lowe's | $124B | Consumer Discretionary | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
*As of Dec 12, 2022.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco is the third largest publicly-traded company globally, at $1.8 trillion. It’s also the only non-U.S. company in the top 10.
In May, the state-run company briefly became the most valuable company on the planet as soaring energy prices boosted earnings. Saudia Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world, and the country’s economy is forecast to grow 7.6% in 2022—one of the fastest globally.
Overall, 62 companies of the 100 largest are headquartered in the U.S., 11 are based in China, and five are located in France.
Top 10 Performance in 2022
For many of the world’s largest companies, 2022 was a brutal year for performance.
As the above graphic shows, the vast majority of the world’s titans saw their market values decline. Half of these companies saw double-digit drops.
Tesla has witnessed nearly 70% of its market cap being erased this year. Two main factors are behind this drop: falling demand, especially in China, and CEO Elon Musk’s volatile and risky acquisition of Twitter.
On the other hand, UnitedHealth Group has seen the strongest performance among the top 10.
The company, which rakes in a large share of its earnings from employer-backed insurance plans, said that recessionary impacts had not yet begun materializing in 2022.
Biggest Companies in the World, by Sector
Even with sinking market values across the sector in 2022, tech remains dominant.
Among the world’s biggest companies, 20 are in tech, spanning a combined market value of $9.2 trillion. For perspective, that’s about 31% of the market value of the 100 largest companies.
Rank | Sector | Combined Market Value | Number of Companies | Biggest Company in Sector |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 👩💻 Technology | $9.2T | 20 | Apple |
2 | 🚗 Consumer Discretionary | $4.7T | 17 | Amazon |
3 | 🩺 Health Care | $4.3T | 17 | UnitedHealth Group |
4 | 🛢️ Energy | $3.4T | 8 | Saudi Aramco |
5 | 💵 Financials | $3.0T | 14 | Berkshire Hathaway |
6 | 🏭 Industrials | $1.8T | 9 | Visa |
7 | 🥫 Consumer Staples | $1.8T | 7 | Procter & Gamble |
8 | 📞 Telecommunications | $841B | 5 | Cisco |
9 | ⛏️ Basic Materials | $326B | 2 | Linde |
10 | 🔌 Utilities | $127B | 1 | Nextera Energy |
Companies are classified according to the FTSE Russell Industry Classification Benchmark. *As of Dec 12, 2022.
Consumer discretionary and health care sectors fall next in line, with big players such as Amazon and Johnson & Johnson among their ranks.
At the other end of the spectrum is utilities, the smallest sector overall at least pertaining to the largest companies list. NextEra Energy, the sole utilities company among the rankings is one of the world’s largest developers of wind and solar energy. Over the next three years, it plans to invest up to $95 billion in greening its power operations.
Change of Fortune
It comes as no surprise that many of the biggest companies in the world are long-established players in global markets.
Yet within the rankings, some of the notable risers compared to 2021 are UnitedHealth Group, which launched from #19 in 2021 to #8 this year and NVIDIA which has climbed to become the 11th largest company globally, up from #24 last year.
By contrast, some of the biggest losers are Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and Alibaba. Meta has fallen across the rankings to #26 in 2022 from #6 in 2021. Meanwhile, Alibaba was once the ninth largest globally but has tumbled to #36. Both companies have seen considerable value wiped from their market caps—roughly 66% and 28%, respectively—amid lagging earnings.
With the year coming to a close, it remains to be seen whether the world’s biggest companies stage a comeback in 2023, or face more challenging conditions ahead.
Economy
Economic Growth Forecasts for G7 and BRICS Countries in 2024
The IMF has released its economic growth forecasts for 2024. How do the G7 and BRICS countries compare?
G7 & BRICS Real GDP Growth Forecasts for 2024
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) has released its real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2024, and while global growth is projected to stay steady at 3.2%, various major nations are seeing declining forecasts.
This chart visualizes the 2024 real GDP growth forecasts using data from the IMF’s 2024 World Economic Outlook for G7 and BRICS member nations along with Saudi Arabia, which is still considering an invitation to join the bloc.
Get the Key Insights of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook
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This visual is part of a special dispatch of the key takeaways exclusively for VC+ members.
Get the full dispatch of charts by signing up to VC+.
Mixed Economic Growth Prospects for Major Nations in 2024
Economic growth projections by the IMF for major nations are mixed, with the majority of G7 and BRICS countries forecasted to have slower growth in 2024 compared to 2023.
Only three BRICS-invited or member countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and South Africa, have higher projected real GDP growth rates in 2024 than last year.
Group | Country | Real GDP Growth (2023) | Real GDP Growth (2024P) |
---|---|---|---|
G7 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 2.5% | 2.7% |
G7 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1.1% | 1.2% |
G7 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1.9% | 0.9% |
G7 | 🇫🇷 France | 0.9% | 0.7% |
G7 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 0.9% | 0.7% |
G7 | 🇬🇧 UK | 0.1% | 0.5% |
G7 | 🇩🇪 Germany | -0.3% | 0.2% |
BRICS | 🇮🇳 India | 7.8% | 6.8% |
BRICS | 🇨🇳 China | 5.2% | 4.6% |
BRICS | 🇦🇪 UAE | 3.4% | 3.5% |
BRICS | 🇮🇷 Iran | 4.7% | 3.3% |
BRICS | 🇷🇺 Russia | 3.6% | 3.2% |
BRICS | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 3.8% | 3.0% |
BRICS-invited | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | -0.8% | 2.6% |
BRICS | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.9% | 2.2% |
BRICS | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 0.6% | 0.9% |
BRICS | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 7.2% | 6.2% |
🌍 World | 3.2% | 3.2% |
China and India are forecasted to maintain relatively high growth rates in 2024 at 4.6% and 6.8% respectively, but compared to the previous year, China is growing 0.6 percentage points slower while India is an entire percentage point slower.
On the other hand, four G7 nations are set to grow faster than last year, which includes Germany making its comeback from its negative real GDP growth of -0.3% in 2023.
Faster Growth for BRICS than G7 Nations
Despite mostly lower growth forecasts in 2024 compared to 2023, BRICS nations still have a significantly higher average growth forecast at 3.6% compared to the G7 average of 1%.
While the G7 countries’ combined GDP is around $15 trillion greater than the BRICS nations, with continued higher growth rates and the potential to add more members, BRICS looks likely to overtake the G7 in economic size within two decades.
BRICS Expansion Stutters Before October 2024 Summit
BRICS’ recent expansion has stuttered slightly, as Argentina’s newly-elected president Javier Milei declined its invitation and Saudi Arabia clarified that the country is still considering its invitation and has not joined BRICS yet.
Even with these initial growing pains, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters in February that 34 different countries have submitted applications to join the growing BRICS bloc.
Any changes to the group are likely to be announced leading up to or at the 2024 BRICS summit which takes place October 22-24 in Kazan, Russia.
Get the Full Analysis of the IMF’s Outlook on VC+
This visual is part of an exclusive special dispatch for VC+ members which breaks down the key takeaways from the IMF’s 2024 World Economic Outlook.
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