Markets
The World’s 20 Most Profitable Companies
The World’s 20 Most Profitable Companies
The biggest chunk of the earnings pie is increasingly split by fewer and fewer companies.
In the U.S. for example, about 50% of all profit generated by public companies goes to just 30 companies — back in 1975, it took 109 companies to accomplish the same feat:
Year | Number of Firms Generating 50% of Earnings | Total Public Companies (U.S.) | Portion (%) |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | 109 | 4,819 | 2.2% |
2015 | 30 | 3,766 | 0.8% |
This power-law dynamic also manifests itself at a global level — and perhaps it’s little surprise that the world’s most profitable companies generate mind-bending returns that would make any accountant blush.
Which Company Makes the Most Per Day?
Today’s infographic comes to us from HowMuch.net, and it uses data from Fortune to illustrate how much profit top global companies actually rake in on a daily basis.
The 20 most profitable companies in the world are listed below in order, and we’ve also broken the same data down per second:
Rank | Company | Country | Profit per Day | Profit Per Second |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Saudi Aramco | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $304,039,726 | $3,519 |
#2 | Apple | 🇺🇸 United States | $163,098,630 | $1,888 |
#3 | Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $123,293,973 | $1,427 |
#4 | Samsung Electronics | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $109,301,918 | $1,265 |
#5 | China Construction Bank | 🇨🇳 China | $105,475,068 | $1,221 |
#6 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 🇺🇸 United States | $88,969,863 | $1,030 |
#7 | Alphabet | 🇺🇸 United States | $84,208,219 | $975 |
#8 | Agricultural Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $83,990,411 | $972 |
#9 | Bank of America Corp. | 🇺🇸 United States | $77,115,068 | $893 |
#10 | Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $74,589,589 | $863 |
#11 | Royal Dutch Shell | 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 UK/Netherlands | $63,978,082 | $740 |
#12 | Gazprom | 🇷🇺 Russia | $63,559,178 | $736 |
#13 | Wells Fargo | 🇺🇸 United States | $61,350,685 | $710 |
#14 | 🇺🇸 United States | $60,580,822 | $701 | |
#15 | Intel | 🇺🇸 United States | $57,679,452 | $668 |
#16 | Exxon Mobil | 🇺🇸 United States | $57,095,890 | $661 |
#17 | AT&T | 🇺🇸 United States | $53,068,493 | $614 |
#18 | Citigroup | 🇺🇸 United States | $49,438,356 | $572 |
#19 | Toyota Motor | 🇯🇵 Japan | $46,526,027 | $538 |
#20 | China Development Bank | 🇨🇳 China | $45,874,795 | $531 |
The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, known to most as Saudi Aramco, is by far the world’s most profitable company, raking in a stunning $304 million of profits every day. When translated to a more micro scale, that works out to $3,519 per second.
You’ve likely seen Saudi Aramco in the news lately, though for other reasons.
The giant state-owned company has been rearing to go public at an aggressive $2 trillion valuation, but it’s since delayed that IPO multiple times, most recently stating the listing will take place in December 2019 or January 2020. Company-owned refineries were also the subject of drone attacks last month, which took offline 5.7 million bpd of oil production temporarily.
Despite these challenges, Saudi Aramco still stands pretty tall — after all, such blows are softened when you churn out the same amount of profit as Apple, Alphabet, and Facebook combined.
Numbers on an Annual Basis
Bringing in over $300 million per day of profit is pretty hard to comprehend, but the numbers are even more unfathomable when they are annualized.
Rank | Company | Country | Profit |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | Saudi Aramco | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $110,974,500,000 |
#2 | Apple | 🇺🇸 United States | $59,531,000,000 |
#3 | Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $45,002,300,000 |
#4 | Samsung Electronics | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $39,895,200,000 |
#5 | China Construction Bank | 🇨🇳 China | $38,498,400,000 |
#6 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 🇺🇸 United States | $32,474,000,000 |
#7 | Alphabet | 🇺🇸 United States | $30,736,000,000 |
#8 | Agricultural Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $30,656,500,000 |
#9 | Bank of America Corp. | 🇺🇸 United States | $28,147,000,000 |
#10 | Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | $27,225,200,000 |
#11 | Royal Dutch Shell | 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 UK/Netherlands | $23,352,000,000 |
#12 | Gazprom | 🇷🇺 Russia | $23,199,100,000 |
#13 | Wells Fargo | 🇺🇸 United States | $22,393,000,000 |
#14 | 🇺🇸 United States | $22,112,000,000 | |
#15 | Intel | 🇺🇸 United States | $21,053,000,000 |
#16 | Exxon Mobil | 🇺🇸 United States | $20,840,000,000 |
#17 | AT&T | 🇺🇸 United States | $19,370,000,000 |
#18 | Citigroup | 🇺🇸 United States | $18,045,000,000 |
#19 | Toyota Motor | 🇯🇵 Japan | $16,982,000,000 |
#20 | China Development Bank | 🇨🇳 China | $16,744,300,000 |
On an annual basis, Saudi Aramco is raking in $111 billion of profit per year, and that’s with oil prices sitting in the $50-$70 per barrel range.
To put this number in perspective, take a look at Chevron. The American oil giant is one of the 20 biggest companies on the S&P 500, but it generated just $15 billion in profit in 2018 and currently sits at a $221 billion market capitalization.
That puts Chevron’s profits at roughly 10% of Aramco’s — and if Aramco does IPO at a $2 trillion valuation, that would put Chevron at roughly 10% of its market cap, as well.
Markets
Visualizing the Major Product Exported by Each U.S. State
Canada is the top destination for products from 21 states.
Visualizing the Major Product Exported by Each State
The U.S. is the second biggest exporter in the world, accounting for over 8% of global exports.
In this graphic by NeoMam Studios, we analyze the primary product exported by each state, as well as its main destination, utilizing data from the U.S. International Trade Administration.
Canada: The Primary Destination
Canada serves as the largest export market for most of the Midwest, while Mexico holds the top spot as the export destination for much of the Southwest and Southeast. Additionally, Canada stands out as the primary importer of products from 21 states, with China and Germany trailing behind as notable destinations.
State | Destination | Top Product Exported | Value (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 🇩🇪 Germany | Transportation equip. | $3,649M |
Alaska | 🇨🇦 Canada | Minerals | $576M |
Arizona | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Minerals | $1,760M |
Arkansas | 🇨🇦 Canada | Processed Foods | $246M |
California | 🇨🇦 Canada | Computer & Electronics | $5,093M |
Colorado | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Processed Foods | $545M |
Connecticut | 🇩🇪 Germany | Transportation equip. | $1,581M |
Delaware | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Appliances | $419M |
Florida | 🇬🇧 UK | Chemicals | $2,447M |
Georgia | 🇨🇦 Canada | Machinery | $1,629M |
Hawaii | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡° Hong Kong | Transportation equip. | $68M |
Idaho | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Computer & Electronics | $394M |
Illinois | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $4,517M |
Indiana | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $6,561M |
Iowa | 🇨🇦 Canada | Machinery | $1,598M |
Kansas | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Agricultural | $1,543M |
Kentucky | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $3,630M |
Louisiana | 🇨🇳 China | Agricultural | $11,300M |
Maine | 🇨🇦 Canada | Oil & Gas | $504M |
Maryland | 🇫🇷 France | Transportation equip. | $949M |
Massachusetts | 🇨🇳 China | Machinery | $1,298M |
Michigan | 🇨🇳 China | Transportation equip. | $15,361M |
Minnesota | 🇨🇦 Canada | Petroleum & Coal | $2,787M |
Mississippi | 🇵🇦 Panama | Petroleum & Coal | $2,106M |
Missouri | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $2,390M |
Montana | 🇨🇦 Canada | Minerals | $153M |
Nebraska | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Agricultural | $933M |
Nevada | 🇨🇠Switzerland | Metal | $1,399M |
New Hampshire | 🇩🇪 Germany | Transportation equip. | $695M |
New Jersey | 🇨🇦 Canada | Chemicals | $2,734M |
New Mexico | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Computer & Electronics | $2,014M |
New York | 🇨🇠Switzerland | Metal | $18,262M |
North Carolina | 🇨🇳 China | Chemicals | $4,312M |
North Dakota | 🇨🇦 Canada | Petroleum & Coal | $1,441M |
Ohio | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $5,990M |
Oklahoma | 🇨🇦 Canada | Machinery | $418M |
Oregon | 🇨🇳 China | Computer & Electronics | $6,261M |
Pennsylvania | 🇨🇦 Canada | Chemicals | $2,280M |
Rhode Island | 🇮🇹 Italy | Waste & Scrap | $321M |
South Carolina | 🇩🇪 Germany | Transportation equip. | $3,774M |
South Dakota | 🇨🇦 Canada | Processed Foods | $297M |
Tennessee | 🇨🇦 Canada | Transportation equip. | $2,017M |
Texas | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Petroleum & Coal | $33,627M |
Utah | 🇬🇧 UK | Metal | $6,805M |
Vermont | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Computer & Electronics | $447M |
Virginia | 🇮🇳 India | Minerals | $1,799M |
Washington | 🇨🇳 China | Agricultural | $10,553M |
West Virginia | 🇮🇳 India | Minerals | $657M |
Wisconsin | 🇨🇦 Canada | Machinery | $1,802M |
Wyoming | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Chemicals | $200M |
When it comes to the types of exports, transportation equipment emerges as the primary source for the majority of states, with minerals and ores, chemicals, and computer and electronics following closely behind.
For instance, North Carolina ships $4.3 billion worth of chemicals to China, marking one of the longest-distance trade flows among states. Meanwhile, Florida boasts one of the most diverse export portfolios, engaging in trade with Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
Louisiana heavily relies on the export of agricultural products to China, which contributes significantly to its total GDP. Similarly, Michigan’s transportation equipment exports to Canada constitute a noteworthy portion of the state’s GDP.
In Oregon, exports of semiconductors and other computer parts to China, driven by companies like Intel and Micron, play a crucial role in the state’s economy. Meanwhile, Utah predominantly exports primary metal manufacturing goods to the United Kingdom.
The biggest exporter in the country, Texas, sees a significant portion of its GDP attributed to exports to Mexico, further underlining the state’s economic ties with its southern neighbor.
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