Fortune Global 500

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The Fortune Global 500, also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by Fortune magazine.

Methodology[edit]

Until 1989, it listed only non-United States industrial corporations under the title "International 500" while the Fortune 500 contained and still contains exclusively United States corporations. In 1990, United States companies were added to compile a truly global list of top industrial corporations as ranked by sales. Since 1995, the list has had its current form, listing also top financial corporations and service providers by revenue.

Controversy[edit]

Several inconsistencies exist in Fortune's ranking of cities with the most Fortune 500 headquarters. On June 3, 2011, the Atlanta Business Chronicle stated examples of Fortune including regional headquarters for some cities, excluding regional headquarters for other cities and in some cases excluding headquarters that are physically located inside a city limit.[1]

Geographical distribution[edit]

Since 2001, there has been a significant change in the geographical distribution of the companies in the Global 500 rankings. The number of North American-based companies decreased from 215 in 2001 to 143 in 2017[citation needed] and the contribution of Asian-based companies increased rapidly from 116 in 2001 to 197 in 2017[citation needed]. Most of this growth is accounted for by the rapid increase in the number of Chinese Global 500 companies, of which there were 109 by 2017, increasing from only 10 in 2001. The share of European-based companies also declined, from 158 to 143, over the same period.[2][3][4]

Fortune Global 500 list of 2019[edit]

The following is the list of top 10 companies.[5]

Fortune Global 500 list of 2019
Rank Company Country Industry Revenue in USD
1 Walmart  United States Retail $514 billion
2 Sinopec Group  China Petroleum $415 billion
3 Royal Dutch Shell  Netherlands  United Kingdom Petroleum $397 billion
4 China National Petroleum  China Petroleum $393 billion
5 State Grid  China Energy $387 billion
6 Saudi Aramco  Saudi Arabia Energy $356 billion
7 BP  United Kingdom Petroleum $304 billion
8 Exxon Mobil  United States Petroleum $290 billion
9 Volkswagen  Germany Automobiles $278 billion
10 Toyota Motor  Japan Automobiles $273 billion

Breakdown by country[edit]

As of July 2019, this is the list of the top 10 countries with the most Global 500 companies.[5]

Breakdown by country
Rank Country Companies per 1M inhabitants
1  United States 121 0.367
2  China 119 0.087
3  Japan 52 0.412
4  France 31 0.462
5  Germany 29 0.349
6  United Kingdom 18 0.271
7  South Korea 16 0.309
8   Switzerland 14 1.63
9  Canada 13 0.368
10  Netherlands 12 0.687

The Global 500 lists Taiwan separately. If its 10 companies were combined with the 119 in China (and Hong Kong), then Greater China would have 129 companies and rank first.

The Global 500 includes Unilever & Royal Dutch Shell under the heading "Britain/Netherlands", as the company is counted in the tally for both countries.

Breakdown by sector[edit]

The top-ranked companies in 2019 for each sector.[5]

Sector Company Headquarters Overall
rank
Revenues
($M)
Aerospace & Defense Boeing United States Chicago 0060#68 101,127
Apparel Christian Dior France Paris 0234#187 55,263
Business services Compass Group United Kingdom Chertsey 0434#403 30,879
Chemicals DuPont United States Wilmington 0126#100 85,977
Energy Sinopec Group China Beijing 0002#2 414,650
Engineering & Construction China State Construction Engineering China Beijing 0024#21 181,525
Financials Berkshire Hathaway United States Omaha 0008#12 247,837
Food & Drug Stores Walgreens Boots Alliance United States Deerfield 0037#40 131,537
Food, Beverages & Tobacco Nestlé Switzerland Vevey 0064#76 93,513
Health Care UnitedHealth Group United States Minnetonka 0013#14 226,247
Household Products Procter & Gamble United States Cincinnati 0098#146 66,832
Industrials General Electric United States Boston 0031#48 120,268
Materials China Minmetals China Beijing 0120#112 80,076
Media Walt Disney United States Burbank 0161#170 59,434
Motor Vehicles & Parts Volkswagen Germany Wolfsburg 0005#9 278,342
Retailing Walmart United States Bentonville 0001#1 514,405
Technology Apple United States Cupertino 0009#11 265,595
Telecommunications AT&T United States Dallas 0019#25 170,756
Transportation China Post Group China Beijing 0099#101 85,628
Wholesalers Trafigura Group Singapore Singapore 0011#22 180,744

Fortune Global 500 list of 2018[edit]

The following is the list of top 10 companies.[6]

Fortune Global 500 list of 2018
Rank Company Country Industry Revenue in USD
1 Walmart  United States Retail $500 billion
2 State Grid  China Energy $349 billion
3 Sinopec Group  China Petroleum $327 billion
4 China National Petroleum  China Petroleum $326 billion
5 Royal Dutch Shell  Netherlands  United Kingdom Petroleum $312 billion
6 Toyota Motor  Japan Automobiles $265 billion
7 Volkswagen  Germany Automobiles $260 billion
8 BP  United Kingdom Petroleum $245 billion
9 Exxon Mobil  United States Petroleum $244 billion
10 Berkshire Hathaway  United States Holding $242 billion

Breakdown by country[edit]

As of July 2018, this is the list of the top 10 countries with the most Global 500 companies.[6]

Breakdown by country
Rank Country Companies
1  United States 126
2  China 120
3  Japan 52
4  Germany 32
5  France 28
6  United Kingdom 21
7  South Korea 16
8  Netherlands 15
9   Switzerland 14
10  Canada 12

The Global 500 includes Unilever under the heading "Britain/Netherlands", as the company is counted in the tally for both countries.

As shown in the table above, 436 (87.2%) of the Global 500 are represented by only 10 countries: two in North America (Canada and United States), five in Western Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom) and three in East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea). Moreover, the top six (United States, China, Japan, Germany, France and United Kingdom) are the world's largest economies as estimated by the IMF (List of countries by GDP (nominal)). Among the Global 500, 379 companies (75.8%) are from these six countries.

Breakdown by sector[edit]

The top-ranked companies in 2018 for each sector.[6]

Sector Company Headquarters Overall
rank
Revenues
($M)
Aerospace & Defense Boeing United States Chicago 0060#64 93,392
Apparel Christian Dior France Paris 0234#208 49,221
Business services Compass Group United Kingdom Chertsey 0434#413 28,578
Chemicals BASF Germany Ludwigshafen 0126#112 72,677
Energy State Grid China Beijing 0002#2 348,903
Engineering & Construction China State Construction Engineering China Beijing 0024#23 156,071
Financials Berkshire Hathaway United States Omaha 0008#10 242,137
Food & Drug Stores Kroger United States Cincinnati 0037#39 122,662
Food, Beverages & Tobacco Nestlé Switzerland Vevey 0064#69 91,222
Health Care UnitedHealth Group United States Minnetonka 0013#15 201,159
Household Products Procter & Gamble United States Cincinnati 0098#135 66,217
Industrials General Electric United States Boston 0031#41 122,274
Materials China Minmetals China Beijing 0120#109 72,997
Media Disney United States Burbank 0161#176 55,137
Motor Vehicles & Parts Toyota Motor Japan Toyota 0005#6 265,172
Retailing Walmart United States Bentonville 0001#1 500,343
Technology Apple United States Cupertino 0009#11 229,234
Telecommunications AT&T United States Dallas 0019#20 160,546
Transportation China Post Group China Beijing 0099#113 72,197
Wholesalers McKesson United States San Francisco 0011#13 208,357


Breakdown by industry

The top-ranked companies in 2018 for each industry.

Fortune Global 500 by Industry
Industry Company Country Rank Revenue ($M)
Aerospace & Defense Boeing United States United States 64 93,392
Airlines American Airlines United States United States 260 42,207
Apparel Christian Dior France France 208 49,221
Banks: Commercial & Savings Industrial & Commercial Bank China China 26 153,021
Beverages Anheuser-Busch InBev Belgium Belgium 170 56,444
Building Materials, Glass Saint-Gobain France France 231 46,002
Chemicals BASF Germany Germany 112 72,677
Computer Software Microsoft United States United States 71 89,950
Computers, Office Equipment Apple United States United States 11 229,234
Construction & Farm Machinery Caterpillar United States United States 238 45,462
Diversified Financials EXOR Group Netherlands Netherlands 19 161,677
Electronics, Electrical Equipment Samsung Electronics South Korea South Korea 12 211,940
Energy Gazprom Russia Russia 49 111,983
Engineering & Construction China Construction Engineering China China 23 156,071
Entertainment Disney United States United States 176 55,137
Food & Drug Stores Kroger United States United States 39 122,662
Food Consumer Products Nestle Switzerland Switzerland 69 91,222
Food Production Archer Daniels Midland United States United States 152 60,828
Food Services Compass Group United Kingdom United Kingdom 413 28,578
General Merchandisers Walmart United States United States 1 500,343
Health Care: Insurance & Managed Care UnitedHealth Group United States United States 15 201,159
Health Care: Medical Facilities HCA Healthcare United States United States 215 47,653
Health Care: Pharmacy & Other Services CVS Health United States United States 17 184,765
Household & Personal Products Procter & Gamble United States United States 135 66,217
Human Resources & Employment Services Adecco Group Switzerland Switzerland 441 26,670
Industrial Machinery General Electric United States United States 41 122,274
Information Technology Services IBM United States United States 92 79,139
Insurance: Life, Health (Mutual) Nippon Life Insurance Japan Japan 126 68,684
Insurance: Life, Health (Stock) AXA France France 27 149,461
Insurance: Property & Casualty (Mutual) State Farm Insurance United States United States 95 78,331
Insurance: Property & Casualty (Stock) Berkshire Hathaway United States United States 10 242,137
Internet Services & Retailing Amazon.com United States United States 18 177,866
Mail, Package, & Freight Delivery China Post Group China China 113 72,197
Medical Products & Equipment Medtronic Republic of Ireland Ireland 396 29,710
Metals China Minmetals China China 109 72,997
Mining, Crude-Oil Production Glencore Switzerland Switzerland 14 205,476
Motor Vehicles & Parts Toyota Motor Japan Japan 6 265,172
Network & Other Communications Equipment Huawei Investment & Holding China China 72 89,311
Oil & Gas Equipment, Services Schlumberger United States United States 386 30,440
Petroleum Refining Sinopec Group China China 3 326,953
Pharmaceuticals China Resources China China 86 82,184
Pipelines Energy Transfer Equity United States United States 217 47,487
Railroads Deutsche Bahn Germany Germany 211 48,124
Real Estate China Evergrande Group China China 230 46,019
Semiconductors & Other Electronic Components Intel United States United States 146 62,761
Shipping China Shipbuilding Industry China China 245 44,431
Specialty Retailers Home Depot United States United States 57 100,904
Telecommunications AT&T United States United States 20 160,546
Textiles Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering China China 185 53,203
Tobacco Philip Morris International United States United States 411 28,748
Trading Trafigura Group Singapore Singapore 32 136,421
Utilities State Grid China China 2 348,903
Wholesalers: Electronics & Office Equipment Tech Data United States United States 315 36,775
Wholesalers: Food & Grocery Sysco United States United States 174 55,371
Wholesalers: Health Care McKesson United States United States 13 208,357


Most profitable

The global 500 list sorted by profits.[7]

Fortune Global 500 most profitable of 2018
Rank Company Country Profits ($M)
1 Apple United States United States $48,351.0
2 British American Tobacco United Kingdom United Kingdom $48,327.8
3 Berkshire Hathaway United States United States $44,940.0
4 Industrial & Commercial Bank of China China China $42,323.7
5 Samsung Electronics South Korea South Korea $36,575.4
6 China Construction Bank China China $35,845.2
7 Verizon United States United States $30,101.0
8 AT&T United States United States $29,450.0
9 Agricultural Bank of China China China $28,550.4
10 Bank of China China China $25,509.2

Fortune Global 500 list of 2017[edit]

The following is the list of top 10 companies.[8][9]

Rank Company Country Industry Revenue in USD
1 Walmart  United States Retail $486 billion
2 State Grid  China Energy $316 billion
3 Sinopec Group  China Petroleum $268 billion
4 China National Petroleum  China Petroleum $263 billion
5 Toyota Motor  Japan Automobiles $255 billion
6 Volkswagen  Germany Automobiles $240 billion
7 Royal Dutch Shell  Netherlands Petroleum $240 billion
8 Berkshire Hathaway  United States Products $242 billion
9 Apple  United States Technology $216 billion
10 Exxon Mobil  United States Petroleum $205 billion

Fortune had previously listed Shell as a British/Dutch company, but as of the 2016 listing it is listed as Dutch.

Breakdown by country[edit]

As of November 2017, this is the list of the top 10 countries with the most Global 500 companies.[10]

Rank Country Companies
1  United States 133
2  China 109
3  Japan 51
4  France 29
5  Germany 29
6  United Kingdom 21
7  South Korea 15
8  Netherlands 15
9   Switzerland 13

The Global 500 includes Unilever under the heading "Britain/Netherlands", as the company is counted in the tally for both countries.

As can be seen from the table above, 425 (85.0%) of the Global 500 are represented by only 10 countries: two in North America (Canada and United States), five in Western Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom) and three in East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea). Moreover, the top six (United States, China, Japan, France, Germany and United Kingdom) are some of the world's largest economies as estimated by the IMF (List of countries by GDP (nominal)). Among the Fortune Global 500, 371 companies (74.2%) are from these six countries.

Breakdown by sector[edit]

The top-ranked companies in each sector are as follows.

Sector Company Headquarters Overall
rank
Revenues
($M)
Aerospace & Defense Boeing United States Chicago 0060#60 94,571
Apparel Christian Dior France Paris 0234#234 42,113
Business services The Adecco Group Switzerland Zürich 0434#434 25,112
Chemicals BASF Germany Ludwigshafen 0126#126 63,641
Energy State Grid Corporation of China China Beijing 0002#2 315,199
Engineering & Construction China State Construction Engineering China Beijing 0024#24 144,505
Financials Berkshire Hathaway United States Omaha 0008#8 223,604
Food & Drug Stores Walgreens Boots Alliance United States Deerfield 0037#37 117,351
Food, Beverages & Tobacco Nestlé Switzerland Vevey 0064#64 90,814
Health Care UnitedHealth Group United States Minnetonka 0013#13 184,840
Household Products Procter & Gamble United States Cincinnati 0098#98 71,726
Industrials General Electric United States Boston 0031#31 126,661
Materials China Minmetals China Beijing 0120#120 65,547
Media The Walt Disney Company United States Burbank 0161#161 55,632
Motor Vehicles & Parts Toyota Motor Japan Toyota 0005#5 255,000
Retailing Walmart United States Bentonville 0001#1 485,873
Technology Apple United States Cupertino 0009#9 215,639
Telecommunications AT&T United States Dallas 0019#19 163,786
Transportation U.S. Postal Service United States Washington, D.C. 0099#99 71,498
Wholesalers McKesson United States San Francisco 0011#11 198,533

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Maria Saporta. "Some cities rankings are overstated". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  2. ^ "A New Perspective on the Corporate World". CNN Money, Fortune Magazine. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Visualize The Global 500". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  4. ^ "40% of Fortune 500 companies Asian, India has 7 in list - Times of India â–º". The Times of India. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Global 500". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  6. ^ a b c "Fortune Global 500 List 2018: See Who Made It". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  7. ^ "Fortune Global 500 List 2018: See Who Made It". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  8. ^ "Fortune Global 500 List 2018: See Who Made It". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Global 500". Fortune. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "Global 500 2017". Fortune. Number of companies data taken from the "Country" box.

External links[edit]