In this article, we will be taking a look at the 50 biggest public companies in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 10 biggest public companies in the world.
While much maligned, and often rightly so, the biggest public companies in the world aren't just intrinsically linked to economic growth and development, but also to the significant improvement in quality of life that mankind has enjoyed in the last few decades. This is why most countries in the world attempt to provide incentives and tax breaks to companies because of the economic improvements and jobs that such corporations provide.
So what is the main difference between a public and a private company? A private company is generally owned by founders, management or private investors. On the other hand, a public company has at least a significant portion of its shares held by the general public, also known as free float. This percentage depends on the regulations of a country but is generally at least 25%, which means that the founders may still control the company even if is listed. When a company starts to grow significantly and needs more capital, it offers its shares to the publics in an initial public offering, or IPO, by getting listed on a stock exchange, and you can easily learn more about the biggest IPOs of all time.
Because a public company's shares are owned by the general public, the regulations that it must follow are much more stringent than for private companies, including publishing annual reports, quarterly reports, any material information updates, ESG and much more. The biggest public companies in the world are worth more than the GDP of most nations worldwide, so you can understand the power and influence that these companies possess.
While there are some countries without stock exchanges, most have a stock exchange, or even multiple, with more than 40,000 companies listed globally. Of these, only 10% are located in the U.S., but because of its advanced economy and favorable laws and regulations, the vast majority of the biggest public companies in the world are located there. Overall, Asia has the largest number of listed companies which account for close to 37% of the global market value. Because of the recent appreciation in the U.S. dollar, U.S. companies are more dominant than ever in terms of market capitalization. An interesting statistic according to the Organization of Economically Developed Countries in 2019 was that in half of the global listed companies, just three holders held more than 50% of the capital, showing the concentration of both influence and wealth.
The biggest public companies in the world have a total market cap of over $22.5 trillion, more than a fifth of the global GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. These companies dominate the industries they are in and come from a variety of sectors, though tech companies are present thoroughly throughout the list. To determine the largest listed companies, we checked their latest market cap from Yahoo Finance, and where the company was listed on a foreign stock exchange, converted the number to USD for consistency. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the dominant global players, starting with:
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $188.2 billion
One of the largest car companies in the world, Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) has seen its share price drop by over 12% in the last year as calls grow for the company to pivot more towards electric vehicles.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $193.8 billion
The most valuable company in India, Reliance Industries Limited is a conglomerate with interests in various industries including energy, natural gas, retail, telecommunications and petrochemicals among others.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $193.9 billion
The largest fast food chain in the world, McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has over 200,000 employees and has over 40,000 locations worldwide.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $195.4 billion
The luxury company's bags often retail for tens of thousands of pounds, with its Birkin collection exceeding £100,000.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $199.6 billion
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a digital communications giant and is likely to purchase Valtix in order to improve its Security Cloud portfolio.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $208.7 billion
One of the biggest healthcare companies in the world by market cap, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) recently increased its quarterly dividends after recording annual revenue exceeding $40 billion.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $209.3 billion
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is the largest bank in the world by assets and one of the largest companies in the world by revenue too.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $210.6 billion
AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) may have been one of the few pharma companies to develop a viable Covid-19 vaccine but its efforts haven't stopped there, with its Covid drug Evushel sent to regulators to obtain approval.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $212.2 billion
Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) recorded its highest ever profits as a result of increased energy prices.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $216.1 billion
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is one of the largest wholesalers in the world, though its latest results, expected to report weakest sales growth in three years, are a warning to a struggling retail industry.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $221.3 billion
The biggest cosmetics company in the world, L'Oréal delivered 5.5% growth in China, even in a year where the market has suffered greatly because of its zero-Covid policy.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $229.1 billion
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, is currently in talks to acquire Seagen in a deal which is likely to be worth more than $30 billion, and according to some, even more than $40 billion.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $235.9 billion
The most valuable company in the United Arab Emirates, the International Holding company is engaged in the development of food and feed supply businesses. Within three years, the company has risen from relative obscurity to becoming one of the biggest public companies in the world.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $237.2 billion
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is one of the largest software companies in the world and has continued to score very well on key RPO metrics.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $238.2 billion
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is the second most valuable Chinese company and the largest to be listed in the U.S. Despite a major earnings beat which resulted in Alibaba Group Holding Limited's (NYSE:BABA) stock price increasing by 6%, it then crashed again within 24 hours of the news.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $237.5 billion
The Swiss pharma giant is still one of the biggest public companies in the world despite losing over 25% in market cap in just the past one year.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $242.3 billion
A recent study has suggest that consumption of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) could result in higher testosterone and increase the size of testicles.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $244.1 billion
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) provides various infrastructure software and semiconductor products, which is now facing an EU antitrust warning on a VMare deal worth over $61 billion.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $254.4 billion
One of the biggest semiconductor companies in the world, ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is a Dutch corporation and the rising demand for AI chips could result in a massive boon for the company.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $258.8 billion
One of the largest beverage companies in the world, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) sells nearly 2 billion servings of coke every single day, and according to Business Insider, more than 3% of every single beverage consumed globally is Coca Cola.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $273.0 billion
AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) is a major pharma company and recently received EU authorization for Rinvoq which is used to battle Crohn's disease.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $273.8 billion
One of the biggest banks in the world, Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) has seen its price lag compared to other major banks.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $277.3 billion
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a major pharmaceutical company which has operations in dozens of countries, and has at least 6 drugs with revenues exceeding $1 billion each.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $300.9 billion
Pharma companies have a heavy presence in the biggest public companies in the world and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is no exception, with its Mounjaro drug, a major bestseller, finally being back in stock after a couple of months of stock outage.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $301.7 billion
The largest home improvements company in the world, The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) recently announced an investment of $1 billion on its own employees, by increasing compensation for its frontline hourly associates.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $307.5 billion
The most valuable company in Korea, Samsung Group's biggest company is Samsung electronics, which is one of the biggest TV and cellphone manufacturers in the entire world, and is easily among the biggest public companies in the world.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $310.4 billion
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) has announced a lower carbon LNG fleet modification project after entering into an agreement with Sembcorp, a Singapore based company.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $310.7 billion
The largest food and beverage company in the world, Nestlé is betting its future innovation growth in the wellness, nutrition and plant-based sectors.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $326.1 billion
The most valuable Danish company, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has production facilities in nine countries and a presence in 168 countries.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $327.4 billion
Kweichow Moutai is the most valuable alcohol company in the world, with the Chinese company increasing its market cap by 1% in the last one year.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $328.2 billion
One of the biggest FMCG companies in the world, The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) owns some of the most valuable brands in the entire world, with the company seeing sold demand in the U.S. even though prices have been hiked as a result of inflation.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $338.9 billion
One of the largest payment processing companies in the world, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) has recently announced a partnership with Vesta Partner in order to deliver enhanced digital fraud protection services to customers in the Asia Pacific region.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $381.4 billion
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is the largest retailer in the world and also the biggest company in the world by revenue with its TTM revenue crossing $600 billion, with its net profit being $11.7 billion.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $405.3 billion
The largest pharmaceutical company in the world, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has been mired in court cases for several years with judgments generally being against it, with a recent example being the U.S. Supreme Court refusing the rejection of a pelvic mesh marketing case worth over $300 million.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $418.4 billion
One of the big four banks of the U.S., JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s (NYSE:JPM) investment arm wiped its ESG funds clear of Adani stocks after the Hindenburg reports led to Adani stocks in freefall.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $435.4 billion
The most valuable company in China, Tencent Holdings is a giant conglomerate which is among the biggest multimedia companies in the world.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $439.6 billion
People's trust in Facebook waning as well as the metaverse not panning out to the lofty heights set for it, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has seen its share price fall heavily in recent times, but is still among the biggest public companies in the world.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $439.8 billion
LVMH is a luxury brands company which has made its owner, Bernard Arnault, the richest person in the entire world. Currently, reports suggest that LVMH will be adding Cartier to its portfolio.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $450.0 billion
Among the biggest oil companies in the world, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) recorded its highest ever profits recently thanks to rising energy prices as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Total market cap of the company as at 27th Feb 2023: $451.6 billion
The biggest healthcare company in the world, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) recently merged with LHC Group.
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Disclosure: None. 50 biggest public companies in the world is originally published at Insider Monkey.
