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5/06/2015 @ 9:33AM
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The World's Largest Companies 2015
You know what they say: size matters.
The FORBES Global 2000 is a comprehensive list of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenues, profits, assets and market value. We use a composite score that weighs those four metrics equally, as one barometer alone would present a biased and incomplete account (read our methodology here).
This year’s Global 2000 companies hail from 60 countries and account for combined revenues of $39 trillion, profits of $3 trillion, with assets worth $162 trillion, and a market value of $48 trillion. Thanks to a bull market, the total market value of Global 2000 companies grew 9% year-over-year, the most among the four metrics.
For the first time, China’s four biggest banks own the top four spots. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China tops the list for a third consecutive year, while Bank of China jumped 5 spots to the No.4 spot, knocking down JP Morgan Chase. Berkshire Hathaway stays at the 5th place, making Warren Buffett’s conglomerate the largest U.S. company this year.
Full list: The Global 2000 Companies In 2015
Our 13th annual snapshot of the world’s largest companies shows the dominance of the U.S. and China in the current global business landscape. The two countries split the top 10 spots for a second year in a row. Beyond the top 10, U.S. still leads the list with 579 companies. China (mainland and Hong Kong) has still has fewer than half that—232 to be exact—but added more spots than any other country in the world, and surpassed Japan for the first time.
While the U.S. and China charge ahead, their dominance pushed out other developed economies. With 218 companies, Japan slid to the third spot. While the United Kingdom kept its fourth place with 95 companies, Europe overall lost 20 spots to finish with 486 companies this year, falling further behind Asia (691) and North America (645) in continental rankings. France fell out of the top 5 countries, ceding its spot to South Korea. Two countries debut on the list this year: Argentina and Cyprus.
There are 200 newcomers to this year’s Global 2000. Some are global household names: Expedia, Electronic Arts (one of the world’s largest publisher of video games handed in good profits), Tiffany & Co (luxury jewelry debuted on the list thanks to rising profits). Others are run by the world’s wealthiest people: Amorepacific (by South Korea’s second richest man), Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties (by China’s richest man Wang Jianlin), and Axel Springer. Thanks to a rising stock market and strong investor demand, the boom of the global IPO market added more than 20 notable newcomers to the list. In particular, Asian companies took the lead by raising capital, such as Alibaba’s IPO, the world’s largest IPO ever.
Consolidation across industries from telecommunications to pharmaceuticals has created $3.8 trillion in M&A transactions in the last 12 months, the highest since 2008, according to Dealogic. Many Global 2000 companies are taking lead. For instance, Actavis jumped to No. 615, up 250 spots after buying Allergan. Meanwhile, Nokia announced a $17 billion bid for French telecom giant Alcatel-Lucent as competition with China gets more intense. Warren Buffett also got hands on with longtime Global 2000 member Kraft Foods, joining with 3G Capital for a $45 billion acquisition. In the Far East, Asia’s richest man Li Ka-Shing restructured his far-reaching empire and snagged UK telecom giant O2 along the way.
The most notable gainers include Facebook, which jumped more than 200 ranks this year thanks to rising revenue and profits. American Airlines gained 500 spots as it benefitted from low oil prices. Starbucks rose more than 450 spots as its profit and market cap soared. And Monster Beverage led the energy drink industry growth to scale 400 spots higher than last year.
One of the most high-profile losers, Brazil’s oil giant Petrobras, dropped close to 400 spots amid accounting and corruption scandals. The turmoil at Petrobras is a cautionary tale even as emerging markets have gained ground on our list in recent years. Other losers: Liberty Media, Mattel, Target, eBay, and Family Dollar .
When it comes to the industries powering the world’s business landscape, banks and diversified financials continue to dominate with 434 members, although they snagged 27 fewer spots than last year. Next up remains oil and gas companies with 136 companies, with a surprising increase of 11 spots given falling energy prices. With 121 spots, construction overtook utilities as the third leading industry this year, in part thanks to the more upbeat global economic outlook.
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