In 202, the Korean conglomerate Samsung had 270,320 employees worldwide. At its headquarter in South Korea alone, Samsung employed more than a hundred thousand workers as of December 2022.

Samsung Electronics

Founded by Lee Byung-chul as a trading company in 1938, Samsung ventured into the electronics market in the late 1960s and shipbuilding industries in the mid-1970s. Now one of the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value, Samsung is the largest “chaebol” (business conglomerate) in South Korea and accounts for a significant portion of the country’s GDP. The company’s annual revenue amounted to around 244 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2019; the mobile communications and semiconductor segments are its largest revenue generators, bringing in billions of U.S. dollars every quarter. Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone line is among the most popular in the world and contributes towards making it one of the largest smartphone brands in the world in terms of worldwide shipments.

As of December 2023, 91,334 male and 32,873 female employees were working for Samsung Electronics under permanent contracts at the company's South Korean headquarters in Suwon. According to its annual report, there were 597 temporary workers that year.  Samsung in South Korea   Samsung Electronics’ parent company Samsung Group is the largest family-owned business conglomerate in South Korea. These family-owned South Korean conglomerates, some other examples being LG and Hyundai, are called chaebol. The company and its affiliates account for around one-fifth of the country’s GDP. Other big players in the domestic economy include LG Corporation and SK Group.  Samsung’s products and global presence  Samsung maintains a strong global presence in multiple sectors, holding the highest share in the global smartphone market as of 2023. Other products not limited to televisions, tablets, and home appliances such as refrigerators, contribute to its diverse range of products. Globally, the company employs more than 200,000 people. Samsung also features prominently among the largest companies in the world by market capitalization and revenue.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung's operating profit amounted to around 6.5 billion South Koran won, a sharp decrease compared to the previous quarter. Samsung as a CE giant Samsung ranks among the largest companies in the world in terms of market value and is perhaps best known for its various lines of successful consumer electronics products. The company’s biggest segment is its mobile communications business which primarily focuses on smartphone products such as the new Samsung Galaxy Fold. In addition to its own Samsung-branded products, the company also serves as the display manufacturer for many other devices in the consumer electronics market. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within both its home country and throughout the world.

This pie chart displays public companies per employee type using the aggregation count and is filtered where the company is Samsung SDI. The data is about companies.

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung Electronics’ mobile experience (MX) was its biggest revenue generator, bringing in approximately 17 billion U.S. dollars. Other key segments are the company’s mobile communications and display panel businesses which also contributed significantly to total revenue. Samsung Samsung, perhaps best known for its consumer electronics division, owns business ventures that span across a large range of industries. Controlling some of the top companies operating in every sector from electronics to insurances to shipbuilding, Samsung ranks among the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within its home country. Mobile Communications segment The cornerstone of Samsung’s success is its mobile communications segment, which includes various lines of smartphones and wearables as well as the company’s library of application software such as Samsung Pay. The company’s Samsung Galaxy line is among the most popular in the world and contributes towards making Samsung one of the largest smartphone brands in the world in terms of worldwide shipments.

The total number of Apple employees dramatically increased from 2005 through to 2024. As of FY 2024, the total number of employees had reached around 164 thousand (only counting full-time equivalent), up from 161 thousand recorded in the previous year. The fiscal year end of the company is September, 30th. Apple Corporation – additional information Founded in 1976, Apple is an American multinational corporation that specializes in computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers and online services. The company initially focused on the production of consumer and business computers. Over the years it has included a more diverse line of electronic products. In 2027, Apple was the world’s 7th largest company and the world’s largest information technology company. Even though Apple was the most valuable brand in the world in 2024, it was not among the world’s largest companies in terms of staff. Other information technology companies, such as Samsung Electronics or IBM, had employed a larger number of people. However, the revenue per employee of Apple turned out to be the highest among leading technology companies. Apple products Apple’s current product line ranges across personal computers, tablet computers, digital music players and smartphones. The iPhone, a line of smartphones designed and produced by Apple, has revolutionized the smartphone industry with its screen-centric design and touch controls. Its global sales have skyrocketed since its introduction in 2007, with about 231 million units sold in 2023. According to the quarterly reports by Apple, the iPhone has generated around half of Apple’s revenue between 2013 and 2024. The iPad, a line of tablet computers, counts as one of the very first players in the global tablet industry. Even though the global market share of the iPad has dropped since 2012, it still dominated the tablet market with a 36 percent share as of the second quarter of 2024.

The levels of research & development expenditure at Samsung Electronics between 2009 and 2023 has been increasing. In 2022, total spending on research and development at Samsung Electronics amounted to approximately 28.34 trillion South Korean won.

Samsung R&D spending Samsung, a global leader in semiconductors, telecommunications and digital media technologies, spent nearly 21 billion U.S. dollars on research and development in 2023. This amount is considerably higher than the 2009 figure, when Samsung spent around seven billion U.S. dollars on research and development. Their expenditure has tripled. Samsung’s investment manifests, for example, in the more than six thousand U.S. patents as of 2022. Only IBM has more patents, while spending 6.5 billion U.S. dollars on research and development.

Investment in R&D

Software and computer services companies, and technology hardware and equipment companies tend to invest heavily on research and development. In the last few years, companies from these two industrial sectors spent, on average, about seven to nine percent of their total revenue on R&D. In 2022, Samsung invested more than ten percent of its total global revenue on research and development.

In the third quarter of 2024, Samsung's operating profit amounted to around 10.44 billion South Koran won, a sharp decrease compared to the previous quarter. Samsung Samsung ranks among the largest companies in the world in terms of market value and is perhaps best known for its various lines of successful consumer electronics products. The company’s biggest segment is its mobile communications business which primarily focuses on smartphone products such as the new Samsung Galaxy Fold. In addition to its own Samsung-branded products, the company also serves as the display manufacturer for many other devices in the consumer electronics market. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within both its home country and throughout the world.

In the third quarter of 2024, Samsung Electronics recorded revenues of around 79 trillion South Korean won, which amounted to approximately 57 billion U.S. dollars. The South Korean tech giant’s digital experience segment accounted for almost 30 billion U.S. dollars of this figure, while its semiconductor business netted a further five billion. Consumer electronics Over the past few decades, mobile electronic devices have become an increasingly integral part of the daily lives of people across the globe, with consumer expenditures expected to exceed 730 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. As one of the world’s leading vendors of smartphones, televisions, tablets, wearables, and consumer electronics as a whole, Samsung is well positioned to take advantage of this trend. In addition to producing products to sell under the Samsung brand, the company also manufactures electronic components to be sold to other vendors, most notably displays and semiconductors. SamsungSamsung, perhaps best known for its consumer electronics division, owns business ventures that span across a large range of industries. Controlling some of the top companies operating in every sector from electronics to insurances to shipbuilding, Samsung ranks among the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within its home country and throughout the world.

The global revenue made by Samsung Electronics between 2005 and 2023 has overall grown. In 2023, Samsung Electronics recorded a revenue of around 259 trillion South Korean won (approximately 194 billion U.S. dollars).

Samsung Electronics and subsidiaries Samsung was founded in 1938 and originally dealt with groceries as well as the production noodles. It quickly diversified into a variety of sectors including insurance and retail and became the present day corporation in 1947, after a joint investment in Samsung Mulsan Gongsa. The headquarters are found in Seoul, South Korea. There are several subsidiaries that account for the variety of enterprises that the Samsung Group undertakes including Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Heavy Industries. Samsung Electronics is one of the largest subsidiaries of the Samsung Group, making much over half of the group’s revenue. Samsung Electronics is headquartered in Suwon, South Korea and has assembly plants and sales networks in 80 countries. Samsung Electronics generated most of its revenue in the Americas and Europe in 2022.

Major divisions

Samsung Electronics has four major divisions including digital media, semiconductor, telecommunication network, and LCD digital appliances. The company provides electronic components such as lithium-ion batteries and semiconductors to companies like Sony and Apple. Samsung is become especially known for some of its consumer products such as mobile devices as well as their home entertainment systems. Since 2002, the company has been one of the largest producers of LCD panels as well as one of the largest television manufacturers in the world. As of 2022, Samsung held almost 30 percent of the global TV market share. As of 2023, global mobile phone shipments were forecast to total over one billion units; in that same year Samsung's smartphone shipments amounted to over 226 million units.

As per recent company data, around 18 percent of sales revenue at Samsung Electronics was generated in Europe in 2023, whilst the majority was made in the Americas with a 35 percent share. 11 percent of the company's sales revenue was generated in China, representing a decrease of one percent in relation to the previous year and 17 percent in Korea. Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductors, telecommunications and digital media technologies, and one of the most valuable technology brands in the world. Headquartered in Suwon, South Korea, the company was founded in 1969, although their presence today can be seen and felt worldwide. Globally, the company employs more than 287 thousand people, with around two thirds of these employed outside of South Korea. Samsung in Europe In Europe, Samsung has a regional office in Eschborn (Germany), as well two research and development (R&D) sites in Aalborg (Denmark) and Cambridge (UK). Samsung spends nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars on research and development each year. As stated by the company, their R&D hubs lead the development of future technologies, covering core themes including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and security.

In 2022, the revenue of Samsung Group-affiliated companies accounted for about 22.4 percent of South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP). These affiliates generated total revenue of around 486.4 trillion South Korean won that year, having first surpassed the 400-trillion mark the previous year. Samsung’s share of revenue in GDP remained constant at around 20 percent during the surveyed period. Samsung Group’s major affiliates Samsung owns about 60 affiliates that are among the leading companies in their respective industries. For example, Samsung Electronics - best known for its Galaxy smartphones - is a global player in consumer electronics and telecommunications. Samsung Heavy Industries is one of the three leading companies in the domestic shipbuilding industry, while Samsung Group's affiliated financial companies, such as Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Samsung Life Insurance, have a strong influence on the South Korean financial market. Samsung: The largest chaebol in South Korea Samsung is the biggest chaebol group in South Korea – a large family-run conglomerate owned and managed by an individual or their family members. Chaebol groups typically have numerous affiliates, operate in multiple and diverse business sectors, and usually maintain a monopoly position in the relevant market. South Korea’s economy is dominated by a few chaebols, such as Samsung, SK, LG, and Hyundai Motor Company, whose influence on the market increased significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How high is the brand awareness of Samsung in the UK?When it comes to consumer electronics online shop users, brand awareness of Samsung is at 95 percent in the UK. The survey was conducted using the concept of aided brand recognition, showing respondents both the brand's logo and the written brand name.How popular is Samsung in the UK?In total, 48 percent of UK consumer electronics online shop users say they like Samsung. However, in actuality, among the 95 percent of UK respondents who know Samsung, 51 percent of people like the brand.What is the usage share of Samsung in the UK?All in all, 25 percent of consumer electronics online shop users in the UK use Samsung. That means, of the 95 percent who know the brand, 26 percent use them.How loyal are the customers of Samsung?Around 21 percent of consumer electronics online shop users in the UK say they are likely to use Samsung again. Set in relation to the 25 percent usage share of the brand, this means that 84 percent of their customers show loyalty to the brand.What's the buzz around Samsung in the UK?In September 2023, about 24 percent of UK consumer electronics online shop users had heard about Samsung in the media, on social media, or in advertising over the past three months. Of the 95 percent who know the brand, that's 25 percent, meaning at the time of the survey there's little buzz around Samsung in the UK.If you want to compare brands, do deep-dives by survey items of your choice, filter by total online population or users of a certain brand, or drill down on your very own hand-tailored target groups, our Consumer Insights Brand KPI survey has you covered.

In 2024, Samsung's semiconductor revenue stood at 66.52 billion U.S. dollars, an increase from the 40.94 billion U.S. dollars in revenue that the company recorded in 2023. Samsung benefited as a result of the memory semiconductor market experiencing a rebound in 2024. Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductors, telecommunications and digital media technologies, and one of the most valuable technology brands in the world. Headquartered in Suwon, South Korea, the company was founded in 1969. Samsung employs more than 200,000 people worldwide and spends over 20 billion U.S. dollars on research and development each year. Samsung has also ranked amongst companies with the most U.S. patents granted. AI chips Semiconductor chips are crucial in our digital lives. Fitted with billions of electronic transistors that constitute elaborate integrated circuits, these chips power everything from smartphones and laptops, to more industrial and automotive applications. The next development in the semiconductor industry are chips that support artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Experts suggest AI chips have found their way into an increasing number of consumer devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and wearables. In addition to this, they are also being used in multiple enterprise markets, such as robotics, sensors, and other IoT (internet of things) devices, with further growth expected as smart city initiatives take hold.

Android maintained its position as the leading mobile operating system worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2024 with a market share of about 72.04 percent. Android's closest rival, Apple's iOS, had a market share of approximately 27.49 percent during the same period. The leading mobile operating systems Both unveiled in 2007, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have evolved through incremental updates introducing new features and capabilities. The latest version of iOS, iOS 18, was released in September 2024, while the most recent Android iteration, Android 15, was made available in September 2023. A key difference between the two systems concerns hardware - iOS is only available on Apple devices, whereas Android ships with devices from a range of manufacturers such as Samsung, Google and OnePlus. In addition, Apple has had far greater success in bringing its users up to date. As of February 2024, 66 percent of iOS users had iOS 17 installed, while in the same month only 13 percent of Android users ran the latest version. The rise of the smartphone From around 2010, the touchscreen smartphone revolution had a major impact on sales of basic feature phones, as the sales of smartphones increased from 139 million units in 2008 to 1.39 billion units in 2023. In 2020, smartphone sales decreased to 1.38 billion units due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Apple, Samsung, and lately also Xiaomi, were the big winners in this shift towards smartphones, with BlackBerry and Nokia among those unable to capitalize.

The statistic shows the total number of mobile phone users worldwide from 2015 to 2020. In 2019 the number of mobile phone users is forecast to reach 4.68 billion.

Mobile phone users worldwide - additional information

The number of mobile phone users in the world is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019. In 2016, an estimated 62.9 percent of the population worldwide already owned a mobile phone. The mobile phone penetration is forecasted to continue to grow, rounding up to 67 percent by 2019. China was predicted to have just over 1.4 billion mobile connections in 2017, while India was forecast to reach over one billion. By 2019, China is expected to reach almost 1.5 billion mobile connections and India almost 1.1 billion.

Most of the mobile market growth can be attributed to the increasing popularity of smartphones. By 2014, around 38 percent of all mobile users were smartphone users. By 2018, this number is expected to reach over 50 percent. The number of smartphone users worldwide is expected to grow by one billion in a time span of five years, which means the number of smartphone users in the world is expected to reach 2.7 billion by 2019. Samsung and Apple are leading smartphone vendors, with about 18 percent of the market share each.

How many smartphone mobile network subscriptions are active worldwide? The number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions worldwide reached almost seven billion in 2023, and is forecast to exceed 7.7 billion by 2028. China, India, and the United States are the countries with the highest number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions. Smartphone unit sales levelling off The smartphone market still has high growth potential, with the smartphone penetration rate remaining lower than 70 percent in many highly populated markets, in particular China and India. Global smartphone revenue reached 481 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, but was expected to have fallen to 463 billion in 2022. Despite stagnating sales, the increasing average selling price of smartphones is expected to support the market over the coming years. Leading smartphone vendors The leading smartphone vendors today are Samsung and Apple. These technology companies account for about half of all smartphone shipments worldwide.

The South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics was awarded a total of 6,165 United States patents in 2023, the most of any company. Qualcomm ranked second among companies, with 3,854 U.S. patents granted, followed by the likes of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and IBM. Patents explained Patents grant exclusionary rights to an invention - a product or process that is a solution to a specific technological problem. They can be seen as an indicator of innovation, to track rates of technological change or progress, or monitor the health of research and development. Where specific patents are linked to businesses, they can occasionally be used as a barometer for judging the current or future direction of a business's interests. Globally, the number of patent grants has continued to grow year-on-year. US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. At the cutting edge of technological progress and achievement in the U.S., the USPTO serves to protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. Of the national patent offices globally, the U.S. was second only to China in terms of the number of patents in force. This has been supported by policy implementation and a framework developed by the U.S. to protect intellectual property (IP), regarded as being one of the best intellectual property environments worldwide.

The number of smartphone users in India was estimated to reach over one billion in 2023. It was estimated by 2040, the number of smartphone users in India will reach 1.55 billion.

Smartphone users in India – additional information

The number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to amount to nearly 7.7 billion by 2027. It is expected that, by 2022, more than two third of the total global population will use a smartphone. Due to China’s rapid growth, the country has become a distant leader in the smartphone market, leaving the U.S., which previously held the top position, far behind. Smartphone users in China already accounted for 72 percent of the country’s population in 2022. By 2028, more than 83 percent of the population in China is projected to use a smartphone. For 2022, the number of smartphone users in China amounted to nearly 1.04 billion.

India, the second most populous country in the world, passed the United States in number of smartphone users in 2017. Around 223 million people in the U.S. use a smartphone by 2017, compared to 340 million in India. Despite this increase in volume, the U.S. still has a higher smartphone penetration rate than India. The smartphone penetration rate in India reached close to 71 percent by 2023, a penetration rate that the U.S. already reached in 2019. Samsung was the leading smartphone vendor in India in 2022, followed by Xiaomi and Vivo.

In 2024, Samsung Electronics was the largest company in South Korea based on revenue, generating over 198 billion U.S. dollars and ranking 31st on the Fortune Global 500 list. Following Samsung was Hyundai Motor, which reported a revenue of approximately 124.6 billion U.S. dollars. That year, a total of 15 South Korean companies were included in the Fortune Global 500 rankings.