With a market capitalization of 3.12 trillion U.S. dollars as of May 2024, Microsoft was the world’s largest company that year. Rounding out the top five were some of the world’s most recognizable brands: Apple, NVIDIA, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Amazon. Saudi Aramco led the ranking of the world's most profitable companies in 2023, with a pre-tax income of nearly 250 billion U.S. dollars. How are market value and market capitalization determined? Market value and market capitalization are two terms frequently used – and confused - when discussing the profitability and viability of companies. Strictly speaking, market capitalization (or market cap) is the worth of a company based on the total value of all their shares; an important metric when determining the comparative value of companies for trading opportunities. Accordingly, many stock exchanges such as the New York or London Stock Exchange release market capitalization data on their listed companies. On the other hand, market value technically refers to what a company is worth in a much broader context. It is determined by multiple factors, including profitability, corporate debt, and the market environment as a whole. In this sense it aims to estimate the overall value of a company, with share price only being one element. Market value is therefore useful for determining whether a company’s shares are over- or undervalued, and in arriving at a price if the company is to be sold. Such valuations are generally made on a case-by-case basis though, and not regularly reported. For this reason, market capitalization is often reported as market value. What are the top companies in the world? The answer to this question depends on the metric used. Although the largest company by market capitalization, Microsoft's global revenue did not manage to crack the top 20 companies. Rather, American multinational retailer Walmart was ranked as the largest company in the world by revenue. Walmart also had the highest number of employees in the world.

Investor AB, was the leading company by market capitalization in Sweden as of October 10, 2024. The Swedish investment company had a market cap of approximately 89.59 billion U.S. dollars. Atlas Copco and Spotify were the other largest companies, with a market cap of 86.55 and 75.1 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.

As of January 2025, Amazon's market capitalization surpassed 2.4 trillion U.S. dollars, making it the most valuable internet company by market capitalization worldwide. Second-ranked Alphabet had a market capitalization of approximately 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars. Social networking company Meta Platforms (née Facebook Inc.) ranked third. Facebook is the leading social network worldwide and has successfully taken advantage of the increasingly mobile online environment. Amazon's position in the market Amazon is one of the biggest internet companies worldwide by revenue. It generates profit from its position as the world's largest online retailer. In 2023, the company's net sales revenue amounted to 574.78 billion U.S. dollars. The e-commerce giant's net revenue, generated through online stores, was 231.87 billion U.S. dollars. Google and its most profitable services Google, with the parent company Alphabet inc, generates its revenue mainly from advertising. The company uses its advertisement services, such as Google AdWords – which takes advantage of Google searches and appears as small advertisements next to search results – and Google AdSense, which generates advertisements based on a user's search history and location, among others. Advertisements based on AdSense appear across Google-owned sites, including YouTube and Google Finance. The online company also profits from the development of Android OS, licensing, and mobile apps. In 2024, Google’s total revenue amounted to 348.16 billion U.S. dollars.

As of September 11, 2024, the largest company in Singapore is the DBS Group, with a market capitalization of 81.33 billion Singapore dollars. The largest three companies in Singapore by market capitalization were two of its largest banks, followed by consumer internet company Sea Limited. DBS, OCBC, and UOB - stalwarts of Singapore’s financial sector Singapore’s three largest banking groups – DBS Group, OCBC, and UOB, are seen as stable stock market investments. They routinely make up the top three leading companies by market capitalization and rank consistently among the most valuable brands in Singapore. Despite the global economic turmoil, these three banks were forecast to turn profits in 2023, being among the biggest beneficiaries of rising interest rates in the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore is a leading financial hub in the Asia-Pacific region, and its financial sector makes up the third-largest sector of its economy. Sea Limited and Grab - volatility of tech companies in the stock market Among the largest companies in Singapore are two of its biggest tech companies, Sea Limited and Grab Holdings. Sea Limited operates the e-commerce marketplace Shopee and online gaming company Garena, while Grab Holdings is a super-app that provides ride-hailing, food delivery, and digital payment services. Despite the popularity of their services, both companies have faced a turbulent year, with Grab Holdings seeing their share prices drop during the first day of trading. Once valued more than DBS, OCBC, and UOB combined, Sea Limited saw its valuation drop in 2022 amidst net losses of around two billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of just below 32 trillion U.S. dollars as of January 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Japan Exchange Group. What is a stock exchange? A stock exchange is a marketplace where stockbrokers, traders, buyers, and sellers can trade in equities products. The largest exchanges have thousands of listed companies. These companies sell shares of their business, giving the general public the opportunity to invest in them. The oldest stock exchange worldwide is the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, founded in the late sixteenth century. Other functions of a stock exchange Since these are publicly traded companies, every firm listed on a stock exchange has had an initial public offering (IPO). The largest IPOs can raise billions of dollars in equity for the firm involved. Related to stock exchanges are derivatives exchanges, where stock options, futures contracts, and other derivatives can be traded.

As of January 1, 2025, tech giants Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft , Amazon, and Alphabet (Google) dominated the S&P 500 index and were the among only nine companies with a market capitalization exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars in the U.S.

As of Janaury 2025, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq - the two largest stock exchange operators in the United States - held a combined market capitalization for domestic listed companies of over 62 trillion U.S. dollars. Both markets were almost evenly sized at this point in time - at approximately 32 and 30 trillion U.S. dollars, respectively. However, the Nasdaq has grown much quicker than the NYSE since January 2018, when their respective domestic market caps were 23 and 11 trillion U.S. dollars. Much of this can be attributed to the success of information technology stocks during the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as the Nasdaq is the traditional venue for companies operating in the tech sector.

In 2009, Ecxxon Mobil Corp had a market capitalization of approximately 327.71 billion U.S dollars, making it the largest company in the world at the time. Five of the ten largest companies worldwide in 2009 were based in the United States, with three from Europe and two from China.

In 1989, the Industrial Bank of Japan had a market capitalization of approximately 104.29 billion U.S dollars, making it the largest company in the world at the time. Six of the ten largest companies worldwide in 1989 were based in Japan while the remaining four were American, highlighting the economic dominance of these two countries in the late 1980s.

The largest company in Switzerland, by market capitalization, as of October 10, 2024, was Nestlé, with a market capitalization amounting to approximately 250.63 billion U.S. dollars. Nestlé SA was founded in 1866 in Switzerland and is the largest food company in the world. The two pharmaceutical companies Roche and Novartis followed, with market capitalizations reaching 247.44 and 234.36 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.

The market capitalization of listed domestic companies in the United States decreased by 8.3 trillion U.S. dollars (-17.1 percent) in 2022 in comparison to the previous year. Nevertheless, the last two years recorded a significantly higher market capitalization than the preceding years.Market capitalization is the total value of all outstanding shares of a company at the current market price. Investors and analysts use it commonly to compare and categorize the size of companies.Find more statistics on other topics about the United States with key insights such as market capitalization of listed domestic companies as a share of GDP.

The stock of the Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent had the highest market capitalization on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Tencent was worth over 2.61 trillion Hong Kong dollars in 2024. In addition to that, Tencent's share also had a high turnover, making it the most active stock on the bourse.

An acceptable compromise

The Hong Kong Exchange has a unique position in the global financial landscape that makes it a popular destination for companies from mainland China. Because the city is a special administrative region under the PRC but has a very liberal financial system with a large market capitalization, it enjoys certain privileges that remain unobtainable to the rest of the overseas financial markets. As a result, Hong Kong becomes a popular destination for mainland Chinese companies that want to gain access to global financial markets while maintaining proximity to home markets.

Closer to home

In an environment of rising tensions between the PRC and the United States, many Chinese companies listed on overseas stock exchanges feel pressure from both sides. After China’s cybersecurity watchdog CAC delisted the ride-hailing company DIDI’s application from app stores in mainland China shortly after its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, it sent the stock into turmoil. Ultimately, the company leadership decided to transfer its shares to the Hong Kong Exchange. DIDI might not be the only Chinese enterprise that will come closer to the mainland as the SEC recently announced stricter auditing requirements while Beijing also amends its rules for overseas IPOs.

As of December 2024, domestic companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the largest stock exchange operator in the United States, had a combined market capitalization of nearly 32 trillion U.S. dollars.

The market capitalization of listed domestic companies in Brazil increased more than 100 billion U.S. dollars (13 percent) in 2023 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the highest market capitalization was recorded in 2010, when it peaked at over 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars.Market capitalization, often referred to as market cap, is the total value of a publicly traded company's outstanding common shares owned by stockholders. It is equal to the market price per common share multiplied by the number of common shares outstanding.Find more statistics on other topics about Brazil with key insights such as market capitalization of listed domestic companies as a share of GDP.

The Nasdaq stock exchange has experienced remarkable growth in its domestic market capitalization, reaching a peak of 30.77 trillion U.S. dollars in January 2025. This milestone underscores the exchange's significant role in the global financial landscape and its ability to attract and retain high-value companies. As the second-largest stock exchange operator in the United States, Nasdaq's performance serves as a key indicator of overall market health and investor confidence.

As of January 2025, the largest company by market capitalization listed on the Euronext stock exchange was the French luxury goods company LVMH, which consists of Louis Vuitton, Moët and Hennessy. At this time, the company's market capital value was around 352 billion euros and in second place was another French company, Hermes International, with 288 billion euros. Euronext overview Headquartered in Paris and Amsterdam, the exchange operator Euronext stands out as one of the age of the rest of the worldwide exchanges, Euronext has only been in operation for 25 years and was initially created through the merger of the Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris stock exchanges. Nevertheless, it has swiftly gained global recognition. Market performance Euronext 100 Index, characterized by a temporary drop during the Covid pandemic, a subsequent recovery was recorded, with the Index reaching its highest value as of May 2024. This performance highlights Euronext's resilience and dominance in

As of March 3, 2025, Apple was the leading tech company by market capitalization globally at 3.62 trillion U.S. dollars. Nvidia ranked second at just over three trillion U.S. dollars, a figure that tumbled in January 2025 following the dramatic release and success of DeepSeek's AI model. The Chinese-made AI model jumped to the top of the Apple Store in late January, stunning investors, and sinking multiple tech stocks. Apple leads the pack Since its foundation in a Californian garage in 1976, Apple has expanded massively, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. The company started its origins in the PC industry with the Macintosh, but soon entered other segments of the consumer electronics market. Today, the iPhone is the most popular Apple product, although Mac, iPad, wearables, and services also contribute to its high revenues. Aiming at innovation, Apple invests every year in research and development, spanning a wide array of technologies from AI through to extended reality. Nvidia's immense growth With a focus that began with origins in gaming, Nvidia's business strategy has been transformed by demand from data centers that sit at the heart of the AI boom. The company's chips have been favored to support in the training and running of a range of large language models, most notably in the development of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

AstraZeneca, was the leading company in the United Kingdom by market capitalization as of October 11, 2024. Headquartered in Cambridge, England, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company had a market capitalization of approximately 238.66 billion U.S. dollars.

The value of global domestic equity market increased from 65.04 trillion U.S. dollars in 2013 to 124.63 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. The United States was by far the leading country with the largest share of total world stocks as of 2024. Global market capitalization in different regions The market capitalization of domestic companies listed varied across different regions of the world. As of Decmber 2024, the Americas region had the largest domestic equity market, totaling 62 trillion U.S. dollars. This region is home to the NYSE and Nasdaq, which are the two largest stock exchange operators in the world. The market capitalization of these two exchanges alone exceeded 60 billion U.S. dollars as of January 2025, larger than the total market capitalization in the Asia-Pacific, and in the EMEA regions in the same period. Largest Stock Exchanges in Latin America As of December 2024, the B3 (Brasil Bolsa Balcao) was the biggest stock exchange in Latin America in terms of market capitalization and the second-largest in terms of number of listed companies. Following the B3 were the Mexican Stock Exchange and the Santiago Stock Exchange in Chile. The most valuable company in Latin America is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange: Fomento Económico Mexicano, a multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, had market cap of 177 billion U.S. dollars as of March 2025.

The NYSE U.S. 100 Index tracks the largest U.S. companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange. This statistic shows the leading 20 companies on the NYSE U.S. 100 Index by market capitalization. As of January 28, 2024 the multinational conglomerate company Berkshire Hathaway ranked as the first, with a market capitalization of over 900 billion euros. This was followed by Eli Lilly and JP Morgan Chase, with market capitalizations amounting to 695 billion and 678 billion euros respectively. NYSE U.S. 100 Index vs. Nasdaq 100 Index The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq are the largest two stock exchanges in the world, but they differ in the kinds of companies they list. The NYSE is known to list stable and long-lasting firms, commonly referred to as “blue-chip” companies. In contrast, the Nasdaq is renowned for listing the world’s biggest companies, mainly from the tech industry. Similar to the NYSE U.S. 100 Index, the Nasdaq 100 Index tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, including both U.S. and non-U.S. companies. The leader of the NYSE U.S. 100 index: Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway, the leader of the NYSE U.S. 100 Index, was also among the world's largest companies by revenue in 2023. The company is a multinational conglomerate and holding company with insurance as its core business and interests in other sectors such as railroad, utilities and energy, finance. In fact, Berkshire was the world's biggest insurance company by revenue in 2023. As a holding company, it has significant stakes in some of the world’s largest companies, including Apple, Bank of America and Coca-Cola. With its diverse background in various businesses and industries, Berkshire Hathaway had a total revenue of 365 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.