Astrazeneca was the leading pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom as of March 7, 2024, with a market capitalization amounting to approximately ***** billion U.S. dollars. GlaxoSmithKline followed as the second largest pharma company in the country, with market capitalization of nearly **** billion U.S. dollars. Examining the development of the FTSE 100 Index, which was launched in January 1984 with a base level of 1,000, increased by more than sevenfold to date. What is the FTSE 100 index? The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, commonly known as the "Footsie", is the most widely recognized stock market index in the United Kingdom. It is made up of the 100 largest blue-chip companies on the London Stock Exchange. Companies from various sectors, such as healthcare, consumer goods, and energy, are included in the index, as are leading banks of the United Kingdom, such as HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, and Barclays. Moreover, it can be seen as a reflection of the investment climate in the United Kingdom. What is not included in the FTSE 100 Index? Most notably, the FTSE 100 Index, like most indices, is not adjusted for inflation. While inflation in the United Kingdom has gone down dramatically since 2023, it might be useful to adjust the historic figures on the index when comparing historic data to current levels. This is especially important when the index seems to have increased by a few percentage points because inflation may have increased at a faster rate than stock prices.

As of May 2025, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was the leading company listed on the London Exchange (LSE), with a market capitalization of 159 billion British pounds. This made them the largest of all companies listed on the LSE. Seen as the heart of the global financial community, the London Stock Exchange is the second-largest stock market in Europe and ranks eighth globally. Key information The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is among the largest stock market operators globally and ranks 11th in terms of the oldest stock exchanges in existence, with 224 years of operation as of 2025. Performance after Covid The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the global economy, causing considerable volatility on the stock market. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) saw a notable decline in the market capitalization value of its listed companies, reaching its lowest value in March 2020 at approximately three trillion British pounds in correlation with a surge in the average daily number of trades, which peaked at over two billion. Following this initial reaction, the LSE observed a decrease in the average daily active traders, alongside a gradual recovery in the market capitalization of the listed companies.

The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 index (FTSE 100) is a share index of the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with the highest market capitalization. The index, which began in January 1984 with the base level of 1,000, reached ******** at the end of 2024. LSE Overview Established in 1571, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has grown to become the ninth-largest globally. Companies listed on the LSE had a companies primarily hail from the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, with Shell and AstraZeneca leading the pack. In the realm of

The statistic shows the highs and lows of the FTSE 100 Index between 2000 and 2024. The FTSE 100 Index is a share index of the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with the highest market capitalization. It remains one of the most widely used stock indices and is regarded as a gauge of business prosperity in the United Kingdom. In 2024, the FTSE reached a yearly high of 8,445.8 and a low of 7,446.29. London Stock Exchange As of May 2024, the number of companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at 1,775. These companies had a combined market capitalization of approximately 3.7 trillion British pounds and 553,000 daily average trades. Largest companies on the LSE As of March 2023, Shell Plc was the leading company listed on the London Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. This made them the largest of all companies trading shares on the LSE in 2023 from more than 70 countries globally. Seen as the heart of the global financial community, the London Stock Exchange is the second largest stock market in Europe and ranks seventh globally.

As of January 29, 2025, the FTSE index stood at 8,557.81 points - well above its average value of around 7,500 points in the past few years.On the 12th of March 2020, amid the escalating crisis surrounding the coronavirus and fears of a global recession, the FTSE 100 suffered the second largest one day crash in its history and the biggest since the 1987 market crash. On the 23rd of March, the FTSE index saw its lowest value this year to date at 4,993.89 but has since began a tentative recovery. With the continuation of the pandemic, the FTSE 100 index was making a tentative recovery between late March 2020 and early June 2020. Since then the FSTE 100 index had plateaued towards the end of July, before starting a tentative upward trend in November. FTSE 100 The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, otherwise known as the FTSE 100 Index is a share index of the 100 largest companies trading on the London Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. At the end of March 2024, the largest company trading on the LSE was Shell. The largest ever initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE was Glencore International plc. European stock exchanges While nearly every country in Europe has a stock exchange, only five are considered major, and have a market capital of over one trillion U.S dollars. European stock exchanges make up two of the top ten major stock markets in the world. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines seven markets based in Belgium, France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.

Dataset of 100 companies in the FTSE 100 index

Key information about United Kingdom Market Capitalization: % of GDP

• United Kingdom Market Capitalization accounted for 83.8 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a percentage of 70.5 % in the previous year
• UK Market Capitalization: % Nominal GDP is updated yearly, available from Dec 1999 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 131.2 % in Dec 2006 and a record low of 70.5 % in Dec 2023

CEIC calculates annual Market Capitalization as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Market Capitalization and quarterly Nominal GDP. London Stock Exchange provides Market Capitalization in local currency. The Office for National Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. As of 2017, definitions from the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) have been introduced. Market Capitalization includes domestically listed companies only.


Further information about United Kingdom Market Capitalization: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, FTSE All-Share recorded a daily P/E ratio of 14.4 in Jul 2022
• FTSE 100 closed at 8,674.0 points in Jan 2025

As of February 2025, Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc was the leading company in the industrial goods and services sector on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), with a market capitalization of 63 billion British pounds. Second on the list was CRH Plc, with a value of 51.8 billion British pounds.

The British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto was the second-largest company in the basic resources industry listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as of February 2025, in terms of market capitalization, with a value of over 80 billion British pounds. The most valuable basic resources company on the LSE was BHP Group, with a market cap of over 97 billion British pounds.

South Africa Index: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data was reported at 526.248 02Jan2002=100 in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 547.447 02Jan2002=100 for May 2018. South Africa Index: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data is updated monthly, averaging 382.110 02Jan2002=100 from Jun 2004 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 169 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 694.667 02Jan2002=100 in Dec 2017 and a record low of 139.430 02Jan2002=100 in Jun 2004. South Africa Index: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z001: Johannesburg Stock Exchange: Index.

Index: FTSE: SA Listed Property data was reported at 298.270 02Jan2002=100 in Nov 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 276.940 02Jan2002=100 for Oct 2023. Index: FTSE: SA Listed Property data is updated monthly, averaging 312.550 02Jan2002=100 from Mar 2021 (Median) to Nov 2023, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 342.986 02Jan2002=100 in Dec 2021 and a record low of 274.430 02Jan2002=100 in Sep 2022. Index: FTSE: SA Listed Property data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Exchange Data International Limited. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z001: EDI: FTSE Index (Discontinued).

In the first quarter of 2020, global stock indices posted substantial losses that were triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19. The period from March 6 to 18 was particularly dramatic, with several stock indices losing more than 20 percent of their value.

Worldwide panic hits markets From the United States to the United Kingdom, stock market indices suffered steep falls as the coronavirus pandemic created economic uncertainty. The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 are two indices that track company performance in the United States, and both lost value as lockdowns were introduced in the country. European markets also recorded significant slumps, which triggered panic selling among investors. The FTSE 100 – the leading share index of companies in the UK – plunged by as much as 21 percent in the opening weeks of March 2020.

Is it time to invest in tech stocks? The S&P 500 is regarded as the best representation of the U.S. economy because it includes more companies from the leading industries. However, helped in no small part by its focus on tech companies, the Nasdaq 100 has risen in popularity and seen remarkable growth in recent years. Global demand for digital technologies has increased further due to the coronavirus, with remote working and online shopping becoming part of the new normal. As a result, more investors are likely to switch to the tech stocks listed on the Nasdaq 100.

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.

As of February 2025, British holding bank HSBC Holdings Plc was the leading finance company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a total market capitalization of almost 166 billion British pounds. Second in the ranking was Spanish bank Banco Santander S.A., with a market cap of nearly 77.7 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2024, the difference between average hourly earnings for men and women in the United Kingdom for all workers was 13.1 percent, compared with seven percent for full-time workers, and -3 percent for part-time workers. During the provided time period, the gender pay gap was at its highest in 1997, when it was 27.5 percent for all workers. Compared with 1997, the gender pay gap has fallen by 13.2 percent for all workers, and 9.7 percent for full-time workers. Gender pay gap higher in older age groups Although the gender pay gap among younger age groups was relatively small in 2024, the double-digit pay gap evident in older age groups served to keep the overall gap high. The gender pay gap for workers aged between 18 and 21 for example was -0.5 percent, compared with 12.1percent for people in their 50s. Additionally, the gender pay gap for people aged over 60 has changed little since 1997, falling by just 1.2 percent between 1997 and 2023, compared with a 14.9 percent reduction among workers in their 40s. Positions of power As of 2024, women are unfortunately still relatively underrepresented in leadership positions at Britain’s top businesses. Among FTSE 100 companies, for example, just 9.4 percent of CEOs were female, falling to just 6.1 percent for FTSE 250 companies. Representation was better when it came to FTSE 100 boardrooms, with 44.7 percent of positions at this level being filled by women, compared with 42.6 percent at FTSE 250 companies. In the corridors of political power, the proportion of female MPs was estimated to have reached its highest ever level after the 2024 election at 41 percent, compared with just three percent in 1979.

The aim of this dataset is to provide a comprehensive set of financial, structural and contextual facts and figures which depict the setting in which directors and organisations work. These data cover a selection of characteristics, including demographic and biographic information of FTSE 100 directors and senior executive directors in top management teams in 2008, as well as financial and other corporate indicators. The methodology of this data collection is codified in the user guide (see documentation section below) which further elaborates the assumptions underlying choices made in collating these data.

This quantitative dataset was collected as part of a wider qualitative project which interviewed executive, non-executive directors, chairmen and investors of the FTSE 100 companies, as well as selected investors, auditors, regulators and executive search consultants. The qualitative data are not available from the UK Data Archive.

Further information is available from the Leading FTSE Companies: an interdisciplinary study of directors, boards and corporate governance process ESRC Award web page.

In 2024, 54 percent of director roles, and executive committees at Marks and Spencers were women, one of only three companies in this year to have a majority of women at this level.

As of February 2025, Unilever Plc was the leading company among consumer staples companies on the London Stock Exchange in terms of its market capitalization, with a total value of over 111 billion British pounds. This was followed by British American Tobacco Plc and Diageo PLC, with values of over 68 billion and 48 billion British pounds, respectively.

The total market capitalization of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) took a large hit during the early months of 2020, due mostly part to a mass sell-off of shares caused by the fears surrounding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Between December 2019 and March 2020, the total value of market capitalization decreased by more than *** billion British pounds (GBP). The overall number of companies currently trading has also been falling. The number of daily trades spiked in March 2020 and then decreased as well. As of February 2025, the total market value of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at over **** trillion British pounds. European stock exchanges While almost every country has a stock Exchange, in Europe only five exchanges are considered major, with total market capital amounting to over *** trillion euros. The London Stock Exchange is the second largest in Europe and tenth largest worldwide. As of January 2025, Europe’s largest stock exchange, Euronext had a total market capital of listed companies valued at approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of almost ** trillion U.S. dollars as of June 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, PINK Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange. 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.