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.

The average for 2022 based on 74 countries was 1244.55 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 40297.98 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0.21 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for Peru (DDAM02PEA156NWDB) from 1998 to 2020 about Peru, market cap, companies, and stock market.

In 2025, stock markets in the United States accounted for roughly ** percent of world stocks. The next largest country by stock market share was China, followed by the European Union as a whole. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ are the largest stock exchange operators worldwide. What is a stock exchange? The first modern publicly traded company was the Dutch East Industry Company, which sold shares to the general public to fund expeditions to Asia. Since then, groups of companies have formed exchanges in which brokers and dealers can come together and make transactions in one space. Stock market indices group companies trading on a given exchange, giving an idea of how they evolve in real time. Appeal of stock ownership Over half of adults in the United States are investing money in the stock market. Stocks are an attractive investment because the possible return is higher than offered by other financial instruments.

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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) continues to dominate the Americas' financial landscape, boasting a staggering market capitalization of over 28 trillion U.S. dollars as of March 2024. This figure dwarfs its closest regional competitor, Nasdaq, which stands at approximately 25.4 trillion U.S. dollars. The sheer scale of these American exchanges underscores their critical role in global finance, with the NYSE alone surpassing the combined market cap of all other listed exchanges in the Americas. Global competition and innovation While U.S. exchanges lead in market capitalization, other global markets are showing strength in different areas. India's stock exchanges, for instance, have become hotbeds for initial public offerings (IPOs). In 2024, the National Stock Exchange of India and Bombay Stock Exchange collectively hosted 327 IPO deals, more than double the 137 deals on Nasdaq. This surge in IPO activity reflects India's growing economic influence and the increasing appeal of its capital markets to both domestic and international companies. Diversity in exchange metrics Market capitalization is just one measure of an exchange's significance. While third in market cap among American exchanges, for instance, the TMX Group in Canada leads the continent in the number of listed companies with 3,569 as of December 2024. This diversity in metrics highlights the multifaceted nature of stock exchange comparisons and the importance of considering various factors when assessing their global impact and appeal to companies seeking public listing.

As of December 2024, the Shanghai Stock Exchange had the largest domestic market capitalization among stock exchanges in the Asia Pacific region, amounting to approximately *** trillion U.S. dollars. Second in the ranking was the Shanghai Stock Exchange Group, followed by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Stock exchanges in Asia PacificThe major stock exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region are the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange in Mainland China, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong, and the Bombay Stock Exchange in India, which is also the oldest stock exchange in Asia. Also, five out of the ten largest stock exchange operators in the world are located in Asia.What is market capitalization?Market capitalization, also commonly referred to as market cap, is a measure of the total market value of outstanding shares of a company on the stock market. It indicates a company’s relative size and value while taking various determinants such as risk and the market’s perception into consideration. There are large-cap (>** billion), mid-cap (* to ** billion) and small-cap (*** million to * billion) companies depending on their market capitalization.

Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for Spain (DDAM02ESA156NWDB) from 1998 to 2020 about market cap, Spain, companies, and stock market.

Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for Cyprus (DDAM02CYA156NWDB) from 2004 to 2020 about Cyprus, market cap, companies, and stock market.

Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for New Zealand (DDAM02NZA156NWDB) from 1998 to 2020 about New Zealand, market cap, companies, and stock market.

Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for Greece (DDAM02GRA156NWDB) from 1998 to 2020 about Greece, market cap, companies, and stock market.

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 global major stock markets. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines five markets based in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Oslo and Paris. Euronext The Euronext Stock Exchange saw a significant increase in total market capitalization between 2021 and 2022, before increasing again during 2023. As of March 2024, the luxury goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton was the largest company listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. Globally, the Euronext Stock Exchange is the fourth largest. London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) was the second largest stock exchange in Europe and ninth globally in terms of market capitalization of domestic listed companies. As of May 2024, there were 1,775 companies trading on the LSE with the LSE's combined market capitalization amounting to approximately 3.86 trillion British pounds during the same period.

Key information about India Market Capitalization

• India Market Capitalization accounted for 4,388.733 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with a percentage of 4,899.710 USD bn in the previous month
• India Market Capitalization is updated monthly, available from Jan 1993 to Feb 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 5,663.221 USD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 55.322 USD bn in Apr 1993

CEIC converts monthly Market Capitalization into USD. BSE Limited provides Market Capitalization in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

Vietnam: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2018 is 42.32 percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 44.15 percent, based on data from 41 countries. Historically, the average for Vietnam from 2018 to 2018 is 42.32 percent. The minimum value, 42.32 percent, was reached in 2018 while the maximum of 42.32 percent was recorded in 2018.

Japan: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2020 is 82.65 percent, a decline from 84.98 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 47.89 percent, based on data from 28 countries. Historically, the average for Japan from 1998 to 2020 is 75.18 percent. The minimum value, 57.04 percent, was reached in 2007 while the maximum of 86.55 percent was recorded in 2018.

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Key information about China Market Capitalization

• China Market Capitalization accounted for 11,870.548 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with a percentage of 11,513.605 USD bn in the previous month
• China Market Capitalization is updated monthly, available from Jul 1995 to Feb 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 14,375.423 USD bn in Dec 2021 and a record low of 40.601 USD bn in Jan 1996

CEIC calculates monthly Market Capitalization as the sum of Market Capitalization of Shanghai Stock Exchange and Market Capitalization of Shenzhen Stock Exchange and converts it into USD. Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange provides Market Capitalization in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

The market capitalization of companies in the United States was almost six times than that of China as of June 2025, making up a large share of the world's total market capitalization. Listed companies in the U.S. had a total market capitalization of nearly ** trillion U.S. dollars - against ** trillion U.S. dollars recorded by China. Japan followed as the next country in the ranking of nearly ***** trillion U.S. dollars.