Top 20 Richest Companies in The World by Market Cap 2024

Finance experts use different metrics to know the value of a company, and one such popular parameter is based on market capitalization, which is commonly referred to as market cap in stock market terminology. This article is about the top 20 richest companies in the world in the listed market.

In case you happen to be new to the world of investing, the market cap is arrived at by multiplying the company’s current market price by outstanding shares issued by the company. The figures mentioned below are in US Dollars.

So let us quickly look at the top 20 richest companies in the world as of 2024.

Top 20 Richest Companies in the World as of 2024

The list is dominated by American-based companies, while we also have companies from Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

1. Apple Inc – 2.294 Trillion USD

Industry: Electronics, Information Technology

Product: Mobile, iPod, Personal computers, and tablets

Apple Inc, a Cupertino-based American tech company, is the most valuable company in the world, with a record market cap of $ 2.294 Trillion. Apple is the most successful brand, with a revenue of $275 billion dollars as of 2024. It was founded in the year 1976 by three tech wizards – Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Jobs.

Apple was initially engaged in the segment of the personal computer, which later grew exponentially after its huge success with its entry into the mobile phone segment. Apple Inc, which started with Laptops and iPhones, has now diversified into a wide range of products like Smartwatches, iPod tablets, televisions, Accessories, etc.

Apple is the first publicly traded company in the world to achieve a 2 Trillion market cap in 2020. It has more than 516 retail stores worldwide and employs nearly 147,000 employees.

2. Saudi Aramco – 2.206 Trillion USD

Industry: Oil and gas production, refining.

Products: Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and petrochemical derivatives.

Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabian Oil Company) went public barely two years back in 2019, and it is the world’s second-largest company with a market cap of 2.206 Trillion dollars. Aramco, which the Saudi government owns, is considered the world’s second-largest company, with crude oil reserves of 270 billion barrels.

Saudi Arabia is part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting (OPEC) and 12 other countries, contributing 44% of global oil production.

Dahran-based Saudi Aramco, which raised a record $25.6 billion in its initial public offer (IPO), was founded in the year 1933. The company recorded revenue of $230 billion in 2020. Aramco has subsidiaries in China, Japan, Russia, UAE, the USA, Great Britain, and many other countries. Aramco employs around 66,800 employees worldwide, and the Saudi Arabian government holds 98.5% of the company’s stake.

3. Microsoft – 1.979 Trillion USD

Industry: Software Development, Information technology, Consumer electronics.

Products: Windows Operating System, Microsoft Office, Xbox, Search engine.

Microsoft is the third-largest company in the world, with a market cap of $1.979 Trillion.

Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft is a world leader in the personal computer software market. The Microsoft Windows operating system was a runaway success that generated huge profits for the company.

Microsoft, which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, achieved revenue of  $143 billion and has 166,475 employees on its payroll.

4. Alphabet – 1.524 Trillion USD

Industry: Internet, Software services.

Products: Operating System, Search Engine, Mobile Phone

Alphabet Inc, an American multinational company, is the parent company of Google LLC and several other subsidiary companies.

Alphabet is the world’s fourth-largest company with a market cap of $1.524 trillion; founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 while studying at Stanford University.

California-based Google inc is the undisputed leader in the search engine segment worldwide, with a market share of 91.9% as of 2024. Alphabet made a revenue of $182.5 billion in 2021 and employed close to 135,000 employees worldwide.

5. Amazon – 1.158 Trillion USD

Industry: Retail business, E-Commerce, Artificial Intelligence.

Products: Software, Kindle, FireTV, Echo

Amazon.com, Inc, an American multinational tech company, is the fifth-largest in the world with a market cap of $1.158 Trillion. Jeff Bezos, who happens to be the world’s richest person, founded Amazon in his garage in 1994.

Amazon initially started as an online marketplace company that used to sell books and later expanded to sell almost everything required in today’s world, like Video games, Apparel, Furniture, Shoes, Computers, and Consumer electronics on its online portal.

Amazon recorded the highest-ever revenue of $469 billion in 2024, making it the world’s largest Internet company by revenue. It employs record 1,608,000 employees across the globe.

6. Tesla – 756.87 Billion USD

Industry: Automobiles, Energy

Products: Cars, Trucks, Solar roofs, Battery, etc

Tesla is an American automotive and energy company and the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer. The company commands a market cap of 756.87 billion dollars.

The company also makes solar panels, solar roof tiles, and batteries to provide green energy. Tesla, along with 27 other companies, formed ZETA (Zero Emission Transport Association (ZETA) in the year 2020 to move all internal combustion vehicles to electric.

Palo-Alto-based Tesla Inc was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. However, present CEO Elon Musk is the face of the company and a major shareholder with a 22% stake in Tesla. In the year 2009, Tesla produced its debut car model, the Roadster. Tesla has 70,700 employees and 598 retail stores spread across different parts of the world.

7. Berkshire Hathaway – 615.41 Billion USD

Industry: Insurance, Finances, Media, Railway transport, food, and non-food products

Products: Property and casualty insurance, Diversified Investments

Berkshire Hathaway is a US-based American conglomerate holding company with significant holdings in many companies. Berkshire Hathaway initially started as a textile manufacturing company when it was founded 182 years ago in the year 1839.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is chairman and CEO of the company and is popularly known as “The Oracle of Omaha” for his investment philosophy.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway has a market cap of $615.41 Billion with revenue of $346.04 billion as of 2021. The company has 360,000 active employees. The share price of the company is quoted northwards of $450,000 per share, and it is the world’s most expensive stock in absolute terms.

8. Johnson & Johnson – 479.51 Billion USD

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Products: Baby care products, Drugs, and Medical equipment

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American pharma company that makes medical devices, drugs, vaccines, and baby care products, with a revenue of $91.44 billion as of 2021.

It was founded in the year 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson I, James Wood Johnson & Edward Mead Johnson. J&J operates in 60 different countries and has 250 subsidiary companies.

9. United Health Group – 476.32 Billion USD

Industry: Healthcare

Services: Healthcare Services and Insurance

UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is US-based healthcare and insurance company with a market cap of $476.32 billion. UHG was incorporated in the year 1977 and offered health care services and insurance.

It is the world’s largest insurance company in terms of net premium collected, with revenue of $287 billion as of 2021. Minnesota-based healthcare major has an employee base of 330,000 as of 2021.

10. Tencent Holdings – 473.22 Billion USD

Industry: Internet

Products: Social networking, instant messaging, mass media, web portals

Tencent is a Chinese conglomerate tech company that is also a venture company and an investment holding with a market cap of $473.22 billion.

Tencent Holdings is a significantly large company in the gaming industry and various other segments where it operates, like mobile games, music, web portals, e-commerce, and Internet services.

Founded in the year 1998 by five members – Pony Ma, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, Chen Yidan, and Zeng Liqing, Tencent is the first Asian tech company to surpass the $500 billion market cap in 2018. The company generated revenue of more than $80 billion as of 2021, and it is headquartered in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. Tencent Music has 700 million active users, and it employs 85,800 people.

11. Meta Platforms (Facebook) – 457.80 Billion USD

Industry: Internet

Services: Facebook portal, Messenger

California-based Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of social media giant Facebook, is the eighth-largest company in the world, with a market cap of $457.80 billion. It is the world’s most popular social networking site.

Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in the year 2004, Facebook has acquired many social media companies like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus in the recent past.

Facebook, which is popularly known as FB, has recorded the highest-ever sales of $117.92 billion in 2021 since its inception. It employs 71,970 associates worldwide. FB has approximately 2.91 billion monthly active users as of 2021.

12. Taiwan Semiconductor – 425.92 Billion USD

Industry: Semiconductors

Services: Manufacture of Integrated circuits and related services

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited (TSMC) is Taiwan based multinational company that manufactures semiconductors.

It is Taiwans’ largest company located in Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu. TSMC, which is the world’s most valuable company in the semiconductor segment, has a market cap of $425.92 billion.

TSMC was founded in the year 1987 by Morris Chang, and it is presently owned by foreign investors. The company achieved sales of $51.44 billion in 2021 and has a 56,800-strong workforce across the globe.

13. Visa – 423.53 Billion USD

Industry:  Financial Services

Services: Payments

Visa Inc is a California-based financial services company with a revenue of $24.1 billion as of 2021. Visa clears the way for funds transfers done by electronic means across the world through its popular Visa-branded credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards.

Visa Inc provides a platform for financial institutions with payment products that can be used to offer credit, debit, and prepaid cards to their customers. Visa does a whopping 150 million transactions in a day.

14. NVIDIA – 422.23 Billion USD

Industry: Semiconductors, Artificial intelligence, Video games

Products: Processor, GPU

Nvidia is a California-based American company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs) and application programming interfaces (API) with sales of $16.68 billion. Nvidia was founded in 1993 and employed 18,100 people as of 2020.

15. Procter & Gamble – 343.22 Billion USD

Industry: Consumer Goods

Products: Food, Snacks, Beverages

Procter & Gamble is an American multinational fast-moving consumer goods company headquartered in Ohio with a revenue of 76.12 billion dollars as of 2021. The company commands a market cap of 343.22 billion dollars as of 2024.

Procter & Gamble was founded by William Procter and James Gamble in 1937. The company employs 101,000 people across the globe.

16. JP Morgan Chase – 340.55 Billion USD

Industry: Banking

Services: Investment Banking, Credit cards, Retail banking, and Corporate Banking

JP Morgan chase is one of the oldest banks in the history of the US, which offers commercial and investment banking services. Founded by legendary banker J.P. Morgan in the year 1871, JP Morgan is a banking behemoth with total assets of $3.38 Trillion, providing employment to 255,000 people worldwide.

JP Morgan is the largest bank in the US and the fourth-largest bank in the world, with a revenue of $119 billion as of 2020.

17. Walmart – 339.14 Billion USD

Industry: Retail

Services: Department stores, Hypermarkets

Walmart Inc is a US-based retail giant that operates hypermarkets and grocery stores with a revenue of $559 billion. Walmart was founded by Sam Walton in the year 1962.

As of 2021, it has 10,526 retail stores operating in 24 different countries. It is one of the world’s largest employers providing employment to 2.2 million workers across the globe.

18. Samsung – 313.15 Billion USD

Industry: Electronics, Financial Services, Construction, Retail

Products: Mobile Phone, Flash memory, etc

Samsung is Seoul, South Korea-based multinational electronics company which is the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturing company. It also makes batteries, IC chips, hard disks, Image sensors, cameras, etc., and has a sales network in 74 countries. Samsung employs 290,000 associates.

Samsung was founded in the year 1969 and specialized in fertilizers and sweeteners. The company recorded revenue of $200 billion in 2020.

19. LVMH – 305.25 Billion USD

Industry: Luxury Goods

Products: Clothing, cosmetics, fashion accessories, jewelry, perfumes, watches, etc

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, popularly known as LVMH, is a France-based luxury goods company with a revenue of 53.7 billion Euros. It was founded by Alain Chevalier & Henry Racamie in the year 1987 and managed prestigious brands like Christian Dior, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loro, Celine, Fenty, etc.

Paris-based LVMH is the largest company in France and employs approximately 83,000 people.

20. Bank of America – 258.99 Billion USD

Industry: Banking

Products: Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Investment Banking

The Bank of America Corporation often abbreviated either as BofA or BoA, is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company with a market cap of $258.99 billion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It has $2.19 trillion in assets, making it the country’s largest bank holding company. BofA is the second-largest bank in the United States and the eighth-largest bank in the world. Bank has more than 200,000 employees on its payroll.

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