10 Biggest Companies in the World

These are the 10 biggest companies in the world by 12-month trailing (TTM) revenue, and they represent a striking diversity of industries. This list is limited to companies that are publicly traded in the U.S. or Canada, either directly or through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs).

Some foreign companies may report semiannually, and so may have longer lag times. We add the caveat that two other companies that otherwise would be added to this list are Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state oil company; and State Grid, the Chinese state-owned electric utility. They were omitted because their stocks are not publicly traded in the U.S. or Canada.

All data in this story are provided by YCharts and are as of January 2023.

#1 Walmart Inc. (WMT)

• Revenue (TTM): $600.11 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $8.97 billion
• Market Cap: $390.66 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 1.75%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Founded in 1962, Walmart has since grown into one of the world's largest retailers. The company operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, as well as a robust online platform. Walmart sells a wide variety of merchandise including clothing and apparel, home goods, books, jewelry, food and beverage, pharmaceutical supplies, and automotive equipment.

#2 Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)

• Revenue (TTM): $502.19 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $11.32 billion
• Market Cap: $916.82 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -44.35%
• Exchange: NASDAQ

Amazon is the world's largest online retailer by market cap. The company began as an online bookseller and has since grown to encompass virtually every category of retail. Besides selling products through its e-commerce platform, Amazon owns subsidiaries including Whole Foods Market and home security company Ring. Amazon's fastest-growing areas of business are cloud computing services, subscription products like Amazon Prime, and streaming movies and other entertainment.

#3 China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNPMF)

• Revenue (TTM): $486.84 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $10.47 billion
• Market Cap: $60.32 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 19.61%
• Exchange: OTC Markets

China Petroleum & Chemical is a producer and distributor of a variety of petrochemical and petroleum products. The company's products include gasoline, diesel, kerosene, synthetic rubbers and resins, jet fuel, and chemical fertilizers, among other related offerings. Also known as Sinopec, China Petroleum & Chemical is among the largest oil refining, gas, and petrochemical companies in the world. It is administered by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

#4 PetroChina Co. Ltd. (PCCYF)

• Revenue (TTM): $486.40 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $20.89 billion
• Market Cap: $82.73 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 15.24%
• Exchange: OTC Markets

Oil and gas company PetroChina is engaged in oil exploration, development, production, and sales. It also manufactures petrochemical products. PetroChina is the exchange-listed branch of the Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation.

#5 Apple Inc. (AAPL)

• Revenue (TTM): $394.33 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $99.80 billion
• Market Cap: $2.08 trillion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -23.64%
• Exchange: NASDAQ

Apple designs, manufactures, and markets a broad range of consumer technology products, including smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearable devices, home entertainment devices, and more. Among the company's most popular products are its iPhone line of smartphones and Mac line of computers. Apple also is building a fast-growing services business, operating digital content stores, selling streaming video games, and providing streaming services such as Apple+, a platform for on-demand entertainment content.

#6 Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)

• Revenue (TTM): $386.82 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $51.86 billion
• Market Cap: $453.38 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 67.12%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

ExxonMobil is a multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Texas. It explores for oil and gas or markets its products, or both, in most of the world's countries. Its gasoline stations are a familiar sight to drivers worldwide, although the brand names they display may be ExxonMobil, Esso, Exxon, or Mobil depending on the locale. ExxonMobil's corporate name reflects the 1999 merger that combined two giants of the industry.

#7 Shell PLC (SHEL)

• Revenue (TTM): $365.29 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $43.36 billion
• Market Cap: $204.03 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 27.58%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

Based in the Netherlands, Royal Dutch Shell explores, produces, and refines petroleum through its subsidiary companies. In addition to operating gas stations around the world, Shell produces and sells fuels, lubricants, and other chemicals.

#8 CVS Health Corp. (CVS)

• Revenue (TTM): $315.23 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $3.15 billion
• Market Cap: $119.11 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -11.75%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

CVS is an integrated pharmacy health care provider. The company operates a chain of drugstores with locations throughout the U.S. as well as in Puerto Rico. Aside from retail, CVS offers pharmacy benefit management services, mail order pharmacy services, and disease management programs.

#9 UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH)

• Revenue (TTM): $313.13 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $19.43 billion
• Market Cap: $454.09 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 5.87%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange

UnitedHealth Group Inc. is a multinational healthcare and insurance company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It provides managed healthcare insurance policies to companies, government employers, and individuals. Its healthcare services are delivered by a network of medical groups who provide healthcare services under contract with UnitedHealth. In addition to its U.S. operations, UnitedHealth Group has subsidiary operations in other countries including Brazil, India, Ireland, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom,

#10 Volkswagen AG (VWAGY)

• Revenue (TTM): $288.45 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $18.47 billion
• Market Cap: $85.85 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -35.01%
• Exchange: OTC

The German company builds, sells, and repairs both luxury and economy cars, sports cars, trucks, and other commercial vehicles. VW's premier luxury brand is Audi.

The Bottom Line

The world's biggest companies by revenue represent relatively new, faster-growth industries and mature, slower-growth ones ranging from e-commerce and tech devices to oil and retailing.

No matter what, each company is a dominant force in its industry.