The 50 Most Profitable Companies On The Planet Surprised Even Us

Profits!

We all know that there are some huge companies out there making huge profits. But exactly what companies and exactly how huge might surprise you. With the understanding that these numbers are always changing, these are the 50 most profitable companies in the world last year—according to data from Fortune's Global 500 list.

And remember, we're talking profits here, not revenue—which is important to note when looking at how far down the list the company with the highest revenue is.

Profit Companies L

50: Lukoil

Revenue (billions): $75

Profits (billions): $13.5

Employees: 107,596

Lukoil is a Russian energy company that operates in the oil and gas industry.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Lukoil Company Gennady Grachev, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

49: Broadcom

Revenue (billions): $35.8

Profits (billions): $14.1

Employees: 20,000

"Broadcom Inc. is a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions".

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Broadcom Company Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

48: AT&T

Revenue (billions): $122

Profits (billions): $14.4

Employees: 150,470

"Ma Bell" is the third largest telecommunications company—by revenue—in the world.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of AT&T Company FoUTASportscaster, Wikimedia Commons

47: China National Offshore Oil

Revenue (billions): $141.7

Profits (billions): $14.5

Employees: 82,560

47th on this list and they are only the third-largest national oil company in China.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of CNOOC Group Company Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

46: Procter & Gamble

Revenue (billions): $82

Profits (billions): $14.6

Employees: 107,000

Founded in 1837, Procter & Gamble have seemingly dipped their toes in pretty much every sector of consumer goods. In 2014, they sold off about 100 of their brands (in order to focus on the core 65 that produced 95% of their profits).

Photo of Procter & Gamble headquarters building in Cincinnati. Derek Jensen, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

45: Novartis

Revenue (billions): $54

Profits (billions): $14.8

Employees: 76,057

This huge Swiss pharmaceutical corporation was formed in 1996 with the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Novartis Company Silesia711, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

44: Rosneft Oil

Revenue (billions): $107.5

Profits (billions): 14.8

Employees: 323,900

This Russian energy company is controlled by the Russian government through a holding company.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Rosneft Oil Company NVO, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

43: Tesla

Revenue (billions): $96.7

Profits (billions): $14.9

Employees: 140,473

In 2023, Tesla led the battery electric vehicle market with a 19.9% share.

Tesla headquarters exterior with several Tesla electric cars parked in front MichaelVi, Adobe Stock

42: Home Depot

Revenue (billions): 152.7

Profits (billions): $15.1

Employees: 463,100

Home Depot is the sixth largest US–based employer in the world.

Photo of The Home Depot Store, Manassas, Virginia, USA Refrina, Adobe Stock

41: BP

Revenue (billions): $213

Profits (billions): 15.2

Employees: 79,400

This huge British multinational oil and gas company is one of the "supermajors" (AKA Big Oil).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of BP Company WhisperToMe, Wikimedia Commons

40: China Mobile Communications

Revenue (billions): $142.8

Profits (billions): $15.2

Employees: 453,394

With 945.50 million subscribers as of June 2021, China Mobile is the largest wireless carrier in China.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of China Mobile Company miumiu熊, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

39: Comcast NBCUniversal

Revenue (billions): $121.5

Profits (billions): $15.3

Employees: 186,000

An American multimedia conglomerate.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of NBCUniversal Company Epicgenius, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

38: Mercedes-Benz Group

Revenue (billions): $165.6

Profits (billions): $15.4

Employees: 166,056

Benz & Cie is the oldest car company in the world and merged with Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1926 to form what would eventually be named Mercedes-Benz Group.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Mercedes-Benz Group Company Enslin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

37: Walmart

Revenue (billions): $648

Profits (billions): $15.5

Employees: 2,100,000

While not the most profitable, Walmart is the highest revenue company in the world.

Walmart eCommerce Corporate office building in San Bruno, California JHVEPhoto, Adobe Stock

36: Tencent Holdings

Revenue (billions): $86

Profits (billions): $16.2

Employees: 105,417

The Chinese multinational technology conglomerate and holding company is also the largest video game vendor on the planet.

Photo of Tencent Seafront Towers in Shenzhen, China Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0, Charlie fong

35: Petronas

Revenue (billions): $75.4

Profits (billions): $16.3

Employees: 54,105

Petronas accounted for more than 15% of the Malaysian government's revenue from 2015 to 2020.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Petronas Company Someformofhuman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

34: Visa

Revenue (billions): $32.7

Profits (billions): $17.2

Employees: 28,800

Originally BankAmericard, it was renamed Visa in 1976.

Closeup of the giant VISA logo at Headquarters campus in Foster City, California Tada Images, Adobe Stock

33: Fannie Mae

Revenue (billions): $141

Profits (billions): $17.4

Employees: 8,100

The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) is the largest company in the United States in terms of assets ($4.3 trillion).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Fannie Mae Company ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

32: Sberbank

Revenue (billions): $63

Profits (billions): $17.7

Employees: 210,753

In 2022, Sberbank accounted for about one-third of all bank assets in Russia.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Sberbank Company Igor3188, Wikimedia Commons

31: Volkswagen

Revenue (billions): $348.4

Profits (billions): $17.9

Employees: 684,025

In the automotive sector, Volkswagen ranks third in the world in profits, but first in revenue.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Volkswagen Company Vanellus Foto, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

30: Wells Fargo

Revenue (billions): $115

Profits (billions): $19

Employees: 226,000

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Wells Fargo Company Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

29: Deutsche Telekom

Revenue (billions): $121

Profits (billions): $19.2

Employees: 199,652

That $121 billion in revenue is the most of any telecommunications company in Europe.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Deutsche Telekom Company Kalligraf, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

28: Shell

Revenue (billions): $323.1

Profits (billions): $19.3

Employees: 103,000

Shell was the ninth largest corporate producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the period from 1988–2015.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Shell Company Reading Tom, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

27: Stellantis

Revenue (billions): $204.9

Profits (billions): $20.1

Employees: 258,275

A multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Stellantis Company Choinowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

26: China Merchants Bank

Revenue (billions): $71.5

Profits (billions): $20.7

Employees: 116,529

In 2008, China Merchants Bank opened a branch in New York City—becoming the first Chinese bank to open a branch in the US.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of CMB Company Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

25: China National Petroleum

Revenue (billions): $421.7

Profits (billions): $21.3

Employees: 1,026,301

CNPC has the third most employees of any company on this list—behind Walmart as well as Amazon (who we will see a little later on).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of CNPC Company Charlie fong, Wikimedia Commons

24: Chevron

Revenue (billions): $200.9

Profits (billions): $21.4

Employees: 45,600

Another huge player in the oil and gas industry.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Chevron Company InvadingInvader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

23: Total Energies

Revenue (billions): $218.9

Profits (billions): $21.4

Employees: 102,579

TotalEnergies Gas & Power is the largest industrial and commercial natural gas supplier in the UK.

Exterior view of the headquarters of TotalEnergies, a French multinational company HJBC, Shutterstock

22: UnitedHealth Group

Revenue (billions): $371.6

Profits (billions): $22.4

Employees: 440,000

By revenue—UnitedHealth Group is the largest health care company in the world.

UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA, May 5, 2023 JHVEPhoto, Shutterstock

21: HSBC Holdings

Revenue (billions): $134.9

Profits (billions): $23.5

Employees: 220,861

In 2021, HSBC bank had $10.8 trillion in assets under custody and $4.9 trillion in assets under administration.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of HSBC Company Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

20: Petrobras

Revenue (billions): $102.4

Profits (billions): $24.9

Employees: 46,730

A Brazilian petroleum company—majority owned by the state.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Petrobras Company Saulo Ferreira Angelo, Shutterstock

19: Bank of America

Revenue (billions): $171.9

Profits (billions): $26.5

Employees: 212,985

By market capitalization, Bank of America is the second largest bank in the world.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Bank of America Company Nopira, Wikimedia Commons

18: Taiwan Semiconductor

Revenue (billions): $69.4

Profits (billions): $27.4

Employees: 76,478

Taiwan Semiconductor is the most valuable semiconductor company in the world.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plant in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan BINGJHEN, Adobe Stock

17: UBS Group

Revenue (billions): $71.2

Profits (billions): $27.8

Employees: 112,842

UBS manages the largest amount of private wealth in the world and has about half of the world's billionaires as clients—with over $6 trillion in assets (AUM).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of UBS Group Company JaierRT, Wikimedia Commons

16: Nvidia

Revenue (billions): $60.9

Profits (billions): $29.8

Employees: 29,600

A stock market phenomenon of the last few years—in 2023, Nvidia became the seventh public US company to be valued at over $1 trillion.

The image showcases Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

15: Amazon

Revenue (billions): $574.8

Profits (billions): $30.4

Employees: 1,525,000

Amazon is second behind Walmart in revenue.

Photo of Amazon Signage Logo on Top of Glass Building Askar, Adobe Stock

14: Bank Of China

Revenue (billions): $172.3

Profits (billions): $32.8

Employees: 306,931

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of BOC N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

13: Toyota Motor

Revenue (billions): $312

Profits (billions): $34.2

Employees: 380,793

Producing around 10 million vehicles per year, Toyota is the biggest automobile manufacturer in the world.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Toyota Company Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons

12: Johnson & Johnson

Revenue (billions): $95.2

Profits (billions): $35.1

Employees: 131,900

Only two US-based companies have a prime credit rating of AAA—Johnson & Johnson is one of them.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Johnson & Johnson Company ekem, Wikimedia Commons

11: Exxon Mobil

Revenue (billions): $344.6

Profits (billions): $36

Employees: 61,500

The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska is one of the worst oil spills, in terms of environmental damage, that has ever happened.

Photo of ExxonMobil Signage Logo on Top of Glass Building Askar, Adobe Stock

10: Agricultural Bank Of China

Revenue (billions): $192.4

Profits (billions): $38

Employees: 451,003

AgBank is the second largest bank in the world by total assets (we will get to number one shortly).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Agricultural Bank of China 維基小霸王, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

9: Meta Platforms

Revenue (billions): $134.9

Profits (billions): $39.1

Employees: 67,317

In 2022, Meta had the third highest expenditure on R&D in the world ($35.3 billion).

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Meta Platforms Company InvadingInvader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

8: China Construction Bank

Revenue (billions): $199.8

Profits (billions): $46.9

Employees: 376,871

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of CCB Company 高晶, Wikimedia Commons

7: JPMorgan Chase

Revenue (billions): $239.4

Profits (billions): $49.5

Employees: 309,926

By market capitalization, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank on the planet.

The JPMorgan Chase & Co. headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City Katherine Welles, Adobe Stock

6: Industrial & Commercial Bank Of China

Revenue (billions): $222.5

Profits (billions): $51.4

Employees: 419,252

And here it is—the largest bank in the world by total assets.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of ICBC Company Boubloub, Wikimedia Commons

5: Microsoft

Revenue (billions): $211.9

Profits (billions): $72.4

Employees: 221,000

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft IPO'd in 1986—and in so doing, with the rise of the stock price, created three billionaires and around 12,000 millionaires amongst Microsoft employees.

Photo of Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington Peter, Adobe Stock

4: Alphabet

Revenue (billions): $307.4

Profits (billions): $73.8

Employees: 182,502

Formed in 2015, Alphabet is the parent holding company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Alphabet Company Austin McKinley, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

3: Berkshire Hathaway

Revenue (billions): $364.5

Profits (billions): $96.2

Employees: 396,500

In August of 2024, Berkshire Hathaway became the first non-tech company to be valued at over $1 trillion.

The image shows the corporate headquarters or office building of Berkshire Hathaway Company JonClee86, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

2: Apple

Revenue (billions): $383.3

Profits (billions): $96.9

Employees: 161,000

Valued at over $3.74 trillion, Apple was the first publicly traded US company to be valued at over $1 trillion (doing so in 2018).

Aerial view over Cupertino in Bay Area, California on a sunny day Newport Coast Media, Adobe Stock

1: Saudi Aramco

Revenue (billions): 494.9

Profits (billions): $120.7

Employees: 73,311

Number one in profits and number four in the world in terms of revenue.