Saudi Aramco – $156.36 billion in profits
Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum and natural gas company, Aramco, is the second-largest company in the world according to Forbes. With reported profits of $156.36 billion over the past year, it produces more oil per day than any other company. It operates in the Ghawar Field in eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as the offshore Safaniya Field.
Agricultural Bank of China – $37.92 billion in profits
The Agricultural Bank of China has 320 million customers and an astonishing 24,000 branches. It topped world rankings with the largest ever public offering when it went public in 2010 – later beaten by Saudi Aramco. Its branches and offices are spread across China but can also be found in London, Tokyo, New York and Singapore.
Petrobras – $36.47 billion in profits
Its full name is Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., but it is generally known by the portmanteau Petrobras. This corporation is Brazil’s state-owned petroleum power, founded in 1953 under the slogan ‘The Oil is Ours’. With headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras covers everything from petrochemical investments, to natural gas exploration and biofuels.
Equinor – $28.98 billion in profits
Equinor ASA is the state-owned energy company of Norway. ‘Equi’ is taken from the word ‘Equity’, while the ‘-Nor’ simply stands for Norway. Despite its national roots, Equinor operates in 36 different countries and mainly focuses on petroleum, though it also runs renewable energy ventures. In 2021, it signed a huge deal with New York City to provide its offshore wind power.
Tencent – $27.26 billion in profits
Tencent Holdings Ltd. is a Chinese multimedia company, and the largest company involved in the video games industry. As well as running the immensely popular Chinese instant messenger app WeChat, it also operates in the worlds of music, internet services, e-commerce, web portals, payment systems and other social networks.
UnitedHealth Group – $20.7 billion in profits
America’s UnitedHealth Group is a healthcare and insurance company, which includes the subsidiary Optum. It was ranked number 10 in Fortune’s 2023 Global 500 and is the 11th largest company in the world by revenue. It is based in Minnetonka, a tiny Minnesotan city with only 53,700 residents.
BHP Group – $19.51 billion in profits
BHP Group, once known as BHP Billiton, is a multinational mining and metals company of Australian origin. Founded in 1860, it began with tin and lead smelting in the Netherlands and later started mining projects in Suriname and Indonesia. In recent years, it has taken over Oz Minerals in a deal worth $9.6 billion.
Stellantis – $17.66 billion in profits
Many of the best-known names in the car industry are in fact made by the same multinational company: Stellantis N.V. This group, the result of an Italian-American Fiat and French PSA merger, is the fourth-largest automobile maker in the world by sales. It designs and makes cars for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall.
Glencore – $16.98 billion in profits
Glencore reported profits of $16.98 billion over the past year. This Swiss company is one of the largest in the world, working in commodity trading, mining, coal, oil and gas. From 2017 till 2019, it was criticised for running a pro-coal lobbying campaign that involved “undermining environmental activists, influencing politicians and spreading sophisticated pro-coal messaging on social media.”
Vale – $15.98 billion in profits
Vale S.A. is the largest iron ore and nickel producer in the world. It also produces fertilizer, coal, copper and various metal alloys. This Brazilian company is one of the nation’s largest logistics operators and runs via a vast road and port network. It has also faced two massive dam failures in the past decade, the latter of which wiped 25% off its stock value.
ConocoPhillips – $15.84 billion in profits
ConocoPhillips is based in Houston, Texas but operates in 15 different companies. It explores new hydrocarbon sites as well as producing oil and gas. It has been named among the top 20 most polluting companies in the world, in part due to its methane leaks.
Fannie Mae – $12.29 billion in profits
While Fannie Mae might sound like the name of a grandmother, this name is taken from the acronym FNMA, which stands for the Federal National Mortgage Association. It was founded in the USA during the Great Depression, and to this day, it provides mortgage-backed securities. It is a sibling company of Freddie Mac, also known as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.
Rio Tinto – $12.15 billion in profits
Rio Tinto is a British-Australian metals and mining corporation – one of the largest in the world, second only to BHP. It has garnered controversy for harming precious natural and historic environments with its mining. In 2020, it destroyed a sacred cave it Juukan Gorge, Australia, that contained evidence of human life from 46,000 years ago.
Sinopec – $9.85 billion in profits
Sinopec, or the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, runs oil and gas enterprises from headquarters in Beijing. It is currently building a green hydrogen plant at a cost of $470 million. It’s also known for creating biofuels such as green jet fuel, which the company manufactures from vegetable oil.
ArcelorMittal – $9.04 billion in profits
ArcelorMittal is a Luxembourg-based major multinational steel company. It was created in 2006 when the Indian company Mittal Steel merged with the European steel producer Arcelor. With 200,000 employees, and total assets of around $100 billion, it is one of the largest companies in the world. Over the past year, it saw $9.04 billion in profits.
Sanofi – $8.8 billion in profits
The French pharmaceutical and healthcare company Sanofi works in researching, developing and manufacturing drugs. It earned $9.04 billion in profits over the past year. Sanofi’s fields of therapy include cardiovascular, central nervous system, diabetes, internal medicine, oncology, thrombosis and vaccines. It is currently building a huge new facility in Tuas, Singapore.
Oracle – $8.37 billion in profits
Pictured here is Larry Ellison, who founded the Oracle Corporation in 1977. Its first ever customer was reportedly the CIA. This software company is the world’s third-largest by revenue. Oracle has a long list of subsidiaries, including the health information company Cerner, Talari Networks, NetSuite and TOA Technologies.
Reliance Industries – $8.3 billion in profits
Reliance Industries is a Mumbai-led conglomerate, and India’s largest public company. It works in energy, telecommunications, mass media and textiles. The company was founded in 1958 by Dhirubhai Ambani, a spice and polyester dealer. Despite its power, this company is reportedly short on cash and high on corporate debt.
British American Tobacco – $8.15 billion in profits
British American Tobacco enjoyed profits of $8.15 billion over the past year. However, the company has faced long-running controversies over its sale of unhealthy and addictive products. As early as 1958, BAT was aware that cigarettes were linked to cancer but worked hard to avoid the association with their product.
Amgen – $7.92 billion in profits
Amgen is an American biopharmaceutical company, with 5,000 staff at its Californian headquarters. Among its best-selling products are Enbrel (used to tread rheumatoid arthritis) and Neulasta (a drug that protects chemotherapy patients from infection). The group has donated money to over a dozen American hospitals, as well as the National Geographic Society.
AbbVie – $7.54 billion in profits
AbbVie Inc. is a leading American pharmaceutical company. It is the sixth largest biomedical company in the world by revenue, and its profits totalled $7.54 billion over the past year. It is in fierce competition with Amgen. One of its most successful products is Skyrizi, which earned them $4.5 billion in revenue in 2022. This drug targets the symptoms of plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
Bristol Myers Squibb – $7.31 billion in profits
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is based in Princeton, New Jersey, but it runs research sites across the world, including Spain, Belgium, Japan, India and the UK. It focuses on finding drugs to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psychiatric disorders. Its profits over the past year reportedly came to $7.31 billion.
Accenture – $6.94 billion in profits
Accenture was created by the accounting firm Arthur Andersen in the 1950s. Its first task was a feasibility study for a computer installation at General Electric. Now, the Irish-American professional services company is listed among the Fortune Global 500, and it employs more people than any other consulting firm.
Itochu – $6.26 billion in profits
Itochu Corporation is one of the biggest Japanese companies. It works in the realm of ‘sogo shosha’ (general trading and investments), with a focus on trading raw textiles and finished products. It holds investments and rights in various fashion and textiles companies including Converse, Hunting World and Laura Ashley.
Anheuser-Busch InBev – $6.06 billion in profits
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV earned $6.06 billion in profits last year. It is a Belgian drinks company and the largest brewer in the world, with over 600 brands to its name. These include Budweiser, Corona, Beck’s, Stella Artois, Cass, Bud Light, Natural Light and Keith’s.
Thermo Fisher Scientific – $6.02 billion in profits
Earning $6.02 billion in profits over the past year, Thermo Fisher Scientific supplies scientific and medical tools and services. It is based in Massachusetts and is ranked among Fortune’s top 500 list. Created through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in 2006, the company has recently run into controversies over its reported sale of biometric surveillance technology to police in Tibet.
Itaú Unibanco – $5.75 billion in profits
One of Brazil’s most valuable brands, this company has made $5.75 billion in profits over the last 12 months. Banco Itaú Unibanco S.A. is a financial services company and the largest bank in Latin America. It boasts 33,000 service points and 55 million customers worldwide.
Honeywell – $5.23 billion in profits
With $5.23 billion in profits last year, Honeywell operates in aerospace, materials, technology, safety solutions and architectural engineering. It started life as the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Company in 1885, which saw the invention of a coal fire thermostat. After various sales and mergers, it landed on its current layout after a 1999 merger of Honeywell Inc and AlliedSignal.
Iberdrola – $4.89 billion in profits
Iberdrola is the Spanish multinational electric utility company with the largest production of wind power in the world. It is one of the most profitable utility companies around, making $4.89 billion in profits over the last year. Its subsidiaries include ScottishPower and Iberdrola USA, and it owns nuclear and thermal plant assets across Spain.
Hon Hai Precision – $4.75 billion in profits
Hon Hai Precision Industry trades internationally under the name Foxconn, and it plays a major role in everyday life, though its name often goes unseen. This Taiwanese electronics manufacturer is responsible for making countless major technology stars, including the BlackBerry, iPod, iPhone, Google Pixel devices and Nokia devices. This company’s profits totalled $4.75 billion over the past year.
CK Hutchison – $4.68 billion in profits
The Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings works across ports, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications. The company’s annual profits reached $4.68 billion in profits last year, thanks to its operations and investments in more than 50 countries. Its ports division alone covers 52 sites with 291 operational berths.
Archer Daniels Midland – $4.46 billion in profits
Archer Daniels Midland made profits of $4.46 billion last year. This American multinational food corporation owns processing plants across the world, producing a wide range of foods, beverages and animal feeds. It started life as a linseed crushing business in Minnesota and was the subject of the 2009 film The Informant!
Midea – $4.42 billion in profits
Midea Group is a Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer with 150,000 employees in its home nation, and over 60 branches abroad. Midea’s profits totalled $4.42 billion over the past year, and it is the biggest robot and appliance producer in the world. In 2017 it suffered a controversy over defective air conditioner units that were sold across the USA.
America Movil – $3.84 billion in profits
American Movil earned $3.84 billion in profits last year. This Mexican telecommunications company is one of the biggest corporations on the planet, with 277.4 million wireless subscribers. The company started in 2001 as a spin-off from Telmex. In 2012, it faced monopoly accusations and triggered the government to reform its business laws.
TJX – $3.5 billion in profits
TJX Companies is the name of an American off-price shop corporation. This retail giant made $3.5 billion in profits over the past 12 months. One of its brands has different names depending on location: it’s known as TJ Maxx in the USA and TK Maxx in Australia and Europe. But the corporation also owns many other high street names, including Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra.
McKesson – $3.14 billion in profits
McKesson Corporation is an American company that provides and distributes various medical drugs, tools and products. It is responsible for one third of all pharmaceuticals sold in North America, and profits for this company reached $3.14 billion last year. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
Kroger – $2.22 billion in profits
Kroger managed to make $2.22 billion in profits last year. This American retail company owns a wide range of supermarket and store subsidiaries, with 2,719 shops across 35 US States. Its brands include the supermarket chains Smith’s, Mariano’s, Ralphs, King Soopers, Fry’s and Harris Teeter.
Enbridge – $2.11 billion in profits
Enbridge is a Canadian energy and pipeline company that operates across North America. With 28,661 km of pipelines to its name, it reported profits of $2.11 billion last year. It has faced opposition for its pollution record, which includes the US’s largest ever inland oil spill.
Cencora (AmerisourceBergen) – $1.62 billion in profits
AmerisourceBergen recently rebranded itself as Cencora. This drug wholesale company is responsible for around a fifth of all pharmaceutical products sold in the USA. Cencora made a total of $1.62 billion in profit over the past year. It has faced lawsuits over America’s opioid epidemic, and became one of four companies to promise $260 million in compensation to two states in Ohio.
Sysco – $1.55 billion in profits
Sysco Corporation is another major American company. It helps to market and distribute various products used in food service and hospitality. Sysco’s profits reached $1.55 billion last year. Its subsidiary, SYGMA, works for 14,000 restaurants and is one of the biggest chain distributors in the nation.
