WALMART sits atop a hallowed list of the world’s largest companies this year, with other top competitors close behind.
Except, consumers may be surprised at a reveal that another American brand has fallen far from its previous position.
The 10 largest and most profitable companies have been revealed (stock image)[/caption]
Walmart has topped the list again (stock image)[/caption]
It’s an annual occurrence that the largest globally be declared through the Fortune Global 500 list, which was dropped in July by the global business magazine.
The list is determined based on data collected throughout the entirety of the previous year.
That means for this year, it’s based on information about the companies from 2024, and last year’s list was determined through 2023 details, and so on.
With Walmart atop the newest list, it marks the 12th year in a row that the retail giant has taken first place.
Amazon was listed in second, followed by State Grid and Saudi Aramco.
State Grid is the largest utilities company in the world, based in China, and Saudi Aramco a petroleum and natural gas company out of Saudi Arabia.
China National Petroleum, Sinopec Group, and UnitedHealth Group followed in fifth, sixth, and seventh place, respectively.
Apple, CVS Health, and Berkshire Hathaway rounded out the bottom half of Fortune’s findings.
The position of Apple, in particular, was shocking given that it was listed five spots lower than in 2024, according to Eqvista.
Still, Apple’s growth hasn’t stopped by any means.
It had about $387 billion in revenue for 2024, about a 2.8% increase from 2023, per Forbes.
In fact, each company in the top 10 created more than $370 billion in revenue in 2024, making for a collective total of $4.7 trillion.
All companies in the Fortune Global 500 made $41.7 trillion, breaking a record and having an increase of 1.8% from last year’s list.
The list also employed $70.1 million people.
2025 Largest Companies in the World
- Walmart (United States)
- Amazon (United States)
- State Grid (China)
- Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia)
- China National Petroleum (China)
- Sinopec Group (China)
- UnitedHealth Group (United States)
- Apple (United States)
- CVS Health (United States)
- Berkshire Hathaway (United States)
Credit: Fortune
IPHONE IMPACT
Still, Apple did see a steep decline in iPhone sales last year, specifically, per NPR.
In May 2024, the tech giant confirmed a 10% dip in year-over-year iPhone sales for the early spring period of January to March.
It was the biggest downturn for the iPhone since pandemic-related supply chain issues and delays during the summer of 2020.
Apple has continued to expand, innovate, and draw attention despite this, especially with its continued push into the AI space with Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 lineup, and more.
PAY IT
One of the most intriguing developments in recent years from the company has been the Apple Card.
It was first released in August 2019 and promises no annual, late, or foreign transaction fees.
There’s also 3% cash back on all purchases, making it compete with top banks that offer similar perks through credit cards like JPMorgan Chase, American Express, and Capital One.
Customers also get a unique interest cost estimate feature when they choose a desired amount to pay down on the card.
Some financial institutions are even offering free money this summer to select consumers.
JPMorgan Chase, for example, has a deal for $500 in extra cash with no deadline and a few crucial steps to follow.
American Express is also promising $250 in bonus cash for a new credit card.
