Walmart was in first place for the ninth consecutive year in the list that brings together the 500 largest companies in the world, published this Tuesday (2) by Fortune, an American magazine focused on business. This is the 17th time the company has ranked number one since 1995.
The company had more than $570 billion in revenue, up 2.4% in sales and 1.2% in profits, in 2021. “Due, in part, to its electronics offerings, competing with rivals delivery services such as DoorDash,” the magazine said.
In second place was Amazon, with revenue close to $469 billion. This was the highest level ever reached by the company.
Chinese energy giants State Grid, China National Petroleum and Sinopec rounded out the top five. The energy sector was the best performing market in earnings in the survey, with $485 billion.
Of the 500, 21 made their debut on the list, while 23 returned after a hiatus of at least a year.
“The recovery from Covid-19 has created a favorable scenario for the largest companies in the world. Revenues increased 19%, the highest annual growth rate in history. Aggregate profits soared 88%, the highest annual increase since 2004,” Scott DeCarlo, editor of the Fortune list, said in a note.
The companies that make up the annual ranking also achieved record profits in 2021.
For the first time, revenues from companies in China (including Taiwan) surpassed revenues from US companies. The Asian country has the most companies on the list, 145. The United States is in second place, with 124, and Japan in third place, with 47.
Together, the three countries account for 32% of the list and over 68% of revenue. There are also 115 state-owned companies on the list, with more than two-thirds based in China.
In all, the Fortune Global 500 companies in 2022 employed 69.6 million people. And the number of female CEOs rose to 24 this year from 23 last year.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am Sophia william, author of World Stock Market. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and I have worked as a reporter for several news websites. I have a passion for writing and informing people about the latest news and events happening in the world. I strive to be accurate and unbiased in my reporting, and I hope to provide readers with valuable information that they can use to make informed decisions.
