Markets
The World’s Largest 50 Companies by Revenue
Billions of dollars, 2016
World’s Largest 50 Companies by Revenue in 2016
Today’s data visualization comes from Datashown, and it compares the world’s largest companies by their 2016 revenues to really help put the size and scale of these companies into perspective.
As just one example, despite being worth more than the majority of brick and mortar retailers combined, Amazon ranks just #44 in terms of global revenue to barely crack the list.
If Amazon is a “small fry”, then what kind of massive conglomerates populate the list?
Flying Under the Radar
While familiar global oil firms and massive banks make up a good portion of the companies on the list, there are also many companies in China and Europe that are less likely to ring a bell.
Here is a primer on some of the companies that clearly rank among the world’s largest, but fly a little under the radar – especially for North Americans:
Exor
Have you heard of Exor? It was the second-largest financial company in the world in 2016 with $153 billion in revenue. This Italian investment company owns chunks of The Economist Group, Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari, Juventus F.C. – just to name a few of its holdings.
Ping An Insurance
Ping An literally means “safe and well”, and the company is China’s second-largest insurer. The company is also well-known for being an early backer of Lufax, an online P2P lending platform, which is one of the biggest fintech unicorns out there.
E-ON
E-ON is a European conglomerate based in Essen, Germany. It’s one of the world’s largest investor-owned electric utility service providers, and serves 33 million customers in over 30 countries. The company is focused on energy networks, customer solutions, and renewables. It also owns nuclear power plants in Germany, but considers that a non-core part of its business. According to Fortune, the company brought in $129 billion in revenues in 2016.
AXA
AXA is a French multinational insurance firm with business in global insurance, investment management, and other financial services. It had $129 billion in revenues in 2016.
State Grid
The second-largest company in the world is a state-owned electric utility company in China. It has a whopping 1.9 million employees, 1.1 billion customers, and revenues of $330 billion.
Other State-Owned Enterprises in China
It’s hard to keep track of all the state-owned giants in China such as State Grid – but there are many others out there that also make the list of the top companies by revenue.
Those include massive enterprises like Sinopec, China National Petroleum, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and China Construction Bank.
Economy
Economic Growth Forecasts for G7 and BRICS Countries in 2024
The IMF has released its economic growth forecasts for 2024. How do the G7 and BRICS countries compare?
G7 & BRICS Real GDP Growth Forecasts for 2024
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) has released its real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2024, and while global growth is projected to stay steady at 3.2%, various major nations are seeing declining forecasts.
This chart visualizes the 2024 real GDP growth forecasts using data from the IMF’s 2024 World Economic Outlook for G7 and BRICS member nations along with Saudi Arabia, which is still considering an invitation to join the bloc.
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Mixed Economic Growth Prospects for Major Nations in 2024
Economic growth projections by the IMF for major nations are mixed, with the majority of G7 and BRICS countries forecasted to have slower growth in 2024 compared to 2023.
Only three BRICS-invited or member countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and South Africa, have higher projected real GDP growth rates in 2024 than last year.
| Group | Country | Real GDP Growth (2023) | Real GDP Growth (2024P) |
|---|---|---|---|
| G7 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| G7 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| G7 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1.9% | 0.9% |
| G7 | 🇫🇷 France | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| G7 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| G7 | 🇬🇧 UK | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| G7 | 🇩🇪 Germany | -0.3% | 0.2% |
| BRICS | 🇮🇳 India | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| BRICS | 🇨🇳 China | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| BRICS | 🇦🇪 UAE | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| BRICS | 🇮🇷 Iran | 4.7% | 3.3% |
| BRICS | 🇷🇺 Russia | 3.6% | 3.2% |
| BRICS | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 3.8% | 3.0% |
| BRICS-invited | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | -0.8% | 2.6% |
| BRICS | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.9% | 2.2% |
| BRICS | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| BRICS | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 7.2% | 6.2% |
| 🌍 World | 3.2% | 3.2% |
China and India are forecasted to maintain relatively high growth rates in 2024 at 4.6% and 6.8% respectively, but compared to the previous year, China is growing 0.6 percentage points slower while India is an entire percentage point slower.
On the other hand, four G7 nations are set to grow faster than last year, which includes Germany making its comeback from its negative real GDP growth of -0.3% in 2023.
Faster Growth for BRICS than G7 Nations
Despite mostly lower growth forecasts in 2024 compared to 2023, BRICS nations still have a significantly higher average growth forecast at 3.6% compared to the G7 average of 1%.
While the G7 countries’ combined GDP is around $15 trillion greater than the BRICS nations, with continued higher growth rates and the potential to add more members, BRICS looks likely to overtake the G7 in economic size within two decades.
BRICS Expansion Stutters Before October 2024 Summit
BRICS’ recent expansion has stuttered slightly, as Argentina’s newly-elected president Javier Milei declined its invitation and Saudi Arabia clarified that the country is still considering its invitation and has not joined BRICS yet.
Even with these initial growing pains, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters in February that 34 different countries have submitted applications to join the growing BRICS bloc.
Any changes to the group are likely to be announced leading up to or at the 2024 BRICS summit which takes place October 22-24 in Kazan, Russia.
Get the Full Analysis of the IMF’s Outlook on VC+
This visual is part of an exclusive special dispatch for VC+ members which breaks down the key takeaways from the IMF’s 2024 World Economic Outlook.
For the full set of charts and analysis, sign up for VC+.
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