Top companies in the world
Fortune has listed the top 500 companies in the world by revenue, with Apple showing tremendous growth in the tech space.
The Fortune Global 500 lists the largest companies across the world based on revenue and profits, and differs from the Fortune 500 which looks at companies operating out of the USA.
Topping the list, and retaining its position from last year, is petroleum giant, Royal Dutch Shell, which brought in US$481.7 billion in revenue despite facing a tough time extending its operations.
With the exception of Wal-Mart (2nd), Toyota (8th) and Volkswagen (9th) – the rest of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies are all part of the power, energy and petroleum field.
Top 10 companies by revenue
| # | Company | Revenue (US$bn) |
| 1 | Royal Dutch Shell | 481.7 |
| 2 | Wal-Mart Stores | 469.2 |
| 3 | Exxon Mobil | 449.9 |
| 4 | Sinopec Group | 428.2 |
| 5 | China National Petroleum | 408.6 |
| 6 | BP | 388.3 |
| 7 | State Grid | 298.4 |
| 8 | Toyota Motor | 265.7 |
| 9 | Volkswagen | 247.6 |
| 10 | Total | 234.3 |
In terms of profits, Exxon Mobil takes the top spot as the most profitable Fortune 500 company, raking in US$44.88 billion in profit in 2012.
While not featured in the top 10 by revenue – iPhone maker Apple is the second most profitable Fortune 500 company in the world, with US$41.7 billion in profit.
Top 10 companies by profit
| # | Company | Revenue (US$bn) | Profit (US$bn) |
| 3 | Exxon Mobil | 449.9 | 44.9 |
| 19 | Apple | 156.5 | 41.7 |
| 21 | Gazprom | 153.5 | 38.1 |
| 29 | Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | 133.6 | 37.8 |
| 50 | China Construction Bank | 113.4 | 30.6 |
| 9 | Volkswagen | 247.6 | 27.9 |
| 1 | Royal Dutch Shell | 481.7 | 26.6 |
| 11 | Chevron | 233.9 | 26.2 |
| 64 | Agricultural Bank of China | 103.5 | 23.0 |
| 70 | Bank of China | 98.4 | 22.1 |
Global tech and telecoms companies are well spread amongst the top 50.
The tech company which brought in the most revenue over the reporting period is South Korean electronics giant, Samsung, recording US$178.6 billion, placing 14th overall.
Samsung’s favourable position was driven by TV and mobile phone sales, which boosted revenues by 20%, Fortune said.
Hot on Samsung’s heels in 19th place (climbing up from 55th last year), the second best tech company listed on the Fortune 500 is smartphone rival, Apple.
Apple brought home a revenue stream of US$157 billion in 2012, driven by the iPhone 5 and introduction of the iPad Mini, Fortune said.
Top 10 tech companies by revenue
| # | Company | Revenue (US$bn) |
| 14 | Samsung Electronics | 178.6 |
| 19 | Apple | 156.5 |
| 24 | General Electric | 146.9 |
| 30 | Hon Hai Precision Industry | 132.1 |
| 32 | Nippon Telegraph & Telephone | 128.9 |
| 34 | AT&T | 127.4 |
| 43 | Hewlett-Packard | 120.4 |
| 48 | Verizon Communications | 115.8 |
| 53 | Siemens | 109.0 |
| 54 | Hitachi | 108.9 |
Internet companies, Amazon (149th – US$61.1 billion) and Google (189th – US$52.2 billion) also feature in the top 250.
You can find the full Fortune Global 500 here.
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