Each year, Fortune Magazine publishes the list of the top 500 companies around the world ranked by revenue. This article takes a cursory look at the geographic distribution of Global 500 companies based on headquarters for the year 2016.
Which Countries Have the Most Global 500 Companies?
There are 33 total countries around the world that have at least one Global 500 company headquartered. The top ten countries with the most Global 500 companies make up almost 83% of the total number. The United States leads with over a quarter of all Global 500 companies with 134 companies. China is the country with the second largest number of Global 500 countries with 103. Japan rounds out the top three with 52 countries.
To see the full list of Global 500 companies summarized by country, click on the “+” in the table below.
| Country | Number of Companies |
|---|---|
| USA | 134 |
| China | 103 |
| Japan | 52 |
| France | 29 |
| Germany | 28 |
| Britain | 25 |
| South Korea | 15 |
| Switzerland | 15 |
| Netherlands | 12 |
| Canada | 11 |
| Italy | 9 |
| Spain | 9 |
| Australia | 8 |
| Brazil | 7 |
| India | 7 |
| Taiwan | 7 |
| Russia | 5 |
| Singapore | 3 |
| Sweden | 3 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Britain/Netherlands | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Indonesia | 1 |
| Luxembourg | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1 |
| Norway | 1 |
| Poland | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| Thailand | 1 |
| Turkey | 1 |
| U.A.E. | 1 |
Which Cities Have the Most Global 500 Companies?
There are 226 different cities around the world that can claim at least one Global 500 company. The city with the most Global 500 companies is Beijing with 57. Tokyo is second with 37 companies. London, New York, and Paris are tied for third with 17 companies each.
| City | Number of Companies |
|---|---|
| Beijing | 57 |
| Tokyo | 37 |
| London | 17 |
| New York | 17 |
| Paris | 17 |
| Seoul | 11 |
| Shanghai | 9 |
| Hong Kong | 7 |
| Houston | 7 |
| Osaka | 7 |
| Zurich | 7 |
| Toronto, Ontario | 6 |
| Madrid | 5 |
| Moscow | 5 |
| Mumbai | 5 |
| Shenzhen | 5 |
| Atlanta | 4 |
| Chicago | 4 |
| Munich | 4 |
| Taipei | 4 |
| Amsterdam | 3 |
| Basel | 3 |
| Cincinnati | 3 |
| Courbevoie | 3 |
| Dublin | 3 |
| Essen | 3 |
| Guangzhou | 3 |
| Hanover | 3 |
| Rome | 3 |
| San Antonio | 3 |
| Singapore | 3 |
| St. Louis | 3 |
| Sao Paulo | 3 |
| Bilbao | 2 |
| Bonn | 2 |
| Boulogne-Billancourt | 2 |
| Calgary, Alberta | 2 |
| Charlotte | 2 |
| Dallas | 2 |
| Deerfield | 2 |
| Docklands | 2 |
| Falls Church | 2 |
| Framingham | 2 |
| Frankfurt | 2 |
| Hangzhou | 2 |
| Kariya | 2 |
| McLean | 2 |
| Melbourne | 2 |
| Memphis | 2 |
| Mexico City | 2 |
| Milan | 2 |
| Milwaukee | 2 |
| Minneapolis | 2 |
| Omaha | 2 |
| Perth | 2 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 2 |
| Rotterdam | 2 |
| Rueil-Malmaison | 2 |
| San Francisco | 2 |
| Stockholm | 2 |
| Stuttgart | 2 |
| Sydney | 2 |
| The Hague | 2 |
| Turin | 2 |
| Washington | 2 |
| Xi’an | 2 |
| Armonk | 1 |
| Arteixo | 1 |
| Aurora, Ontario | 1 |
| Baar | 1 |
| Bad Homburg | 1 |
| Bangalore | 1 |
| Bangkok | 1 |
| Barcelona | 1 |
| Beaverton | 1 |
| Bella Vista | 1 |
| Bentonville | 1 |
| Berlin | 1 |
| Bethesda | 1 |
| Bloomfield | 1 |
| Bloomington | 1 |
| Bologna | 1 |
| Boston | 1 |
| Bradford | 1 |
| Braslia | 1 |
| Brentford | 1 |
| Brussels | 1 |
| Burbank | 1 |
| Camp Hill | 1 |
| Centennial | 1 |
| Changchun | 1 |
| Changzhi | 1 |
| Chertsey | 1 |
| Chesterbrook | 1 |
| Chiba | 1 |
| Clearwater | 1 |
| Clermont-Ferrand | 1 |
| Clichy | 1 |
| Cologne | 1 |
| Columbus | 1 |
| Copenhagen | 1 |
| Croix | 1 |
| Cupertino | 1 |
| Daegu | 1 |
| Datong | 1 |
| Dearborn | 1 |
| Detroit | 1 |
| Diemen | 1 |
| Dubai | 1 |
| Dusseldorf | 1 |
| Edinburgh | 1 |
| Fairfield | 1 |
| Farmington | 1 |
| Findlay | 1 |
| Fort Worth | 1 |
| Foshan | 1 |
| Foster City | 1 |
| Franklin | 1 |
| Friedrichshafen | 1 |
| Fuzhou | 1 |
| Glattbrugg | 1 |
| Guixi | 1 |
| Gateborg | 1 |
| Haikou City | 1 |
| Hamamatsu | 1 |
| Hamburg | 1 |
| Hartford | 1 |
| Hiroshima | 1 |
| Hoffman Estates | 1 |
| Hopkinton | 1 |
| Hounslow | 1 |
| Hsinchu | 1 |
| Indianapolis | 1 |
| Inver Grove Heights | 1 |
| Irvine | 1 |
| Irving | 1 |
| Issaquah | 1 |
| Issy-les-Moulineaux | 1 |
| Istanbul | 1 |
| Jakarta | 1 |
| Jeollanam-do | 1 |
| Jinan | 1 |
| Jincheng | 1 |
| Jona | 1 |
| Karlsruhe | 1 |
| Kenilworth | 1 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 1 |
| Lakeland | 1 |
| Laval, Quebec | 1 |
| Leiden | 1 |
| Leuven | 1 |
| Leverkusen | 1 |
| Louisville | 1 |
| Ludwigshafen | 1 |
| Luxembourg | 1 |
| Mannheim | 1 |
| Miami | 1 |
| Midland | 1 |
| Minnetonka | 1 |
| Moline | 1 |
| Montreal, Quebec | 1 |
| Mooresville | 1 |
| Morris Plains | 1 |
| Mountain View | 1 |
| Nagoya | 1 |
| Nanjing | 1 |
| Nashville | 1 |
| New Brunswick | 1 |
| New Delhi | 1 |
| New Taipei City | 1 |
| Newark | 1 |
| Newbury | 1 |
| North Chicago | 1 |
| Northbrook | 1 |
| Oak Brook | 1 |
| Osasco | 1 |
| Palo Alto | 1 |
| Peoria | 1 |
| Philadelphia | 1 |
| Phoenix | 1 |
| Plock | 1 |
| Purchase | 1 |
| Redmond | 1 |
| Redwood City | 1 |
| Richfield | 1 |
| Riyadh | 1 |
| Rosemont | 1 |
| San Diego | 1 |
| San Jose | 1 |
| San Ramon | 1 |
| Santa Clara | 1 |
| Seattle | 1 |
| Shandong | 1 |
| Shijiazhuang | 1 |
| Springdale | 1 |
| Springfield | 1 |
| St. Denis | 1 |
| St. Paul | 1 |
| Stavanger | 1 |
| Suwon | 1 |
| Taiyuan | 1 |
| Taoyuan | 1 |
| Thousand Oaks | 1 |
| Tianjin | 1 |
| Toyota | 1 |
| Trieste | 1 |
| Ulsan | 1 |
| Utrecht | 1 |
| Vevey | 1 |
| Vienna | 1 |
| Walldorf | 1 |
| Waltham | 1 |
| Welwyn Garden City | 1 |
| White Plains | 1 |
| Wilmington | 1 |
| Windsor | 1 |
| Wolfsburg | 1 |
| Woonsocket | 1 |
| Wuhan | 1 |
| Xingtai | 1 |
| Yangquan | 1 |
| Yokohama | 1 |
| Zaandam | 1 |
| Zeist | 1 |
| Zhangjiagang | 1 |
| Zug | 1 |
Which U.S. States Have the Most Global 500 Companies
There are a total of 29 states and the District of Columbia which can boast at least one Global 500 company. New York leads the way with 20 companies. California, Illinois, and Texas are tied for second with 14 companies each.
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| State | Number of Companies |
|---|---|
| New York | 20 |
| California | 14 |
| Illinois | 14 |
| Texas | 14 |
| Massachusetts | 6 |
| Minnesota | 6 |
| Ohio | 6 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| New Jersey | 4 |
| Tennessee | 4 |
| Virginia | 4 |
| Florida | 3 |
| Michigan | 3 |
| Missouri | 3 |
| North Carolina | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 |
| Washington | 3 |
| Arkansas | 2 |
| Nebraska | 2 |
| Washington DC | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Kentucky | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 |
The Northern Hemisphere and Global 500
Out of the 500 companies on the list, only 16 are headquartered in the southern hemisphere. Eight companies are located in Australia, seven in Brazil, and one in Indonesia.
