Last week, we noted that the group of the world’s 50 largest companies by market capitalization is now bigger, more profitable, and pays less in taxes. But Bloomberg’s analysis of these global giants also reveals other significant changes within this group. On the one hand, while U.S. companies lead the pack—in fact, their number rose from 25 in 2010 to 32 in 2020—the presence of Chinese companies has continued to grow. With 8 companies in the top 50—up from just one in 2000 to 7 in 2010—Chinese firms are the second-largest group. The second finding is also no surprise: in 2020, 21 of the top 50 are technology companies, compared to just 8 in 2010.

Source: Bloomberg