In the last seven years the revenues and profits of the world’s largest corporations have grown at twice the rate of the GNI of the world’s largest economies (and a lot faster than the flat-lining Euro economies.)
NB – There’s no actual analysis here (yet) – make of it what you will!
2005 | 2011/12 | %change | |
Total GNI top 5 economies | $23.8 trillion | $34.7 trillion | 45% |
Total Revenue top 5 global companies | $1.3 trillion | $2.4 trillion | 85% |
% of revenue as % of total GNI of top five countries | 5.4% | 6.9% | 1.5% |
Total Profit top 10 companies | $151 billion | $295 billion | 95% |
See below for the evidence base – I’m aware of the problems of comparing Revenue/ profits with GNI as a measure of ‘Corporate power’ in relation to Nation State power, but I’m not actually doing that here, am I – I’m doing a historical comparison…
Global 500 Companies by Revenue in 2012
- Royal Dutch Shell – $485 billion
- Exxon-Mobile – $452 billion
- Wall-Mart – $446 billion
- BP. $386 billion
- Sinopec Group – $375 billion
The Most Profitable Companies in the world 2011
- Gazprom – $44 billion
- Exxon-Mobile – $41 billion
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China – $32 billion
- Shell – $30 billion
- Chevron – $26 billion
- China Construction Bank – $26 billion
- Apple – $25 Billion
- BP. – $25 Billion
- BHP Billiton – $23 billion
- Microsoft – $23 Billion
1 | Wal-Mart Stores | 287,989.0 | 10,267.0 |
2 | BP | 285,059.0 | 15,371.0 |
3 | Exxon Mobil | 270,772.0 | 25,330.0 |
4 | Royal Dutch/Shell Group | 268,690.0 | 18,183.0 |
5 | General Motors | 193,517.0 | 2,805.0 |
6 | DaimlerChrysler | 176,687.5 | 3,067.1 |
7 | Toyota Motor | 172,616.3 | 10,898.2 |
8 | Ford Motor | 172,233.0 | 3,487.0 |
9 | General Electric | 152,866.0 | 16,819.0 |
10 | Total | 152,609.5 | 11,955.0 |
Profit for top 10 companies = $151 billion (Roughly – you’ll need to go to the top 100 list on the link above!)
Profits of top ten companies change in 7 years –
- 2005 – $151 billion
- 2007 – $295 billion
- Change = 95%
Revenue of top five global companies change in 7 years –
- 2005 – $1.3 trillion
- 2007 – $2.4 trillion
- Growth = 85%
- USA – 12 – 15 trillion
- China 2.24 trillion – 7.30 trillion
- Japan 4.6 -6.0 trillion
- Germany 2.79 – 3.63 trillion
- France 2.17 – 2.82 trillion
- Brazil 856 bn – 2.42 trillion
- UK 2.38 – 2.4 trillion (Thanks George, you f******* twatt)
- Italy 1.78 -2.18 trillion
- India 828bn -1.83 trillion
- Canada -1.11 -1.70 trillion
- 2005 – 23.8 Trillion
- 2007 – 34.7 Trillion
- Growth – 45%
- (Growth top ten = 62%)