Volkswagen at No. 1 leads Top Ten dominated by car makers, energy
Germany leads country count; Financials leads all sectors on the 2024 ranking with 100 companies
Fortune 500 Europe list launched in conjunction with Fortune CEO Forum 2024 in London, convening 40 CEOs for invitation-only event
LONDON, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Fortune unveiled the Fortune 500 Europe, the world’s most authoritative ranking of Europe’s largest companies by revenue. Volkswagen claimed the top spot on the Fortune 500 Europe list, with $348 billion in revenue, up 19%, and taking over from Shell, whose revenues fell 16%. While Germany had the largest total of companies from a single country, the Fortune 500 Europe includes companies from 24 different countries in the region.
More than half of all 500 companies come from just 4 countries: Germany (79), UK (77), France (67) and Switzerland (36). But the Franco-German axis is creaking. The region’s most profitable companies are now in Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, and Ireland. In southern Europe, Spain’s and Italy’s companies are marginally more profitable than the region overall.
The Fortune 500 Europe Top 10 List:
Volkswagen (Germany)Shell (UK)TotalEnergies (France)Glencore (Switzerland) BP (UK)Stellantis (Netherlands) BMW Group (Germany)Mercedes-Benz Group (Germany)Electricité de France (France)Banco Santander (Spain)
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Grethe Schepers, Lists Director, Europe said, “The 2024 Fortune 500 Europe list highlights the good and the bad, illustrating pressures on innovation and competitiveness. Profits are up 7.6% but when it comes to diversity, women’s leadership is shrinking—female CEOs now lead just 6.2% of companies, down from 7% last year. The technology sector pales in comparison to the US, accounting for just 2% of all list revenue with profits and employment shrinking. Financials, however, staged a remarkable cyclical comeback boosted by higher interest rates.”
Alex Wood Morton, Executive Editor, Europe added, “Europe is at a crossroads. This year’s list has echoes of the Fortune 500 in America 20 years ago, when it was dominated by oil and gas and car makers. The challenge for European companies is innovation at scale–those that can adapt and embrace new technologies will gain the edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
This year’s Fortune 500 Europe list is being launched in conjunction with the Fortune CEO Forum 2024 in London (today), which will convene 40 CEOs for an exclusive and invitation-only event to discuss and dissect the business-critical themes at the top of every CEO’s agenda. The day’s session will address mastering AI responsibly, raising European competitiveness, the transition to green energy, and how to thrive in an ever-changing world for consumers and workers.
For the Fortune 500 Europe list, companies are ranked by total revenues for their latest available respective fiscal years. All companies on the list must publish financial data and report part or all of their figures to a government agency. The latest figures in the list are as reported by the companies; any comparisons are with the prior year’s figures as originally reported. Fortune does not restate the prior year’s figures for changes in accounting.
About Fortune:
Fortune is a global multi-platform media company built on a legacy of trusted, award-winning reporting and information for those who want to make business better. Independently owned, Fortune tells the stories of the world’s biggest companies and their leaders as well as a new generation of innovators who are moving business forward. Digitally and in print, Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World’s Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum and Brainstorm Tech. For more information, visit fortune.com.
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Fortune
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Aslesha Mehta
Fortune
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