Source: Financial Times Global 500.

The World's 20 Largest Corporations by Market Value, 2009 ($US millions)

There is significant temporal variations of the ranking of the world's largest corporations which goes with the ebb and flows of the global economy. For instance, in early 1990s, the were a substantial number of Japanese banks and industrial conglomerates among the largest corporations, which after the economic setbacks of Japan are no longer among the top. In recent years, energy companies have improved their ranking due to significant increase in energy prices. American corporations remain among the largest, but several Chinese corporations are now in the list of the top 20. The financial crisis of 2008 has substantially impacted the market value and the rank of the largest corporations, pushing many banks out of the list as their assets were repriced. It was estimated by the Financial Times that between 2008 and 2009, the stock market valuation of the world's 500 largest corporations lost 42% of its value.

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