Companies by Industry, Worldwide

Every industry has a story. From construction and restaurants to software and healthcare, companydata.com publishes lists of verified companies across more than 1,500 industry classifications in over 200 countries. Pick an industry to see the largest companies in it, how the sector breaks down by sub-classification, and where it sits in the worldwide picture.

365M+Companies tracked
1.5K+Industries covered
200+Countries

The world's three biggest industries by company count

Construction, restaurants and retail are the most populous sectors in our worldwide list. Each card shows the largest five companies in that industry by employee size. Click any company name to expand the full firmographic record.

Construction Companies

25,424,321 companies tracked

General contractors, builders and special trade firms worldwide.

Restaurants

14,235,468 companies tracked

Restaurants, cafes, fast food chains and dining venues across every country.

Retail Companies

28,066,887 companies tracked

Stores, chains and consumer-facing retailers, from department stores to specialty shops.

What's inside each major industry

Industries aren't monolithic. Construction splits between general contractors, heavy construction and specialty trades. Restaurants divides into eating places and drinking places. Retail spans department stores, apparel, electronics and more. Here's how each of our three biggest sectors breaks down by SIC sub-classification.

Construction Companies breakdown

Of the 20,619,820 companies in this category, the largest sub-sectors are general contractors-single-family houses, general contractors-residential buildings, other than single-family and painting and paper hanging.

20,619,820companies
  • General Contractors-Single-Family Houses3,325,693
  • General Contractors-Residential Buildings, Other Than Single-Family2,699,249
  • Painting and Paper Hanging2,415,580
  • Operative Builders2,212,832
  • Electrical Work1,945,251
  • Plumbing, Heating and Air-Conditioning1,764,519
  • Masonry, Stone Setting, and Other Stone Work1,009,876
  • Carpentry Work851,637
  • Other sub-sectors4,395,183

Restaurants breakdown

Of the 14,235,468 companies in this category, the largest sub-sectors are eating places and drinking places (alcoholic beverages).

14,235,468companies
  • Eating Places12,673,683
  • Drinking Places (alcoholic Beverages)1,561,785

Retail Companies breakdown

Of the 19,752,661 companies in this category, the largest sub-sectors are grocery stores, miscellaneous food stores and miscellaneous apparel and accessory stores.

19,752,661companies
  • Grocery Stores3,875,513
  • Miscellaneous Food Stores2,150,668
  • Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Stores1,857,791
  • Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores1,684,863
  • Catalog and Mail-Order Houses1,566,455
  • Department Stores1,163,525
  • Furniture Stores1,128,993
  • Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores896,489
  • Other sub-sectors5,428,364

The 50 biggest industries in the world, mapped to scale

Each tile is a Standard Industrial Classification sector. Tile size is proportional to the number of verified companies indexed worldwide. Hover any tile for the full sector name, company count and share of the global total.

Eating Places12,673,683Real Estate Agents and Manag…7,374,724Management Consulting Servic…5,234,536Beauty Shops4,848,658Computer Programmi…4,273,785Grocery Stores3,875,513Management Services3,695,834General Contra…3,325,693General Contra…2,699,249Engineering Se…2,649,540Painting and P…2,415,580Offices and Cl…2,389,241General Farm…2,380,866Computer Int…2,330,345Operative Bu…2,212,832Miscellaneou…2,150,668Land Subdivi…2,131,743Legal Servic…2,114,987Hotels and M…2,057,784Local Truck…2,030,7681,945,2511,924,690Brick, Stone…1,922,319Civic, Socia…1,895,343Accounting, …1,870,173Miscellaneou…1,857,791Trucking, Ex…1,836,946Advertising…1,820,3221,798,8101,786,8761,764,5191,746,7111,741,3491,684,8631,682,037Religious O…1,642,8861,626,7491,566,4551,561,7851,502,4461,447,9281,438,4911,382,3871,380,1431,364,0521,291,9801,230,7421,197,5691,196,3031,181,453
Hover a tile to see the sector name, company count and share of the global total.

All industries

Explore every industry we cover, worldwide

A complete overview of every industry page on companydata.com, grouped by Standard Industrial Classification division. Pick a sector to see its company list, country coverage and sub-classifications.

Other industries137

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