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

25,257,092 companies tracked

General contractors, builders and special trade firms worldwide.

Restaurants

14,174,733 companies tracked

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

Retail Companies

27,794,774 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 20,482,970 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.

20,482,970companies
  • General Contractors-Single-Family Houses3,331,051
  • General Contractors-Residential Buildings, Other Than Single-Family2,668,137
  • Painting and Paper Hanging2,403,891
  • Operative Builders2,165,413
  • Electrical Work1,932,683
  • Plumbing, Heating and Air-Conditioning1,753,611
  • Masonry, Stone Setting, and Other Stone Work993,588
  • Carpentry Work854,012
  • Other sub-sectors4,380,584

Restaurants breakdown

Of the 14,174,733 companies in this category, the largest sub-sectors are eating places and drinking places (alcoholic beverages).

14,174,733companies
  • Eating Places12,617,955
  • Drinking Places (alcoholic Beverages)1,556,778

Retail Companies breakdown

Of the 19,537,489 companies in this category, the largest sub-sectors are grocery stores, miscellaneous food stores and miscellaneous apparel and accessory stores.

19,537,489companies
  • Grocery Stores3,736,027
  • Miscellaneous Food Stores2,143,335
  • Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Stores1,856,268
  • Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores1,667,190
  • Catalog and Mail-Order Houses1,566,261
  • Department Stores1,132,032
  • Furniture Stores1,130,185
  • Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores892,881
  • Other sub-sectors5,413,310

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 Places12,617,955Real Estate Agents and Manag…7,341,416Management Consulting Servic…5,193,019Beauty Shops4,799,776Computer Programmi…4,197,103Grocery Stores3,736,027Management Services3,662,130General Contra…3,331,051General Contra…2,668,137Engineering Se…2,629,913Painting and P…2,403,891Offices and Cl…2,383,988General Farm…2,359,514Computer Int…2,287,502Operative Bu…2,165,413Miscellaneou…2,143,335Land Subdivi…2,122,833Legal Servic…2,107,853Hotels and M…2,043,625Local Truck…2,011,2121,932,6831,924,167Brick, Stone…1,901,433Civic, Socia…1,891,701Accounting, …1,861,801Miscellaneou…1,856,268Advertising …1,811,8561,800,1331,788,3771,782,5231,753,6111,737,6501,724,4031,676,8831,667,190Religious O…1,633,769Metals Serv…1,622,5761,566,2611,556,7781,491,6711,451,1111,431,5401,379,4921,361,9291,357,7661,270,8081,240,4551,226,3321,177,6381,170,203
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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