Top Swiss companies grow faster than EU average
The top Swiss companies performed well in terms of sales and profits in 2024 in a difficult global environment, while large European companies had to make up ground. These are the findings of an EY study on the 1,000 companies with the highest turnover worldwide.
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A total of 20 Swiss companies made it into the global top 1,000 ranking. Together, they generated annual sales of €682 billion (CHF683 billion), an increase of 3.3% compared to the previous year, management consultants EY announced on Monday.
The Swiss field is led by commodities group Glencore in 20th place in the global ranking (turnover €213.4 billion), followed by Nestlé (59th place; €95.9 billion), Roche (117th place; €65.5 billion), Novartis (177th place; €47.8 billion) and ABB (303rd place; €30.4 billion). The other top Swiss players include Holcim, Kühne+Nagel, Adecco, Richemont, Swisscom, Barry Callebaut, Sandoz and Also.
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This puts Switzerland in 11th place in the country comparison, ahead of economies such as Brazil, Australia, Sweden and Italy. The stable economic and political environment makes Switzerland particularly attractive for companies in times of geopolitical uncertainty, explained EY expert Olivier Mange.
The US remains the undisputed leader in the ranking with 317 companies, followed by China/Hong Kong (137) and Japan (110). Europe’s heavyweights, such as Germany with 43 companies, are coming under increasing pressure in global competition.
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US and Asian companies in the lead
Internationally, US and Asian companies are ahead: while Europe’s top companies achieved an average 1.1% less turnover, US companies recorded a plus of 4.5% and Asian companies even 3.2%. The three companies with the highest turnover in the world are the two US groups Walmart (€629 billion) and Amazon (€590 billion) as well as Saudi Aramco (€444 billion).
Europe also lags behind in terms of profit development: operating profit shrank by 6.5%, while it grew by 19.5% in Asia and 8.2% in the US. Not a single European group is among the ten most profitable companies in the world.
In Switzerland, on the other hand, stability is evident: 60% of the top Swiss companies increased their turnover. Nestlé (€15.5 billion; 40th place), Roche (€14.1 billion; 47th place) and Novartis (€13.4 billion; 51st place) were particularly successful in terms of profits. They are among the 100 most profitable companies in the world.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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