The world’s largest companies by employees represent the backbone of the global economy. These organizations employ millions of people across retail, manufacturing, energy, technology, logistics, and public services. Ranking companies by employee count helps readers understand which businesses have the widest human footprint and the greatest influence on livelihoods worldwide. From multinational retailers to state-owned enterprises, workforce size reflects operational scale, geographic reach, and service intensity. In 2026, this ranking highlights how labor-intensive industries continue to dominate employment, even as automation and digital transformation reshape how companies operate.
Behind every large workforce is a complex mix of supply chains, regional operations, and business models. Employee counts usually include full-time and part-time staff and, in some cases, contract workers when they are part of core operations. Companies with global retail networks, logistics arms, energy infrastructure, or public services naturally employ more people than capital-light digital firms. Geography also matters, as firms operating in emerging markets often rely more on human labor. Over recent years, workforce growth has been influenced by e-commerce expansion, infrastructure investment, and the resilience of essential services during economic uncertainty.
Top 10 Largest Companies by Employees in the World 2026
- Walmart: 2,100,000 employees
- Amazon: 1,525,000 employees
- China National Petroleum: 1,090,000 employees
- State Grid: 871,000 employees
- Foxconn: 767,000 employees
- Accenture: 742,000 employees
- Volkswagen: 675,000 employees
- United States Postal Service: 525,000 employees
- Toyota Motor Corporation: 375,000 employees
- IBM: 288,000 employees
The top 10 list shows a clear dominance of retail, logistics, energy, and manufacturing giants. Walmart leads by a wide margin, reflecting its massive global retail and warehouse network. Amazon follows with over 1.5 million employees, driven by fulfillment centers and logistics operations supporting global e-commerce. Chinese state-owned enterprises such as China National Petroleum and State Grid highlight how national infrastructure and energy providers employ vast workforces. Foxconn and Volkswagen demonstrate the labor scale required for global manufacturing, while Accenture stands out as a services company with a very large professional workforce. Public and legacy technology employers like USPS and IBM complete the list.
Full Data Table
| # | Company | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walmart | 2,100,000 |
| 2 | Amazon | 1,525,000 |
| 3 | China National Petroleum | 1,090,000 |
| 4 | State Grid | 871,000 |
| 5 | Foxconn | 767,000 |
| 6 | Accenture | 742,000 |
| 7 | Volkswagen | 675,000 |
| 8 | United States Postal Service | 525,000 |
| 9 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 375,000 |
| 10 | IBM | 288,000 |
| 11 | Sinopec Group | 385,000 |
| 12 | China State Construction Engineering | 382,000 |
| 13 | Hitachi | 350,000 |
| 14 | China Railway Construction | 342,000 |
| 15 | Ping An Insurance | 340,000 |
| 16 | Siemens | 320,000 |
| 17 | China Railway Engineering | 314,000 |
| 18 | Samsung Electronics | 267,000 |
| 19 | AT&T | 160,000 |
| 20 | McDonald's | 150,000 |
| 21 | Hon Hai Precision Industry | 830,000 |
| 22 | China Life Insurance | 182,000 |
| 23 | Bosch | 421,000 |
| 24 | Nestlé | 275,000 |
| 25 | Tata Group | 935,000 |
| 26 | IBM India | 130,000 |
| 27 | JPMorgan Chase | 309,000 |
| 28 | Alphabet | 182,000 |
| 29 | BP | 87,000 |
| 30 | Boeing | 171,000 |
| 31 | Deutsche Post DHL Group | 594,000 |
| 32 | Tesco | 345,000 |
| 33 | Carrefour | 321,000 |
| 34 | Royal Dutch Shell | 93,000 |
| 35 | Allianz | 159,000 |
| 36 | Honda Motor | 218,000 |
| 37 | General Motors | 163,000 |
| 38 | Hyundai Motor Group | 250,000 |
| 39 | Costco Wholesale | 316,000 |
| 40 | FedEx | 529,000 |
| 41 | China Post Group | 900,000 |
| 42 | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China | 430,000 |
| 43 | China Mobile | 450,000 |
| 44 | Agricultural Bank of China | 460,000 |
| 45 | China Construction Bank | 370,000 |
| 46 | Wells Fargo | 238,000 |
| 47 | Bank of China | 306,000 |
| 48 | Microsoft | 221,000 |
| 49 | Intel | 124,000 |
| 50 | Tencent | 110,000 |
Key Points
- Retail and e-commerce companies dominate the top positions due to labor-intensive store and logistics operations.
- State-owned enterprises from China account for several of the highest employee counts, reflecting national infrastructure roles.
- Manufacturing groups employ hundreds of thousands of workers across global production networks.
- Service-based companies like Accenture show that consulting and IT services can scale to very large workforces.
- Automotive companies remain major employers because of complex supply chains and assembly operations.
- Public sector and quasi-government organizations continue to rank high due to nationwide service coverage.
- Employee counts vary widely even among top companies, indicating different operating models and automation levels.
Large employers play a critical role in global economic stability, job creation, and skill development. The 2026 ranking of the largest companies by employees shows that scale still matters, especially in sectors that depend on physical presence, logistics, and infrastructure. While technology continues to automate many tasks, these companies prove that human labor remains essential at the highest levels of operation. Looking ahead, workforce sizes may evolve with artificial intelligence, robotics, and sustainability goals, but the companies listed here will likely remain central to employment worldwide for years to come.
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