The Global 2000 measures more than just market value – which is why asset-heavy players like Viva Energy trump higher-valued tech firms like WiseTech and REA. Below, we break down which Australian companies made the cut this year.
Some of the Australian companies on this year’s Global 2000 list are surprising – and so are the ones that didn’t make it.
While the Australian portion of the global list is dominated by the usual suspects of banks and miners, Sigma Healthcare is notable for scraping in at 1,955 following its merger with Chemist Warehouse in February this year.
Melbourne-based petrol station operator Viva Energy lands higher at No. 1,834 – despite a market cap of just US$1.7 billion and a US$50 million loss last financial year. Its spot is buoyed by US$20 billion in annual sales and US$7.5 billion in assets.
Viva Energy’s market capitalisation ranks it as the ASX’s 102nd largest company.
The Forbes Global 2000 is based on four measures – market capitalisation, profits, sales and assets. Viva’s prospects are made brighter by its annuals sales of almost US$20 billion and assets of US$7.5 billion.
Of the 32 Australian companies on the list, 12 are in banking, insurance or financial services, eight are in mining and energy, three are in retail and two are in tech or biotech.
The most notable absentees from the list are Australia’s largest computer tech companies, WiseTech Global [market cap US$23.5 billion] and REA Group [market cap US$20.5 billion]. Atlassian is listed on the Global 2000 but under the United States, following its 2022 redomiciliation, despite its operational and founding roots remaining firmly in Sydney.
Tech companies tend to have fewer tangible assets and their value can rely on anticipated earnings rather than current profits.
Australian companies on the Global 2000
| Rank | Name | Headquarters | Industry | Sales | Profit | Assets | Market Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Commonwealth Bank | Australia | Banking | $45.53 B | $6.44 B | $810.2 B | $176.01 B |
| 125 | BHP Group | Australia | Materials | $53.61 B | $11.39 B | $100.72 B | $123.44 B |
| 132 | NAB – National Australia Bank | Australia | Banking | $41.65 B | $4.59 B | $749.5 B | $68.53 B |
| 140 | Westpac Banking Group | Australia | Banking | $37.91 B | $4.6 B | $748.35 B | $70.04 B |
| 150 | ANZ Group Holdings | Australia | Banking | $43.57 B | $4.31 B | $852.7 B | $54.67 B |
| 271 | Erste Group Bank | Austria | Banking | $25.13 B | $3.24 B | $366.93 B | $27.98 B |
| 285 | Macquarie Group | Australia | Diversified Financials | $20.7 B | $2.36 B | $287.43 B | $44.82 B |
| 441 | CSL | Australia | Drugs & Biotechnology | $15.1 B | $2.75 B | $38.45 B | $74.86 B |
| 494 | Woodside Energy Group | Australia | Oil & Gas Operations | $13.98 B | $3.57 B | $61.26 B | $24.24 B |
| 526 | OMV Group | Austria | Oil & Gas Operations | $36.76 B | $1.5 B | $52.46 B | $16.88 B |
| 535 | Fortescue Metals Group | Australia | Materials | $16.35 B | $3.9 B | $29.22 B | $30.5 B |
| 540 | QBE Insurance Group | Australia | Insurance | $22.82 B | $1.78 B | $44.73 B | $20.68 B |
| 590 | Wesfarmers | Australia | Retailing | $29.59 B | $1.71 B | $17.16 B | $54.93 B |
| 655 | Woolworths | Australia | Food Markets | $45.66 B | $1.07 B | $21.11 B | $24.61 B |
| 687 | Telstra | Australia | Telecommunications Services | $15.24 B | $1.11 B | $28.24 B | $32.64 B |
| 740 | Raiffeisen Bank International | Austria | Banking | $15.61 B | $1.13 B | $206.95 B | $8.64 B |
| 842 | Verbund | Austria | Utilities | $8.92 B | $2.03 B | $19.65 B | $26.09 B |
| 859 | Vienna Insurance Group | Austria | Insurance | $15.41 B | $698 M | $53.01 B | $11.98 B |
| 955 | Coles Group | Australia | Food Markets | $29.36 B | $728.9 M | $12.51 B | $18.18 B |
| 1,072 | Suncorp Group | Australia | Insurance | $10.38 B | $929.4 M | $20.56 B | $13.59 B |
| 1,148 | Santos | Australia | Oil & Gas Operations | $5.47 B | $1.22 B | $30.87 B | $12.18 B |
| 1,230 | Insurance Australia Group | Australia | Insurance | $11.28 B | $837 M | $15.58 B | $12.08 B |
| 1,236 | Bawag Group | Austria | Banking | $3.97 B | $822.1 M | $73.87 B | $8.28 B |
| 1,268 | STRABAG | Austria | Construction | $18.86 B | $700.5 M | $14.54 B | $9.33 B |
| 1,281 | Origin Energy | Australia | Oil & Gas Operations | $11.13 B | $936 M | $12.89 B | $11.31 B |
| 1,293 | Goodman Group | Australia | Diversified Financials | $1.44 B | $607.5 M | $16.96 B | $37.31 B |
| 1,340 | Aristocrat Leisure | Australia | Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure | $4.35 B | $859.1 M | $7.15 B | $25.61 B |
| 1,368 | Qantas Airways | Australia | Transportation | $14.92 B | $860.8 M | $13.52 B | $8.26 B |
| 1,377 | Brambles | Australia | Transportation | $6.63 B | $834.7 M | $8.45 B | $18.32 B |
| 1,452 | Transurban Group | Australia | Transportation | $2.62 B | $49.5 M | $22.09 B | $27.59 B |
| 1,500 | Scentre Group | Australia | Diversified Financials | $1.74 B | $692.4 M | $22.51 B | $11.7 B |
| 1,704 | Computershare | Australia | IT Software & Services | $3.01 B | $700.1 M | $5.05 B | $14.67 B |
| 1,750 | Voestalpine | Austria | Materials | $17.35 B | -$69.2 M | $16.1 B | $4.42 B |
| 1,756 | Ampol | Australia | Oil & Gas Operations | $22.78 B | $80.8 M | $8.25 B | $3.42 B |
| 1,774 | Northern Star Resources | Australia | Materials | $3.66 B | $624.2 M | $8.54 B | $15.23 B |
| 1,798 | Bendigo & Adelaide Bank | Australia | Banking | $3.41 B | $316.3 M | $63.26 B | $3.94 B |
| 1,800 | Uniqa | Austria | Insurance | $8.27 B | $376 M | $30.34 B | $3.54 B |
| 1,806 | Bank of Queensland | Australia | Banking | $3.42 B | $199.5 M | $62.46 B | $3.1 B |
| 1,829 | SGH | Australia | Trading Companies | $7.08 B | $524 M | $8.17 B | $12.88 B |
| 1,834 | Viva Energy Group | Australia | Oil & Gas Operations | $19.88 B | -$50.3 M | $7.51 B | $1.7 B |
| 1,955 | Sigma Healthcare | Australia | Drugs & Biotechnology | $3.18 B | -$9.1 M | $1.16 B | $22.1 B |
