This year’s Forbes Magazine’s list of the largest companies in the world reveals that of the 2000 selected, 44 are Latin American. Brazil leads the group with 19 companies, followed by Mexico with 18, Chile with 5, Peru and Panama with one each.
Four of the five largest Latin American companies are Brazilian. Brazilian Petrobrás is in the first place, and Bradesco Bank in the second. The third place goes to Panama’s Carnival group, a global cruise company. Banco do Brasil comes in the fourth place, and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce in fifth.
Only Petrobras makes into the 100 top companies appearing in 88th place among the 2000 largest firms in the world. The other Brazilian companies in order of appearance are: Banco Bradesco (208), Banco do Brasil (256), Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (361), Itaú Bank (477), Unibanco (601), and Eletrobras (807).
The following Brazilian companies made it only in the one thousand plus place category: CSN-Cia Siderúrgica (1,049), Usiminas (1,064), Tele Norte Leste (1,090), Braskem Chemicals (1,170), Cemig Utilities (1,424), Embraer Aerospace (1,467), Metalurgica Gerdau (1,496), Siderurgica de Tubarão (1,501), Sabesp-Saneamento Básico (1,697), CESP Utilities (1,779), Aracruz Celulose (1,860) and Ipiranga Oil and Gas (1,948).
Financial conglomerate Citigroup led the rank of all companies. The Citibank Group stood on top with total assets of US$ 1.4840 trillion and US$ 17.05 billion in profits.
Among the 2000 largest enterprises the US has a total of 711 companies on the list followed by Japan with 326 and Britain with 140.
The top ten place in the list are occupied by Citigroup, General Electric, AIG, Bank of America, HSBC Group, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, BP, ING Group and Toyota Motors.
The 2000 top companies employ 64 million people and sold goods and services worth $19 trillion, earning $760 billion. Two Chinese oil companies were among the top 100: China Petroleum (57th place) and Chemical Corp (94th).