What does the 2009 Fortune Global 500 tell us?

The Fortune Global 500 is a list of the worlds largest companies by revenue. The list was formed in 1995 – before which US and non-US companies had their own lists. What can we see from the 2009 list – and in particular is there anything we can we see that effects the localization business?

This year there were 37 countries represented on the G500 up from 35 in 2008 and 33 in 2007. Hungary, Israel and Venezuela are all newcomers. The EU and US dominate of course (163 and 140 respectively) but Japan, China, Switzerland, Canada and South Korea are all in the top ten. As Zia Daniell Wigder of Forrester put it in her news item

While there are still twice as many Fortune 500 companies based in the US as in the next country on the list (Japan), the number of US companies declined from 162 in 2007 to 140 in 2009. The number of Fortune 500 companies in Britain, Canada and the Netherlands also fell. By contrast, all other countries in the top 15 saw their numbers grow or remain flat. Out of the top 15, Russia, China and Spain showed the highest percentage growth in the number of companies listed.

This shows that although there is still a strong bias towards the EU and US, there is opportunities for companies wherever they are. This all looks good for localization – as more countries baptize global companies their populations will be more willing to accept brands created elsewhere – which means more localization requirements. Even in the depth of a recession many of the businesses here continue to grow – which again is good news both for the global economy and for us.