![]() | This article needs to be updated.(July 2021) |
This is a list of the largest companies from the Nordic countries , as determined by different factors. There are several ways of ranking companies, be it by revenue, income, market value or number of employees. Arguably, the most complete list, is the annual Forbes Global 2000 list, a ranking based on four metrics. Of note, IKEA Group, with $37.6 billion in annual revenue and $4.8 billion in annual profit, is not included on the Forbes Global 2000 list.
The Forbes Global 2000 published on 18 April 2012 [1] is a ranking of largest companies in the world, by a mix of four metrics: sales, profits, assets and market value. The ranking number shows the ranking among all other Nordic companies on the list, while the number displayed within parenthesis shows the actual ranking among all the companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list.
The ranking is based on annual reports, as of April 2012. As a consequence, the data is most likely based on 2011 annual reports and market values are most likely those of April 2012 (unless otherwise noted). Furthermore, the ranking does not take privately or state-owned enterprises into account.
To put a perspective on the differences between the number of companies in the Nordic nations, this list shows the annual number of companies from a given nation, that made the list. Note that Iceland is no longer represented, primarily because of the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis in which several banks collapsed.
Country | 2008-list | 2009-list | 2010-list | 2011-list | 2012-list |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 20 | 22 | 27 | 22 | 25 |
![]() | 16 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
![]() | 14 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
![]() | 9 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
![]() | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This is a list of the largest employers in the Nordic nations, based on the most recent annual reports. Both private and public companies are represented on the list, though public employers are not. IKEA would rank 4 on this list with its 123,000 employees, had its official headquarters been in Sweden instead of in the Netherlands. [20]
Rank | Company | Headquarters | Industry | Employees | Reference date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ISS | ![]() | Facility Management | 534,500 | 2011 [21] |
2 | Securitas | ![]() | Security Services | 335,945 | 2016 [22] |
3 | Nokia | ![]() | Technology | 130,050 | 2011 [23] |
4 | A.P. Møller-Maersk | ![]() | Transportation | 117,080 | 2011 [24] |
5 | Ericsson | ![]() | Telecommunication | 104,525 | 2011 [25] |
6 | Volvo | ![]() | Automotive | 98,162 | 2011 [26] |
7 | H&M | ![]() | Retailing | 64,874 | 2011 [27] |
8 | Electrolux | ![]() | Manufacturing | 52,916 | 2011 [28] |
9 | Skanska | ![]() | Construction | 52,557 | 2011 [29] |
10 | Sandvik | ![]() | Capital goods | 50,030 | 2011 [30] |
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in information and communications technology for telecommunications service providers and enterprises, including, among others, 3G, 4G, and 5G equipment, and Internet Protocol (IP) and optical transport systems. The company employs around 100,000 people and operates in more than 180 countries. Ericsson has over 57,000 granted patents.
Securitas AB is a security services, monitoring, consulting and investigation group, based in Stockholm, Sweden. The group has over 300,000 employees in 53 countries worldwide. Securitas AB is listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap segment.
Investor AB is a Swedish investment and holding company, often considered a de facto conglomerate. One of Sweden's largest companies, Investor AB serves as the investment arm of the prominent Swedish Wallenberg family; the family's companies are involved in a variety of industries, of which the primary industries are pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and industry.
Svenska Handelsbanken AB is a Swedish bank providing banking services including traditional corporate transactions, investment banking and trading as well as consumer banking including insurance. Handelsbanken is one of the major banks in Sweden with a nationwide branch network.
A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, also known simply as Maersk, is a Danish shipping and logistics company founded in 1904 by Arnold Peter Møller and Peter Mærsk Møller.
International Institute for Management Development (IIMD) is a business school with campuses in Lausanne, Switzerland and Singapore. IIMD is well known for its MBA program, which is taught in English and consistently ranked among the best in the world.
Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was a Danish shipping magnate. He was a longtime figure at A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, which was founded by his father.
Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. is a Mexican multinational food company with a presence in over 33 countries located in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. It has an annual sales volume of 15 billion dollars and is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange with the ticker BIMBO.
Ericsson Mobile Platforms (EMP) was the name of a company within the Ericsson group that supplied mobile platforms, i.e. the technological basis on which a cellular phone product can be built. The main office was in Lund, Sweden.
The Triple E class is a family of very large container ships with a capacity of more than 18,000 TEUs, which are owned and operated by Maersk Line.
Maersk Line is a Danish international container shipping company and the largest operating subsidiary of Maersk, a Danish business conglomerate. Founded in 1928, it is the world's second largest container shipping company by both fleet size and cargo capacity, offering regular services to 374 ports in 116 countries. In 2019, it employed 83,625 people where 18,398 of which are vessel crew and the other 65,227 are processing and operations personnel in offices and ports. Maersk Line operates over 708 vessels and has a total capacity of about 4.1 million TEU.
Inter IKEA Holding B.V. is a holding company registered in the Netherlands, ultimately owned by Interogo Foundation. It owns the company Inter IKEA Systems and thereby controls the intellectual property of IKEA. It is also in charge of design, manufacturing and supply of IKEA products.
Christen Eugen Ager-Hanssen is a Norwegian internet entrepreneur & venture capitalist. Since the late 1990s, he has been based in London and is a highly controversial private equity professional. Ager-Hanssen was involved in several high-profile M&A deals and has become known for public hostile takeovers. In a Canadian Business cover story, he was described as both Gordon Gekko and a modern-day Viking. In 1999 he became one of Norway's richest citizens.
Volvo Trucks is a truck manufacturing division of Volvo based in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ericsson Mobile Communications AB was a subsidiary of Ericsson, entirely focused on development of mobile phones (handsets). The major offices were located in Lund, Kumla, Raleigh, North Carolina and Lynchburg, Virginia.
PostNord Logistics is a logistics company in the Nordics. The business has its roots in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The business was formed through the mergers of the Danish and Swedish postal operators and private sector companies. PostNord Logistics is one of four PostNord Group companies. In 2013 the group's logistics operations, formerly consisting of 16 Nordic region companies, were gathered under a common brand – PostNord Logistics.