These are the 10 companies which generated the most operating profit out of all companies in the world in 2022. Bank profits have been adjusted to account for unrealized losses which is why no banks made the top 10 list this year. On the other hand, the war in Ukraine skyrocketed the prices of oil and natural gas which doubled or tripled the operating profit of some energy companies.
| 2022 Rank | Company | Industry | 2022 Operating Profit (USD) |
| 1 | Saudi Aramco | Energy | $305 Billion |
| 2 | Apple | Hardware & Software | $119 Billion |
| 3 | Microsoft | Hardware & Software | $83 Billion |
| 4 | Alphabet (Google) | Hardware & Software | $79 Billion |
| 5 | Equinor | Energy | $79 Billion |
| 6 | Exxon Mobil | Energy | $75 Billion |
| 7 | Shell | Energy | $67 Billion |
| 8 | Petrobras | Energy | $57 Billion |
| 9 | Chevron | Energy | $49 Billion |
| 10 | TotalEnergies | Energy | $46 Billion |
1. Saudi Aramco ($305 Billion)
Saudi Aramco is an Arabian oil and gas company that consistently generates the largest annual profits of any company in the world. The company generated $305 billion of operating profit in 2022 (which is more than the total profits of Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Visa combined). In a single year, the company paid out $75 billion of dividends which is higher than the market cap of Airbnb.
Roughly 95% of the shares in the company are owned by the Saudi government, and Saudi Aramco in turn owns a 70% majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).
2. Apple ($119 Billion)
Apple generated $119 billion of operating profit. Twenty years ago in 2002, the company generated less than $70 million in profit.
3. Microsoft ($83 Billion)
Microsoft generated $83 billion in operating profit with the majority of that coming from cloud services and MS Office.
4. Alphabet ($79 Billion)
Alphabet generated $79 billion in operating profit with 99% of that coming from Google.
5. Equinor ($79 Billion)
Equinor is a Norwegian government-controlled oil & gas company that generated $79 billion US dollars of operating profit in 2022.
6. Exxon Mobil ($75 Billion)
Exxon Mobil’s operating profits grew 150% from $30 billion in 2021 to $75 billion in 2022.
7. Shell ($67 Billion)
Shell rode the wave of higher oil prices in 2022 to generate $67 billion of operating profit.
8. Petrobras ($57 Billion)
Petrobas is a Brazilian state-owned oil company that generated $57 billion of operating profit in 2022.
9. Chevron
Chevron generated $49 billion of operating profit in 2022, with the vast majority of that coming from oil and gas extraction rather than refinement.
10. TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a French multinational oil company that generated $46 billion of operating profit.
