France is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in western Europe, as well as several overseas regions and territories. A member of the Group of 7 (formerly G8) leading industrialised countries, as of 2014, it is ranked as the world's ninth-largest and the EU's second-largest economy by purchasing power parity.[1] With 31 of the 500 biggest companies in the world in 2015, France ranks fourth in the Fortune Global 500, ahead of Germany and the UK.[2] According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), in 2009 France was the world's sixth-largest exporter and the fourth-largest importer of manufactured goods.[3][4]
French companies have maintained key positions in the insurance and banking industries: Axa is the world's largest insurance company. The leading French banks are BNP Paribas and the Crédit agricole, ranking as the world's largest and sixth-largest banks in 2010[5] (by assets), while the Société Générale group was ranked the world's eighth-largest in 2009.
For further information on the types of business entities in this country and their abbreviations, see "Business entities in France".
Largest firms
This list shows firms in the Fortune Global 500, which ranks firms by total revenues reported before 31 March 2017.[6] Only the top five firms (if available) are included as a sample.
Largest companies by market capitalization
The following table lists the largest French companies by market capitalization as of March 2026, based on European Single Electronic Format (ESEF) regulatory filings and share prices from their primary exchange listings.[7]
Notable firms
This list includes notable companies with primary headquarters located in the country. The industry and sector follow the Industry Classification Benchmark taxonomy. Organizations which have ceased operations are included and noted as defunct.
See also
- Indices of French companies
- CAC 40
- CAC Next 20
- CAC Small
- CAC All-Tradable
- SBF 120
- Euronext – the major French stock market
References
- GDP, PPP (current international $) Data.worldbank.org, The World Bank Group, retrieved 1 November 2015^
- Fortune Global 500 Fortune, retrieved 3 March 2015^
- Country Comparison: Exports The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, retrieved 14 July 2017^
- International Trade Statistics 2008 World Trade Organization (WTO), 2009, retrieved 5 July 2011^
- The 10 Largest Banks in the World Doughroller.net, 15 June 2010, retrieved 16 July 2011^
- Scott DeCarlo. The Fortune 2017 Global 500 Fortune, 20 July 2017^
- France - Largest Companies by Market Capitalization Atlantis Data Solutions, retrieved 2026-03-21^
- Aerospatiale-Matra S.A.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg^
- Elf Aquitaine S.A.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg^