List of oldest companies

Over half of the entries on the list are based in Japan, a trend driven by the country's long-standing cultural emphasis on family-owned enterprises and intergenerational stewardship of craftsmanship. Japanese firms account for the vast majority of the world's oldest continuously operating businesses.

The oldest surviving companies overwhelmingly operate in niche, heritage-focused sectors: construction, hospitality, food and beverage production, and metalworking or minting. These industries rely on specialized, intergenerationally transmitted skills that are difficult to replicate across generations.

Few long-lived companies have maintained identical operations over centuries. Many adapted their business models to meet modern consumer and market demands: for example, Japan's Kongō Gumi, the oldest listed company, expanded beyond traditional temple construction to include commercial building projects to stay viable in the contemporary era.

The list's rankings rely on strict verification standards, requiring continuous operational records and verifiable continuity of the company name. Some entries have undisputed documentary evidence spanning millennia, while others rely on partial historical records or oral tradition, leading to occasional debates about which firms truly qualify for inclusion.