The world’s top 100 brands together are worth over $5 trillion, showing how important brands are for businesses. However, determining the exact value of a brand can be tricky. While investing in a brand can be profitable for years, it’s hard to measure these benefits in financial terms, so most financial regulators don’t include brand value on balance sheets.
For example, Apple’s brand alone is worth $516.6 billion, yet this valuable asset isn’t reflected in its financial reports. This ranking shows the top 100 brands globally, based on their brand value, as calculated by Brand Finance.
So, how do you put a price tag on a brand? Brand value is mainly calculated based on how much profit it brings to the company. Brand Finance looked at various companies and their subsidiaries to determine this, such as Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp.
Apple’s brand value has increased by over $217 billion since the last ranking. Despite iPhone sales leveling off, Apple’s expanded product range, from wearables to Apple TV, has kept its brand strong. Surveys show that over 50% of people think Apple’s products are worth the high price.
In contrast, Tesla’s brand value dropped to $58.3 billion, falling out of the top 10. This happened as other electric vehicle makers like BYD gained traction, especially in China, where over a third of new cars sold are electric.
Some brands saw significant growth in value. Nvidia, for example, saw a massive increase as demand for AI technology and memory chips surged. The company’s market cap even surpassed that of Netflix, Tesla, and Walmart combined.
In 2024, more than half of the top 100 brands are American, totaling $3.2 trillion. China has the second-highest number of companies on the list, with TikTok being its most valuable brand. India’s most valuable brand is Tata Group, a conglomerate with diverse interests.