World’s Most Admired Companies 2025: Rankings & Methodology

Each year, senior executives across industries are asked a direct question: Which companies do you admire the most?

These answers are used by Fortune and Korn Ferry to create the World’s Most Admired Companies listings, which include both the general list and the all-stars list. This listing differs from other rankings that are based on market capitalization or consumer sentiment. Instead of being based on these types of metrics, the World’s Most Admired Companies rankings are based on peer evaluations. Peer evaluations are created when senior executives, directors, and/or financial analysts provide opinions about organizations they understand best, such as competitors within their respective industries.

The 2025 rankings are similar to previous rankings. Technology and financial services companies remain the most represented in the World’s Most Admired Companies listings. Apple remains the most admired company, and it has now held the top spot for 18 consecutive years. The high degree of continuity suggests that Apple’s sustained reputation is likely to be related to more than just recent performance.

What “Most Admired” Means in Practice

Being named one of the world’s most admired companies is not a measure of popularity or quarterly performance.

The rankings are built on structured peer reviews conducted within industries. Because respondents evaluate organizations they understand professionally, the results reflect long-term credibility, leadership quality, and execution, not public visibility.

Admiration in this context represents trust that develops over time and changes slowly.

How the Rankings Are Determined

Fortune and Korn Ferry base the rankings on surveys of approximately 3,400 executives, directors, and financial analysts. Raters evaluate companies primarily within their own industries, which ensures assessments are grounded in direct experience.

Each company is rated on a scale from 0 (poor) to 10 (excellent) across nine core reputation attributes. These criteria were established in the 1980s through interviews with senior business leaders and have remained consistent in their core form, allowing results to be compared across decades.

Together, the nine attributes are designed to measure holistic corporate reputation, extending well beyond financial results alone.

The Nine Reputation Criteria

Innovation

This attribute evaluates a company’s ability to create new products, services, processes, or business models. This is an indication of how creative, adaptable, and forward thinking a company is in anticipating future market demands.

People Management

Also known as the ability to recruit, grow, and retain talented employees, this attribute assesses a company’s recruiting capabilities, the quality of its leaders, employee development opportunities, and organizational culture.

Use of Corporate Assets

This attribute assesses a company’s ability to leverage its assets, capital, technology, and other resources to achieve operational efficiency and support its strategic goals.

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility evaluates a company’s ethics, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and community involvement. This attribute reflects how socially responsible a company behaves.

Quality of Management

This attribute evaluates the quality of a company’s leadership and the caliber of its management team. Quality of management includes strategic vision, the ability to execute plans, and good governance practices. High scores in this attribute indicate confidence in a company’s management decisions.

Financial Soundness

Financial soundness reflects a company’s balance sheet strength, ability to generate consistent earnings, profit margins, and ability to withstand economic fluctuations.

Long-Term Investment Value

This attribute evaluates a company’s long-term potential for growth and sustainable returns to shareholders. It evaluates a company’s potential to increase in value over time and is typically evaluated relative to current price.

Quality of Products and Services

This attribute evaluates the quality, reliability, and satisfaction associated with a company’s core products and services.

Global Competitiveness

Global competitiveness evaluates a company’s ability to compete in international markets and adapt to regional and regulatory requirements.

How Scores Are Used

A company’s overall reputation score is calculated as the average of its ratings across the nine attributes.

To qualify for industry rankings, a company must place in the top half of its sector. The overall “most admired” lists, including all-star rankings, are determined through a separate poll in which respondents select the companies they admire most across all industries.

This structure ensures the rankings reflect broad professional respect, not dominance in a single category.

Top Ten World’s Most Admired Companies (2025)

All of the companies at the top of the 2025 World’s Most Admired Companies list share a common characteristic. All of the companies demonstrate a consistent approach to leadership, strategy, and execution throughout the constantly evolving global market.

1. Apple

Apple remains the standard for corporate admiration. Apple’s long tenure as the number one most admired company reflects disciplined execution rather than constant innovation. Apple’s focus on integrating hardware, software, and services into a cohesive ecosystem has enabled it to expand its reach while ensuring quality and consistency in its branding.

Peers frequently cite Apple’s operational discipline, supply chain management, and long-term planning as reasons for sustained admiration. The company’s ability to scale globally without diluting its identity continues to distinguish it.

2. Microsoft

Microsoft has earned admiration through arguably one of the most deliberate transformations in modern business. Over the last decade, Microsoft has transitioned from a traditional legacy software company to a cloud-based, platform-driven enterprise while still maintaining its existing customer base.

Senior executives often cite Microsoft as a case study in balancing innovation and stability. Strategic clarity, steady leadership, and consistent execution in the enterprise space underpin Microsoft’s reputation.

3. Amazon

Amazon’s size and long-term investment in its operations have kept it among the most admired companies. Amazon prioritizes developing logistics and infrastructure capabilities and creating strong customer experiences, often at the expense of short-term profits, to establish lasting capabilities.

Peers often point to Amazon’s logistics network and operational rigor as benchmarks. Admiration stems less from novelty and more from the company’s willingness to invest ahead of demand.

4. Nvidia

Nvidia’s rise in admiration has been directly related to its increasing role in computer infrastructure. Nvidia has become a leader in graphics processing units and data-center technology, placing itself at the heart of the rapidly emerging field of AI-driven workloads.

Industry peers respect Nvidia for engineering depth and foresight. Execution and technical specialization, not marketing momentum, drive the company’s reputation.

5. Berkshire Hathaway

Unlike the companies mentioned above, Berkshire Hathaway’s reputation as a most admired company is based on a different set of characteristics. Berkshire Hathaway’s reputation is built on disciplined capital allocation, conservative financial management, and a long-term perspective for owners.

Many of Berkshire’s peers describe it as a stable, predictable company, especially during market turmoil. The respect for Berkshire is largely based on the trust its peers place in its leadership.

6. Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale is unique among retailers for its operational consistency. The executive team focuses on providing customer value, treating employees well, and operating efficiently, even if that means sacrificing higher profit margins.

Executives often cite Costco’s ability to scale while maintaining culture as a reason for admiration. Its reputation reflects a healthy alignment between values and execution.

7. JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase is one of the most respected financial services institutions in the world. Good governance, effective risk management, and resilience in the face of economic downturns form the foundation of JPMorgan Chase’s reputation.

Many of JPMorgan Chase’s peers praise the company for its high-quality management and strategic discipline.

8. Walmart

Walmart has demonstrated its ability to evolve at scale. In the last decade, Walmart has modernized its logistics and expanded its e-commerce capabilities, all while continuing to meet its customers’ expectations.

Many of Walmart’s peers respect the company for its ability to mature operationally and to evolve without disrupting the organization.

9. Alphabet (Google)

People continue to admire Alphabet for its technological superiority and its dedication to long-term research investments. Alphabet’s influence extends far beyond search and advertising to include data infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Many of Alphabet’s peers view the company as a leader in innovation and as a provider of long-term solutions to problems.

10. American Express

American Express ranks among the top 10 most admired companies by consistently demonstrating its ability to maintain a premium brand image and deliver stable financial performance.

Many of American Express’ peers respect the company for building long-term relationships with its customers and for managing risk effectively.

Key Patterns in the 2025 Rankings

The 2025 rankings reveal two distinct trends. First, there are a significantly larger number of technology companies ranked at the top of the list. This reflects the significant influence technology companies have across all industries. Second, the rankings are significantly more stable than in previous years. The same companies continue to appear at the top of the rankings year after year, with minimal movement.

The stability of the rankings demonstrates how slow and incremental professional reputation can change. Admiration is generally given to companies that demonstrate consistent behavior over time rather than those who perform well for a brief period of time.

Understanding the Results

The World’s Most Admired Companies list should be interpreted as a measure of professional respect, not solely as a reflection of a company’s profitability or market leadership. Companies consistently appear at the top of the list because their peers view them as having reliable leadership, governance, and execution over time.

When viewing the World’s Most Admired Companies list, it is evident that reputation serves as a long-term asset for companies. Companies that consistently exhibit credible behaviors during economic fluctuations earn and retain the admiration of their peers.

Conclusion

The 2025 rankings demonstrate a consistent theme. Short-term performance or public visibility does not generate admiration. Consistent leadership, disciplined execution, and years of building a reputation lead to admiration.

Although the companies that consistently top the list may differ, they all share the belief that their reputations are among the most durable forms of competitive advantage. As the business environment becomes increasingly dynamic, companies that sustain admiration signal to investors, partners, and employees that they possess stability, trust, and long-term viability.