List of the 7,000 largest companies Germany [2025 Update]

List of the 25 largest companies in Germany

To gain an insight into our list of the largest German companies, we present the 25 companies with the highest turnover in Germany in detail. We go into detail about the field of activity and the current situation of the companies. You quickly get an overview of the German economy: the focus is on technology, the automotive industry and mechanical engineering.

1. Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg

The VW Group is undisputedly Germany’s largest car manufacturer and is in a constant battle with Toyota and General Motors for the top global position. In addition to the Volkswagen brand, the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands belong to the group via corresponding subsidiaries. A separate division is Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – including the MAN and Scania brands. VW operates worldwide and has over 650,000 employees.

2. Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Stuttgart

Mercedes-Benz stands for premium vehicles all over the world and was Daimler AG’s best-known brand. In addition, the car group was involved in the production of trucks and buses. This business was transferred to Daimler Truck AG at the end of 2021 as part of a split-up of the group. Since then, the Mercedes-Benz Group AG has existed, which focuses on passenger cars and vans.

3. Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn

Deutsche Telekom was created in 1995 from the former telecommunications division of Deutsche Bundespost. Today, the company is the market-leading telecommunications provider and also the largest telecoms company in Europe. The business is based on two pillars: Telekom Deutschland bundles services for private and business customers. T-Systems International takes care of key accounts.

4. BMW AG, Munich

The BMW Group, headquartered in Munich, is the number 3 car manufacturer in this country. In addition to the BMW brand, the group owns the British brands Mini and Rolls Royce. In addition to cars in the premium segment and sports cars, BMW manufactures motorbikes and engines. BMW employs around 135,000 people.

5. Siemens AG, Munich

Siemens AG is one of the most important companies in the German economy. In Germany alone, Siemens has 125 locations and is represented in 190 countries. The Munich-based company is active in many different business areas, including automotive supply, mechanical engineering, software, railway technology and the electrical industry. Siemens AG currently employs 293,000 people.

6. Allianz SE, Munich

Allianz SE is the market leader in insurance in Germany and one of the largest insurance groups in the world. Founded in 1890, the group developed into a global player after the Second World War. The Allianz Group covers the entire insurance business and has a large fund company, Allianz Global Investors. Dresdner Bank, which was part of the group for a time, was sold to Commerzbank in 2008/2009.

7. Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart

The Bosch story began in 1886 as a backyard workshop in Stuttgart. Today, Bosch is one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers and at the same time a conglomerate with various business sectors. Automotive Technology is a focal point, accounting for 60 percent of sales. Other Bosch divisions are Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods Technology and Building Technology. Bosch has around 400,000 associates worldwide.

8. REWE-ZENTRALFINANZ EG, Cologne

REWE-Zentralfinanz EG, headquartered in Cologne, is the parent company of REWE Group.REWE is the largest food retailer in Germany. The supermarket chain specialises primarily as a retailer and grocer. Among others, Billa, Penny and DER Touristik Deutschland belong to REWE.

9. Deutsche Post AG, Bonn

Deutsche Post was created in 1995 from the former Deutsche Bundespost – Postdienst and has developed into an internationally active group in the express, parcel and freight business (DHL brand). Nationally, Deutsche Post maintains its monopoly position in the letter business (Deutsche Post brand). In recent years, the parcel business has benefited from the e-commerce boom, while the letter business has declined.

10. EDEKA ZENTRALE AG & Co. KG, Hamburg

EDEKA is one of the big players in German food retailing and at the same time a complex organisation in which cooperative and corporate structures coexist. EDEKA ZENTRALE AG & Co. KG in Hamburg bundles important holdings of the group and is a partner of the EDEKA regional companies, which in turn stand alongside the EDEKA shops. EDEKA ZENTRALE represents about two thirds of the group’s sales.

11. E.ON SE, Essen

E.ON SE was created in 2000 from the two conglomerates VEBA and VIAG. E.ON is the holding company of an electricity provider from Essen and the largest energy company in Germany. In 2016, it sold its conventional energy business to the independent Juniper SE and focused on energy networks, renewable energies and the dismantling of German nuclear power plants. E.ON employed 78,126 people in 2020.

12. BASF SE, Ludwigshafen

BASF’s origins date back to 1865. Today, BASF is the world’s largest chemical company in terms of sales. The group employs about 115,000 people and has sites in more than 80 countries. Its main business areas are chemicals, plastics, performance products, system solutions, crop protection/nutrition and oil/gas. The main plant in Ludwigshafen is considered the largest chemical site in the world.

13. Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG, Munich

Munich Re is the world’s largest reinsurer and was founded back in 1880. For a long time, the company was closely intertwined with the Allianz Group. Today it goes its own separate ways. With its subsidiary Ergo Group, Munich Re is also active in the primary insurance business. Ergo is one of the leading insurance companies for private and business clients in Germany.

14. Uniper SE, Düsseldorf

Uniper is a spin-off from the energy group E.ON that took place in 2016. In a complex restructuring, conventional power generation, global energy trading and other E.ON businesses were bundled under the umbrella of the new company Uniper. In the meantime, the Finnish energy group Fortum has acquired almost half of the Uniper shares, and a takeover is intended.

15. AUDI AG, Ingolstadt

AUDI has existed as a car brand for over 100 years. In the 1960s AUDI was bought by VW. Since then AUDI AG has been a sub-group within the VW Group, but operates independently. The two main plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm are of central importance. However, production also takes place abroad. AUDI has over 90,000 employees.

16. Bayer AG, Leverkusen

Bayer, headquartered in Leverkusen, is one of the major pharmaceutical and chemical companies. The group is divided into three divisions: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health (dietary supplements, non-prescription products) and Crop Science (crop protection products). With the acquisition of the US agricultural chemicals group Monsanto, Bayer intends to further expand its market position.

17. Talanx AG, Hanover

After Allianz and Munich Re or Ergo, the Talanx Group is number 3 in the German insurance market. The main owner is HDI VvaG. A large number of insurance activities are bundled under the Talanx umbrella. Talanx includes Hannover Re – a large reinsurer – HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie, HDI-Gerling Industrieversicherung, PB Versicherung and Targo Versicherungen, among others.

18. Deutsche Bahn AG

Deutsche Bahn is still 100 percent state-owned. Formed in 1994 from the merger of Bundesbahn and Reichsbahn, the group operates rail-based long-distance and short-distance passenger transport as well as freight transport. The railway network is the largest in Europe. The complex group with over 300,000 employees is constantly struggling with its structures.

19. Continental AG, Hanover

Continental grew up with tyres for automobiles. Today, the Hanover-based company is considered one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers. The rubber and tyre business is still of central importance. A second mainstay is automotive solutions (chassis, powertrains, interior equipment). Continental AG has been a sister company of the Schaeffler Group since 2009.

20. Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Bad Homburg

Fresenius traces its roots back to a Frankfurt pharmacy founded in the 15th century. Today, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is Germany’s largest hospital and health care group. The Fresenius Helios division operates 112 hospitals. The majority-owned Fresenius Medical Care is a leader in dialysis procedures. Other business segments are hospital and therapy services.

21. ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG, Friedrichshafen

The history of ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN began in 1915 with gears and transmissions. Today, chassis and driveline technology for vehicles form the core business and make the company one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. However, ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN also has a widely diversified Industrial Technology division. The company has almost 150,000 employees.

22. thyssenkrupp AG, Essen

The company name thyssenkrupp combines two traditional names in German steel production. Steel is still the core business today. In addition, thyssenkrupp is active in international raw materials trading and as a supply chain management service provider. As part of a merger of its steel activities with the Indian group Tata Steel, thyssenkrupp is realigning itself.

23. Porsche AG, Stuttgart

Porsche in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is a world-renowned sports car manufacturer. The name of the company’s founder Ferdinand Porsche is closely associated with VW history. Since 2009, Porsche AG has been part of Volkswagen as a subgroup, but Porsche remains an independent brand. The company has about 30,000 employees.

24. PHOENIX Pharma SE, Mannheim

Mannheim-based Phoenix Pharma SE is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in Germany. The company has 164 distribution centres in Europe alone and is one of the leading healthcare providers in Europe. Phoenix Pharma SE was formed in 1994 through the purchase of several regional pharmaceutical companies by Adolf Merckle. The company continues to be part of the Merckle Group.

25. METRO AG, Düsseldorf

METRO was one of the pioneers of self-service wholesale in Germany in 1963 and developed into a major retail group in the following decades. In the last ten years, the company has been completely restructured. In 2015, the Kaufhof department stores’ chain was sold and in 2017 the food business was spun off. The spun-off food division continues to use the name METRO. It operates 760 METRO stores with 150,000 employees.

Picture source: Unsplash(Florian Wehde)& Unsplash(Mateo Krössler)

Our Excel list of the largest German companies is a unique, unprecedented product. With just a few clicks you can download the most up-to-date overview of the German business world, filter out relevant contacts and contact them by mail, post or telephone.

Statistics on our list

With the following statistics we give a helpful insight into our unique Excel list. We show you which industries are covered in which degree of detail, which federal states are particularly represented and from which cities most of the companies in our list come from.

Picture source: S. Widua via Unsplash (19.06.2023)

These lists are included in our directory

Our unique database of the top-selling companies in Germany is the basis for numerous focus lists. These include the largest companies in various industries or areas of activity.

This information is included in the list

• Company name
• General contact data (address, e-mail address, telephone number, URL)
• Name of the management
• Serial letter suitable for addressing the management (e.g. “Dear Dr. Müller”)
• Sales figures for the years 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Employee figures for the years 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Sector classification & Field of activity

Note: Our sales figures and employee numbers are always taken from publications in the Federal Gazette or the company register. If no annual financial statements/consolidated financial statements are published in the Federal Gazette or the company register — or if these financial statements do not contain sales figures and/or employee numbers — our list will also not contain any figures, which we will then indicate in the list with “n.a.”. If you would like to know the exact figures covered in the list, we will be happy to provide you with transparent information before you place your order. Simply send us an email contact [at] researchgermany.com.

Which industries are included?

A special feature of the list of the largest German companies is the classification of the companies into industries. The industry classification was made on the basis of the companies’ core business and allows an uncomplicated filtering of the Excel list according to relevant companies for the respective concern. The following industries can be found in the overview (including sample companies):

• Industrial companies (automotive suppliers, mechanical engineering companies, etc.) | e.g. Leoni AG, Gebr. Knauf KG
• Chemical companies (paint & coatings manufacturers, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals companies, construction chemicals, etc.) | e.g. BASF SE, Wacker Chemie AG
• Trading companies (retail, wholesale, etc.) | e.g. Otto (GmbH & Co KG), Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG
• Food companies (baked goods manufacturers, breweries, meat producers, etc.) | e.g. DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH, J. Bünting Teehandelshaus GmbH & Comp.
• Real estate companies (housing companies, project developers, etc.) | e.g. Vonovia SE, Vivawest Wohnen GmbH
• Service companies (consulting firms, cleaning companies, etc.) | e.g. Bilfinger SE, DEKRA SE
• Logistics companies (freight forwarding logistics, parcel logistics, etc.) | e.g. Dachser SE
• Construction companies (building construction, civil engineering, road construction, etc.) | e.g. Bauer AG
• IT companies (software companies, hardware companies, IT consultancies, etc.) | e.g. SAP SE, Bechtle AG
• Energy companies (electricity suppliers, electricity producers, network operators,e tc.) | e.g. Stadtwerke Köln GmbH
• Financial companies (banks, asset managers, insurance companies, etc.) | e.g. DZ BANK AG, LVM Versicherung
• Consumer goods companies (fashion companies, toy manufacturers, sports companies etc.) | e.g. PUMA SE
• Holding companies (automotive suppliers, mechanical engineering companies, etc.) | e.g. Körber AG, INDUS Holding AG
• Healthcare companies (hospitals, nursing home operators, etc.) | e.g. Vivantes – Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH, Schön Klinik SE
• Gastronomy companies (system gastronomy, catering, etc.) | e.g. Compass Group Deutschland GmbH
• Media companies (newspapers, TV, book publishers, etc.) | e.g. Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA