The Top 10 Global Employers List May Surprise You

Statista just released its new list of the top 10 global employers based on total number of employees, and the list has some surprising members.

Statista notes that many people likely assume that the world’s largest employers would all be found in countries with the largest populations, such as India and China. However, the Statista list reveals that neither country claims the top spot on the list.

Here’s a rundown of the full list of the world’s top employers.

10. Foxconn Technology Group: 1.2 million employees

The Taiwanese Foxconn, manufacturer of BlackBerry Ltd BBRY smartphones, Apple Inc. AAPL iPads and iPhones, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN Kindles, Sony Corp SNE PlayStation 4s, Microsoft Corporation MSFT Xbox Ones and Nintendo Co Ltd NTDOY Wii Us, kicks off the list of top global employers with 1.2 million employees.

9. Indian Armed Forces: 1.3 million employees

This is India’s first appearance on this list. About 1.3 million of the company’s nearly 1.3 billion population work for India’s army.

8. Indian Railways: 1.4 million employees

Another major Indian institution, the state-owned Indian Railways, comes in at No. 8 on the list. The company’s 1.4 million employees work to maintain and operate service on more than 71,000 miles of rail tracks in India.

7. State Grid Corporation of China: 1.5 million employees

China finally cracks the top 10 with its state-owned electric utilities company, which brings electricity to many of the nation’s nearly 1.4 billion citizens.

6. China National Petroleum Corp: 1.6 million employees

China’s largest integrated oil and gas company, China National Petroleum Corp, continues the India/Asia domination of the top employers list.

5. UK National Health Service: 1.7 million employees

Europe’s lone appearance in the top 10 list belongs to the UK’s publicly-funded healthcare system, which employees 1.7 million people.

4. McDonald’s Corporation MCD: 1.9 million employees

The U.S. finally breaks into the list with the world’s most recognizable fast-food chain.

3. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. WMT: 2.1 million employees

Not to be outdone, Wal-Mart claims the honor of the top global employer among public companies with 2.1 million workers.

2. People’s Liberation Army of China: 2.3 million employees

Not surprisingly, the military of the world’s most populous country takes one of the top spots on the top employers list.

1. U.S. Department of Defense: 3.2 million employees

At only 321 million, the U.S. population is dwarfed by the populations of India and China. However, U.S. military spending and the size of the Department of Defense are in a league of their own. With a whopping 3.2 million employees, the U.S. DoD takes the top spot as the largest global employer.

Disclosure: the author holds a short position in Amazon.