Apple emerged once again as the world’s most valuable brand this year. Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, values Apple’s brand at $574.5 billion for 2025, keeping it ahead of its closest rival, Microsoft, valued at $461 billion. Except for 2023, when Apple briefly trailed Amazon by a margin of just 1 percent, it has held the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand since 2021.
According to Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 research, launched at Davos 2025 during a session held in the UAE pavilion, three out of the five most valuable brands in the world are technology brands: Apple, Microsoft and Google, with a brand value of $413.0 billion. In fourth place came Amazon with a brand value of $356.4 billion then Walmart with a brand value of $137.2 billion.
Global economic growth is expected to remain stagnant at 2.8 percent in 2025, mirroring 2024 and falling short of the 3.2 percent pre-pandemic average, according to United Nations forecasts. In contrast, the world’s 500 most valuable brands are thriving, with their total value rising 10 percent year-on-year, from $8.6 trillion in 2024 to nearly $9.5 trillion in 2025.
Fastest-growing brands since 2020
Brand Finance also analyzed what brands have grown the most since 2020. While technology is clearly a high-growth sector over the longer term, the depth of Brand Finance data and research provides a revealing and nuanced view. The analysis includes TikTok, although Brand Finance began valuing the brand in 2022. TikTok’s 79 percent growth to $105.8 billion in 4 years puts it in the same league as the other high-growth brands.
“Our analysis of what brands have grown the most since 2020 reveals that technology companies do not have a monopoly on sustained brand growth. This longer-term view also reinforces another important global trend: how Chinese brands like TikTok, Pinduoduo, and BYD are leading the charge by creating value, and challenging established brand leaders,” stated David Haigh, chairman and CEO of Brand Finance.
American gambling brands DraftKings and Fanduel are cashing in as U.S. legislators and courts legalize online gambling and overturn old laws preventing betting. Meanwhile, semiconductor brands NVIDIA, AMD and TSMC advance new technologies and tech giants Apple and Microsoft lead from the front, continuing to innovate from their dominant positions in an evolving and growing market.
E-commerce brand Pinduoduo is following in Apple and Microsoft’s footsteps, investing in an ecosystem that merges social networking with online shopping. Electric vehicle maker BYD and pharmaceutical brand Lilly are also meeting the modern demands of evolving consumers.
“As China continues to refine its brand-building strategies and focus on quality, we expect to see more Chinese companies enter the global marketplace in 2025,” added Haigh.
Surge to the top organic and linear
Although the top brands grew in different ways, their paths over the past five years have been organic and linear. None of the ten brands with the biggest value growth belong to the sector that has added the most value since 2020 (Media, up 125 percent), encapsulating the transformation of media brands from news sources to indispensable tools used daily around the world.
Google, the world’s third most valuable brand, saw its brand value increase by 24 percent to $413 billion. Ongoing investments in AI have enhanced Google’s reputation for innovation while strengthening its consumer appeal and trust.
Meanwhile, Amazon, with a 15 percent increase in brand value to $356.4 billion, continues to integrate AI across its operations, from personalized recommendations to advanced logistics. These efforts have solidified its reputation as a customer-focused brand, driving sustained growth.
For the second consecutive year, WeChat has been the world’s strongest brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.2 out of 100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. WeChat’s comprehensive ecosystem and seamless integration capability continue to propel the Chinese brand as a global leader.
Read: ADNOC named UAE’s most valuable brand for seventh consecutive year at $18.9 billion
e& emerges as fastest-growing brand value
e& is the fastest-growing brand value in the world this year, posting an eight-fold increase in brand value to $15.3 billion. This is the final stage of a 3-year group rebrand, staged to transition brand equity from Etisalat to e& as a platform for international growth. The like-for-like brand value growth is 13 percent versus the combined value of the brands in 2024. Nvidia has the highest organic growth at 98 percent and is the second fastest-growing brand value for 2025.
Meanwhile, Apple leads the way among 193 American brands featured in the ranking, collectively contributing over half of the total. China and Germany follow as the second and third most valuable countries, with 69 and 27 brands respectively, accounting for 15 percent and 6 percent of the total brand value.
Across sectors, banking leads with 79 brands contributing 13 percent, followed by retail with 45 brands at 11 percent. Media ranks third, with 23 brands representing 10 percent.
