Top 1,000 Listed Companies' Sales Exceed 2,000 Trillion Won for First Time Last Year... Samsung Electronics Tops List for 24th Consecutive Year

Sales Reach 2,092 Trillion Won Last Year... 613 Out of 1,000 Companies See Growth
"1 Trillion Won Club" Expands to 255 Companies, "10 Trillion Won Club" Reaches 40
Samsung Electronics Achieves Record-High Sales of 238 Trillion Won

Last year, the individual (separate) sales of the top 1,000 listed companies in Korea exceeded 2,000 trillion won for the first time ever. This milestone comes 17 years after first surpassing the 1,000 trillion won mark in 2008.

According to the Korea CXO Institute, which specializes in corporate analysis, the "1996–2025 Sales Status of Korea's Top 1,000 Listed Companies" report showed that total sales last year reached 2,092 trillion won. This represents an increase of approximately 95 trillion won (4.8%) compared to the previous year's 1,997 trillion won. Among the 1,000 companies surveyed, 613 saw an increase in sales, indicating a broad expansion in overall sales volume.

By year, sales were about 390 trillion won in 1996 and first surpassed the 1,000 trillion won mark in 2008, reaching 1,197 trillion won. The figure entered the 1,500 trillion won range in 2018. After a decline in 2023, sales topped the 2,000 trillion won threshold for the first time last year.

2025 Sales Analysis of the Top 1000 Listed Companies. Korea CXO Research Institute

Samsung Electronics maintained its position as the top company in sales last year, continuing to assert its presence. The company's separate sales exceeded 238 trillion won, setting an all-time high, while its consolidated sales reached a record-breaking 333 trillion won. Samsung Electronics has held the top spot in sales for 24 consecutive years since 2002. Last year, the company accounted for about 11.4% of the total sales among the top 1,000 companies.

The number of companies in the "1 Trillion Won Club"—those with more than 1 trillion won in sales—reached 255, an increase from the previous year. Notably, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, APR, and Silicontwo newly joined the ranks. The number of companies with more than 10 trillion won in sales also hit a record high of 40, with Samsung Heavy Industries and Korea Zinc entering the "10 Trillion Won Club" last year.

Among the "1 Trillion Won Club" members, SK hynix recorded the largest increase in sales, with a year-on-year jump of over 31 trillion won. In contrast, some battery, construction, and chemical companies experienced a decline in sales. The ranking of companies by sales last year was led by Samsung Electronics, followed by Korea Electric Power Corporation, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, and Kia.

O Il Seon, head of the Korea CXO Institute, commented, "The fact that the top 1,000 listed companies in Korea have entered the 2,000 trillion won range in sales marks a significant turning point in external growth. In the next two to three years, it is highly likely that an additional two or three companies, aside from Samsung Electronics, will join the '100 Trillion Won Club'—those surpassing 100 trillion won in separate sales."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.