15 Biggest Global Construction Companies

In this article, we will be taking a look at the 15 biggest global construction companies.

The global construction industry is a trillion-dollar industry, and easily among the most important industries in the world. Remember, when the pandemic hit and lockdowns were introduced in most countries across the world, the moment the situation looked a bit better, constructions companies were among the first to be given exemptions to ensure the industry did not suffer for too long. According to Oxford Economics, the global construction sector was valued at $10.7 trillion in 2020, of which more than half came from emerging markets. According to Marsh McLennan, by 2030, the global construction market is expected to increase by $4.5 trillion, and of the new expected value of $15.2 trillion, $8.9 trillion will be from emerging markets, which will be the biggest region comfortably in the construction sector.

While emerging markets will be the biggest region, the biggest growth is expected in Africa, followed by emerging Asia. Of the total growth globally in the construction sector, just four countries account for 58.3%: China, India, the United States and Indonesia. Despite the construction industry facing massive repercussions because of the pandemic and ensuring lockdowns and restrictions, recovery is on the horizon, with the expectation being that initial recovery will come from residential construction, while the medium-term outlook is expected to be supported by infrastructure spending (see Best REIT Stocks To Buy Now).

The ever-increasing population is the main driver behind the growth in the construction industry. Urbanization continues to increase at an explosive pace, and the expectation is that by 2050 more than 2.5 billion people could be added to urban areas, of which the vast majority will be in Asia and Africa. Of course, it is important to remember that public spending is the primary driver of the construction industry, and so, government spending drives investment in the sector.

It is hard to understate the dominance of China in the construction sector. With a population of 1.4 billion people, even domestic construction has massive demand and the construction companies in the country have created entire towns and huge residential buildings. However, ghost towns have become a notable part of China’s landscape due to under-occupied developments in China where giant residential complexes sit completely abandoned. According to Business Insider, in 2021, around 65 million homes in China were unoccupied. Another criticism is the quality of construction by many major construction companies in China. Despite these criticisms, Chinese construction companies absolutely rule the list of biggest global construction companies.

To determine the list of the biggest global construction companies, we initially consulted Fortune Global 500. However, the list includes both construction and engineering companies, and we had to manually remove the latter to remain true to the ranking. We then consulted ENR and its ranking of the biggest construction contractors in the world, and then used annual reports and Yahoo Finance to determine the financials of each company. Where the reporting currency was different, we converted it to US dollars to have a uniform currency. Each company was then ranked based on revenue, profit, assets and number of employees, with 40% weightage being assigned to revenue and profits and 20% weightage being assigned to assets and number of employees. Using multiple criteria allowed us to come up with better rankings than any other website, as opposed to those ranking on a single criterion such as just revenue. So, let’s take a look at the giants of one of the most important sectors in the world, starting with number 15:

15. Strabag

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 15,298

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 596

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 12,226

Total number of employees: 73,606

The largest construction company in Austria kicks off our list. Strabag is active in Austria and Germany, while also maintaining a strong presence in most countries in Europe, in addition to Canada, India, Chile and China.

14. Guangzhou Municipal Construction Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 38,624

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 145

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 28,163

Total number of employees: 43,052

Guangzhou Municipal Construction Group is the first of many Chinese companies among the largest contractors in the world. It is engaged in the construction of buildings, public works, urban rail facilities and real estate development.

13. Ferrovial

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 6,778

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 1,197

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 24,896

Total number of employees: 95,978

Ferrovial is a Spanish construction company which is involved in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure in addition to urban services.

12. Eiffage

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 19,208

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 777

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 33,775

Total number of employees: 70,893

Eiffage is the first company from France in our list of the biggest construction companies in the world, but it will certainly not be the last. One of its biggest projects include being involved in the construction of the Channel Tunnel.

11. Shanghai Construction Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 43,572

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 584

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 55,693

Total number of employees: 51,369

Shanghai Construction Group saw unprecedented growth in the 1990s after Shanghai became part of the growth across China. The company is also involved in several overseas projects.

10. Daiwa House Industry

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 39,520

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 2,005

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 45,480

Total number of employees: 48,831

Japan’s biggest construction company, Daiwa House Industry is involved in the construction of shopping centers, health care facilities, factories, and homes. Considered to be the biggest homebuilder in Japan, the company also manages more than 250 logistic properties.

9. ACS Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 38,317

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 3,601

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 40,550

Total number of employees: 105,553

ACS is the biggest construction company in Spain. Created in 1997 through the merger of two companies, ACS has operations in half a dozen countries and is led by the famous Florentino Perez, the President of Real Madrid.

8. Bouygues

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 44,508

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 1,330

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 50,758

Total number of employees: 124,651

One of two French companies in our list of the biggest construction companies in the world, Bouygues has engaged in major construction projects across Europe and the wider world, including the Parc des Princes, the Grande Arche, the famous Channel Tunnel and the Port of Miami Tunnel.

7. Power Construction Corporation of China

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 62,857

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 1,208

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 134,957

Total number of employees: 132,583

The Power Construction Corporation of China is one of the biggest global construction companies. It has been involved in major projects across more than 100 countries, facilitated by its 779 subsidiaries.

6. VINCI

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 59,389

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 3,071

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 113,725

Total number of employees: 219,299

Vinci is by far the biggest construction company in Europe. The French company is also one of the oldest construction companies in the world.

5. China Communications Construction Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 130,664

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 1,397

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 353,172

Total number of employees: 220,519

China Communications Construction Group is mainly engaged in the construction of major infrastructure assets which include railways, tunnels, bridges, airports, oil platforms, marine ports and subways. It has also been involved as a contractor for several projects part of the Belt and Road Initiative where China has invested in more than 150 countries.

4. China Railway Construction Corporation Limited

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 158,203

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 1,704

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 213,451

Total number of employees: 366,833

China Railway Construction Corporation Limited was incorporated in 2007 in order to be listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Even then, the majority of the shares of the company are owned by the government of China and has a dozen subsidiaries. It is one of many major state-owned Chinese corporation which have been sanctioned by the United States Government.

China Railway Construction Corporation Limited has been involved in major projects across the world. It created the first elevated expressway in Bangladesh, conducted feasibility studies on railway double tracking and railway electrification in Cambodia while it was also involved in various projects in Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria, Libya and Russia, not to mention additional major projects in Africa.

3. Pacific Construction Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 77,073

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 5,594

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 52,675

Total number of employees: 310,719

Pacific Construction Group is one of the biggest construction companies in the world to not have the word “China” in its name. Headquartered in Xinjiang, the company was founded in 1986 and is focused on the construction of bridges, industrial facilities, ports and bridges. The company presents itself as a contractor which develops public urban projects and claims to have been involved in the construction of over 1,000 planned cities.

2. China Railway Group Limited

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 150,258

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 3,867

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 190,642

Total number of employees: 282,256

To grasp the idea of how big China Railway Group Limited is, the state-owned company once used to have its own police force, prosecutors, and even its own court. The police force is still paid and managed by the company even though it is part of the civil service.

1. China State Construction Engineering Group

Total revenue of the company (in millions of dollars): 293,712

Total profits of the company (in millions of dollars): 4,444

Total assets of the company (in millions of dollars): 378,351

Total number of employees: 368,327

Unsurprisingly, a state-owned Chinese company tops the list of the 15 biggest global construction companies. In terms of revenue, the company is easily among the biggest in the world regardless of industry and is said to be in the top 10 in the world in terms of overseas sales. With five main divisions in addition to twelve core business areas, the company even boasts its own national research laboratory. Headquartered in Beijing, the company also entered the United States in 1985.

In 2009, the World Bank blacklisted China State Construction Engineering Group for allegedly colluding in the bidding process for a project in the Philippines called the Philippines National Roads Improvement and Management Project. However, that has done little to curb the growth of the company, which has continued to build major developments overseas.