Fortune and Korn Ferry Reveal the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies™ 2026 List
Apple ranks No. 1 for the 19th consecutive year on Fortune's Top 50 All-Stars list of corporate reputation
Samsung makes the biggest jump; PepsiCo, Novo Nordisk, and Target drop off the list
Female CEOs lead 10% of the Most Admired Companies
NEW YORK and DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 19th year running, Apple leads the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies (WMAC) 2026 List. Now in its 28th year, the list was created in partnership with Fortune and the global consulting firm Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY).
Apple ranked first in Fortune's annual ranking of corporate reputation, based on a poll of more than 3,000 executives, directors, and analysts. Apple watchers do fret about its lack of progress in AI, but it still earns top marks from respondents who value its smart management of talent, capital, and supply chains as highly as they do innovation. No doubt, AI is the major force shaping this year's list. GPU juggernaut NVIDIA lands at No. 4, while two newcomers—chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (#48) and enterprise tech platform Workday (tied #49)—can thank AI for their growing prominence.
The WMAC Top 5 – Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and JPMorgan Chase – highlights organizations, several of which hover regularly at the top of this list, which peers believe have the hallmarks of financial stability, innovation, respected leadership, and expansion of global businesses.
Here are the 2026 Fortune and Korn Ferry Top 10 WMAC All-Stars:
- Apple
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- NVIDIA
- JPMorgan Chase
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Costco Wholesale
- Alphabet
- Walmart
- American Express
Click here for the complete list. And click here for a Fortune video on the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies 2026 List, Fortune's annual survey of corporate reputation, hosted by Fortune Executive Editor Matt Heimer.
A handful of companies dropped out of the Top 50 this year, including Target (#27 last year), PepsiCo (#44), Novo Nordisk (#46), and Adobe (#50). The WMAC list overall includes 324 companies across 22 countries, with 235 based in the U.S., 58 in Europe, and 28 in the Asia/Pacific region.
The WMAC All-Stars list, however, is only one part of the World's Most Admired Companies package; the other part highlights rankings within each of 45 industries. Some of this year's top-ranked companies made comebacks after long stretches out of the limelight: in home equipment and furnishings, Whirlpool ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2018, while MetLife topped life and health insurance for the first time since 2015.
Others are first-time winners in their categories, including L'Oréal, which nudged Procter & Gamble off its six-year perch atop the soaps and cosmetics category, and GE Aerospace, which ended Lockheed Martin's five-year reign as No. 1 in aerospace and defense.
This year's WMAC list features 35 female-led companies, representing 10% of the total. Thirteen of these leaders also appeared on Fortune's 2025 Most Powerful Women in Business list, including Julie Sweet of Accenture (#2), Jane Fraser of Citigroup (#3), and Lisa Su of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) (#4).
"Fortune is proud to celebrate the companies on this year's World's Most Admired Companies list; they have set the bar for real innovation, resilient leadership, and global impact," said Alyson Shontell, Fortune's Editor in Chief and Chief Content Officer. "As rapidly advancing technologies such as AI transform entire industries, these organizations stand out for their ability to evolve with purpose and foresight, consistently shaping the path forward for global business, and the future of how we work and lead."
"The companies at the top of the World's Most Admired Companies list show that resilience is not reactive—it's designed," said Mark Royal, a Korn Ferry senior client partner and employee engagement specialist. "What sets them apart is not performance in a single year, but their ability to sustain trust and credibility over time. In an era of constant disruption, these organizations demonstrate the discipline, adaptability, and leadership required to perform today while preparing confidently for what's next."
"Reputation is built from the inside out. While financial performance may open the door to admiration, it's people and culture that keep companies there," said Laura Manson-Smith, Korn Ferry's global leader of organization strategy consulting. "The World's Most Admired Companies distinguish themselves by aligning strategy, leadership, and culture—creating environments where talent is invested in, trust is fostered, and engaged teams turn strategy into sustained results."
Fortune will convene leaders of various companies named to the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies 2026 List and other notables, at its annual invite-only Global Leadership Dinner to be held Thursday evening during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The intimate dinner will feature an opening conversation with Scott Galloway, bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, entrepreneur, and professor at the NYU Stern School of Business. Guests will also hear insights from Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Scientific Director, Mila-Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute; Cristina Junqueira, Co-Founder, Nubank; David McKay, CEO, Royal Bank of Canada; Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO, Micron Technology; T. V. Narendran, CEO, Tata Steel; Sander van 't Noordende, CEO, Randstad; and Jane Sun, CEO Trip.com Group.
The Fortune World's Most Admired Companies 2026 List debuted in Fortune's February/March 2026 edition, with physical copies distributed this week at Fortune's events during the World Economic Forum in Davos. All stories from this issue of the magazine will be published at Fortune.com by February 4, 2026; the magazine will be available on newsstands on February 17. Learn more about Fortune's presence at Davos here.
The full methodology for the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies 2026 List is available here.
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm that powers performance. We unlock the potential in your people and unleash transformation across your business—synchronizing strategy, operations, and talent to accelerate performance, fuel growth, and inspire a legacy of change. That's why the world's most forward-thinking companies across every major industry turn to us—for a shared commitment to lasting impact and the bold ambition to Be More Than.
About Fortune:
Fortune is a global multi-platform media company built on a legacy of trusted, award-winning reporting and information for those who want to make business better. Independently owned, Fortune tells the stories of the world's biggest companies and their leaders as well as a new generation of innovators who are moving business forward. Digitally and in print, Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World's Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum, Brainstorm Tech, and Fortune Most Powerful Women. For more information, visit fortune.com.
Lists Publishing and Partnerships Contact:
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General Manager
Fortune Lists, Rankings & Indexes
elcio.salgado@fortune.com
Media Contacts:
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Fortune
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Chelsea Hudson
Fortune
Chelsea.Hudson@fortune.com
Stacy Rozen
Korn Ferry
310-556-8502
stacy.rozen@kornferry.com
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