The OECD and UN Statistics Division in March 2026 released comprehensive new data revealing that the world’s 500 largest multinational enterprises are increasingly concentrated in the Americas and Europe, which together account for 74% of MNE headquarters and revenue compared to just 24% in Asia.

The enhanced Multinational Enterprise Information Platform (MEIP) now includes employee, revenue, net profit and R&D data for the first time, using AI tools to extract information from company filings and annual reports. Technology and healthcare sectors dominate research spending, representing about 80% of total R&D among top MNEs, while technology and financial services generate around 55% of total net profit.

The data available online includes summary information about the top 500 MNEs: average USD 51.7 bn in revenues and 98 318 employees, as well as the comprehensive list of all their known subsidiaries: 126 628 lines!

The platform is accessible here : UNSD — Multinational Enterprise Information Platform

The data reveals striking productivity differences across sectors. Energy and utilities show the highest revenue per employee, while healthcare and technology lead in R&D expenditure per employee. The platform also tracked nearly 3 million news articles mentioning these MNEs in 2025, with artificial intelligence emerging as a dominant theme in roughly one in 20 articles.

As MNEs continue reshaping global trade and investment patterns, this enhanced data transparency will prove crucial for policymakers tracking profit shifting, taxation and cross-border business dynamics.

It is a shame that, once more, research on MNE focuses on the largest global firms and neglects the vast majority of them.