IBT1000: The Top 3 Countries: China, India, the United States

The IBTimes1000 list of the 1000 fastest-growing public companies in the world not only highlights how specific companies have grown their sales over the past three years. As a global list, it provides a quick view at how the economies of the various countries with companies on the list are doing.

A particular look at the three countries with the highest number of companies on the list: the United States, India, and China, is a veritable pulse check on how the economies in those three countries are moving forward.

The IBTimes1000 list of the 1000 fastest-growing public companies in the world not only highlights how specific companies have grown their sales over the past three years. As a global list, it provides a quick view at how the economies of the various countries with companies on the list are doing.

A particular look at the three countries with the highest number of companies on the list: the United States, India, and China, is a veritable pulse check on how the economies in those three countries are moving forward.

The United States continues to be the most formidable economic power in the world, and, as the list makes clear, it continues owing that power to the awe-inspiring buying power of the U.S. consumer.

Out of the 176 American companies on the list, 32 companies are in the business of producing, marketing or selling consumer goods. The healthcare sector was also well represented -- a nod to the aging U.S. population and explosive growth in costs that sector has experience – with 38 companies on the list, mostly medical equipment makers.

Silicon Valley was no slouch, either, with 34 U.S. information technology companies making the list.
Perhaps the company most representative of the segments of the U.S. economy that thrived over the past three years is Apple (#103 on the IBTimes1000). The consumer electronics behemoths had compounded revenue growth of 49.37 percent for the previous three years, going from selling $32.5 billion in 2008 to noting revenues of $108.2 billion in the reference period for 2011. That difference also makes the company number one in terms of absolute dollar growth for the period.

At 242, Indian companies make up nearly a quarter of the total number of companies on the list. The high number is a testament not only to the vibrant nature of the Indian economy and the surprising depth of its capital markets, but also to the horizontal character of that country’s growth, which is relatively well-distributed amongst industries and companies.

The Indian heavy industry is particularly well-represented in the list, with 43 companies in the IBT1000 engaging in industrial pursuits like machinery manufacturing and 46 companies producing basic material like chemicals and ore. A further 23 spots on the list belong to Indian auto and auto parts makers.

The much-vaunted growth of the Indian textile industry, an export-focused area of the economy, is also apparent, with 33 concerns belonging to this industry classification. Interestingly, the Indian IT sector, which was the country’s pride and joy during much of the last decade, seems relatively stagnant: it contributed only 18 names to the list.

With its economy growing at breakneck pace for most of the past decade, it is no surprise Chinese companies are some of the most highly-represented on the IBTimes1000. Counting companies in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the total tally comes to 265.

A disproportionate amount of that total number comes from the formidable growth in the mighty Taiwanese high-technology sector. Paced by semiconductor companies, 72 of the corporations on the list belong to the IT industry in Taiwan.

While the People’s Republic did not numerically match that number, it did contribute a number of notable high-technology companies, including solar panel manufacturer Trina Solar, and search engine operator Baidu.

The white-hot Chinese real estate industry was also notable, as 17 companies came from this relatively small sector of the economy.