Among the 1000 world's fastest-growing companies that IBT1000 tracks, most fall into industries that have done well in the past three years. Nearly a quarter of the companies that made the list do business in the field of consumer discretionary.

A look at the specific industries with the highest number of companies on the list provides some insight into how different industries fared in the past and where to invest for growth.

The top 10 industries are ranked based on the number of fastest growing companies in the segment, not the average three-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR).