Apple held the world’s largest market capitalization at the end of 2023.
At the close of trading on December 29, 2023, Apple’s market value was approximately $3 trillion, placing it ahead of Microsoft in global rankings. The exact value varied with the closing share price and the number of shares outstanding, so published totals can differ slightly by data provider.
Apple’s position reflected investor expectations about the iPhone, services, wearables, and its broader hardware ecosystem. Microsoft remained a very close competitor, supported by cloud computing, enterprise software, and growing interest in artificial intelligence.
Market-cap rankings are snapshots rather than permanent titles. They can change daily, and the largest company by market value may differ from the largest by revenue, assets, employees, or profit. Apple’s year-end ranking therefore describes equity-market value at a specific date.