Amazon overtakes Walmart to lead the world in sales

Amazon overtakes Walmart to lead the world in sales

Amazon overtakes Walmart to lead the world in sales

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/business/walmart-amazon-sales-companies

Publish Date: 2026-02-19 09:50:00

Source Domain: www.cnn.com

  • Amazon has surpassed Walmart to become the world’s largest company by sales, ending Walmart’s 13-year reign.
  • Amazon reported $717 billion in sales in 2025, just edging out Walmart’s $713 billion.
  • The revenue growth of Amazon’s cloud computing, advertising, and other business sectors contributed to its overtaking of Walmart.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) brought in nearly $129 billion in sales last year, driving a significant portion of company revenue despite retail losses.
  • While $464 billion of Amazon’s revenue came from sales on its online and physical stores, Amazon supplemented this with over $100 billion from advertising and Prime subscriptions.
  • Walmart’s sales continue to be heavily reliant on its physical stores and websites, with over 90% of its revenue coming from these sources.
  • Despite the shift in title, Walmart remains strong under new CEO John Furner, surpassing $1 trillion in stock value and emphasizing its transformation into a tech company with its Nasdaq listing.
  • Walmart continues to thrive in the U.S., especially among middle-class and upper-income households seeking cost savings, leading to a 4.6% growth in sales in the last quarter.