Kantar’s BrandZ said that Apple had a total value of $1.3tn, up 28% from 2024 and accounting for 12% of the total monetary value of the top 100 brands.

Tech giants dominated the rest of the top 10, with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and computing firm NVIDIA rounding out the top five.

Facebook and Instagram were sixth and seventh, with Instagram seeing growth of 101% in 2025, while McDonald’s, Oracle and Visa made up the rest of the top 10.

Overall, the global top 100 has reached a record total brand value of $10.7tn, a year-on-year increase of 29%, which the ranking said was driven by tech-enabled disruptor brands.

Other top performing tech brands included TikTok, which saw growth of 25%, and ChatGPT, which debuted on the list in 60^th place. Amazon’s brand value rose by 50% to $866bn, while NVIDIA saw its brand value soar 152%.

Chinese brands have doubled their value over the past 20 years, now accounting for 6% of the overall value of the global top 100, with European brands now accounting for only 7% of the top 100, down from 26% in 2006.

Retail continued its post-pandemic surge, with overall brand value growth up 48%, but brand values in consumer categories like apparel ( 0%), food & beverages (-1%) and personal care (-5%) remained flat or declined.

Alcohol brands saw an 11% fall in brand value primarily due to reduced consumption, especially among younger generations, and the fragmentation in spirit flavours and craft beer diluting the market share of legacy brands.

The luxury sector, one of the few sectors to grow through the pandemic, dropped 2% in 2025, partly due to softer demand in China, which Kantar said was due to scrutiny of displays of wealth and extravagance shifting consumer preference towards lifestyle experiences instead of status symbols.

BrandZ is based on interviews with 4.5 million consumers for 22,000 brands in 54 markets.

Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ, said: “Even through economic crises, the world’s most valuable brands have consistently outperformed the S&P 500 and MSCI World Index over 20 years. This is irrefutable proof of marketing’s value. A brand is a company’s most valuable asset, and the last thing businesses should be doing in response to market shocks is cutting marketing investment.

“The smartest businesses differentiate their brands to the extent that consumers are happy to pay a premium, because they can maintain or survive price rises without eroding demand. This is crucial for protecting margins when facing external pressures.”