Female Leadership on the Rise: Global 500 Hits Record 6.6% Women CEOs

• Fortune's Global 500 list came out earlier this week ranking the world's biggest companies
• Number of women CEOs of Global 500 companies — 33 total, an increase from 28 last year
• The data shows slow but steady movement towards gender diversity in the top leadership of global business corporations

Fortune's 2025 Global 500 ranking of the world's biggest companies by revenue has reached its all-time peak at 33 women CEOs currently leading companies on the list — a record high in the history of this publication, up from 28 last year. Nevertheless, women account for just 6.6 percent of Global 500 CEOs vs. 11 percent for the U.S.-centric Fortune 500.

Combined, the Global 500 companies earn $41.7 trillion in revenue, which accounts for over one-third of world GDP. The list entry cutoff is high, with a minimum of $32.2 billion in annual revenues — much higher than the $7.4 billion required to enter the Fortune 500. This imbalance accounts for a good portion of the way in terms of explaining the lack of women's presence, as the majority of women-owned companies in the U.S. do not reach this higher revenue threshold.

General Motors, led by Mary Barra, ranks as the highest woman-led firm in the ranking, followed by Elevance Health (Gail Boudreaux), Citigroup (Jane Fraser), and Centene (Sarah London). Several companies joined the list of women-led Global 500 firms for the first time this year, including the People's Insurance Co. of China (Ding Xiangqun), Australian Woolworths Group (Amanda Bardwell), Mexican utility CFE (Emilia Esther Calleja Alor), German Daimler Truck Holding (Karin Rådström), and Albertsons (Susan D. Morris).

Some of the other leading women at Global 500 companies include Sandy Ran Xu of JD.com, Magda Chambriad of Petrobras, Catherine MacGregor of Engie, and Julie Sweet of Accenture. While women at the top are still scarce, more women CEOs is a sign of further — though incremental — trend toward more mixed-up global corporate leadership.