
About the Author
Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chevron and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends BP and ConocoPhillips. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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(Some companies that are not listed on major exchanges will not be displayed in the following table.)
*Converted from Saudi riyals.
Saudi Arabian Oil, also known as Saudi Aramco (SASE:2222), is a state-owned oil company. It's the world's top oil producer, with production totals of 12.9 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025. It also has the second-largest proven crude oil reserves, second only to Venezuela.
ExxonMobil is the largest U.S. oil company. In 2013, it was the world's largest company. It's involved in crude oil and natural gas production, the sale of petroleum products and petrochemicals, lower-emission energy development, and the production of specialty chemical products.
This oil company has a tarnished reputation with the general public. It has used its influence to fight climate change regulations and was responsible for the second-worst oil spill in U.S. history, the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of southern Alaska.
Chevron is another leading U.S. oil company with both upstream and downstream operations. Upstream operations refer to exploration and production, while downstream operations refer to refining and marketing. Chevron is notable for leveraging technology to improve its operations, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for fault detection.
Like ExxonMobil, Chevron has received plenty of criticism for climate change denial and oil spills. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also fined Chevron on multiple occasions for violating federal laws, including the Clean Air Act.
*Converted from Chinese yuan.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC, is a state-owned oil company that operates in more than 20 countries, including Indonesia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. It was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 due to U.S. sanctions against China.
CNOOC receives a significant share of its business from the China International Import Expo (CIIE). In 2025, it sealed a record $13 billion worth of deals at the CIIE.
BP is a British oil company. It produces oil and natural gas and has operations in 70 countries.
This company has also been involved in some major controversies. In one of the most notable examples, BP was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
The largest energy companies are in the oil and gas industry. Since the Iran war has affected oil prices, many of these companies have been particularly volatile this year.
Although most oil companies are now investing in renewable energy, almost all have had high-profile issues, such as oil spills or climate change denial. If that's not a dealbreaker, these companies tend to be stable businesses, and many oil dividend stocks offer high dividend payouts.
If you want to avoid big oil, the energy sector also offers renewable energy stocks. You won't find them among the top 10 (at least not yet), but they provide a more sustainable way to invest in energy companies.








Saudi Aramco, also known as Saudi Arabian Oil, tops the list of the world's largest energy companies, followed by ExxonMobil (XOM -1.57%) and Chevron (CVX -0.71%). There's a substantial gap between Saudi Aramco, which is the only energy company worth more than $1 trillion, and the rest of the field.
(Editor's note: Rankings are as of May 1, 2026.)
*Converted from Chinese yuan.
Based in Beijing, the China National Petroleum Corp., known as PetroChina (PCCYF -1.02%), is China's largest oil company. It's also the top oil producer in Asia. In 2025, it produced 948 million barrels of crude oil.
PetroChina has focused on its renewable energy business so far this decade. It has also committed to having renewables account for one-third of its energy portfolio by 2035 and 50% by 2050.
Shell (SHEL -0.39%) is a British energy company involved in the exploration and production of oil, natural gas, and renewable energy. It operates in more than 70 countries and produced 2.8 million barrels of oil and gas per day in 2025.
ConocoPhillips (COP -0.95%) is a Houston, Texas–based company involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. It operates in 15 countries, with about half of its production occurring in the U.S.
*Converted from Canadian dollars.
Enbridge (ENB -0.93%) is a Canadian energy delivery company. It operates the longest, most complex oil and liquids transportation system in North America, with approximately 18,085 miles of active pipelines. It delivers about 5.8 million barrels of oil and liquids every day in its network.
Enbridge has been responsible for several oil spills and leaks. Some of its projects have also led to protests, with the Dakota Access Pipeline one of the more prominent examples.

| Name and ticker | Market cap | Current price | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Oil (SASE:2222) | $0.0 thousand | SAR 27.20 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) | $607.6 billion | $144.28 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| Chevron (NYSE:CVX) | $364.2 billion | $181.35 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| Shell Plc (NYSE:SHEL) | $235.2 billion | $83.95 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| PetroChina (OTC:PCCYF) | $253.5 billion | $1.37 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) | N/A | N/A | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) | $140.0 billion | $113.79 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| BP (NYSE:BP) | $112.8 billion | $43.30 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) | $117.8 billion | $53.48 | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
TotalEnergies (TTE -0.16%) is a French oil and chemicals company involved in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and trading, electricity production from renewable sources, and the refining and marketing of petroleum products.
Formerly known as Total, the company rebranded to TotalEnergies in 2021 as part of its shift toward renewable energy production.