The most common industries by company count (2026 data)

June 3, 2026 · OneFirmIntel

We tallied company counts across the 16 industries OneFirmIntel tracks in its directory, spanning all 24 live markets. Transport, construction and food top the table, and the gap between the largest and smallest sectors is wider than you might expect.

The sector ranking

Across OneFirmIntel’s industry directory, transport leads with 943,828 companies, followed by construction (812,349), food & beverage (535,904) and trading (514,717). Pharmaceuticals (199,482), electronics (158,761), logistics (150,581) and textiles (117,776) form the next tier.

These are directory-tracked counts, companies tagged to each sector across our 24 live markets, and they are graded into quality tiers, so the figures reflect operating businesses rather than raw, undifferentiated registry rows.

Why transport and construction dominate

The two largest sectors are both low-barrier, high-fragmentation industries: huge numbers of small operators (haulage, building trades) register as companies. That fragmentation is precisely why a tier filter matters, it separates the established operators from the long tail of micro-firms and dormant shells.

What it means for buyers

A big sector count is not the same as a deep supply base. In every industry, the actionable shortlist is the ★★ Established tier in your target market. Browsing a sector hub with a tier and location filter turns a million-row count into a workable list of real suppliers in minutes.

Sources & further reading

External links are provided for reference; third-party names are trademarks of their owners.

See the data

Explore the companies behind these numbers.

Explore industries →

FAQ

Which industry has the most companies?

In OneFirmIntel’s cross-market directory, transport leads with 943,828 companies, ahead of construction (812,349) and food & beverage (535,904), as of 2026.

How many construction companies are tracked?

OneFirmIntel’s directory tracks 812,349 construction companies across its 24 live markets, graded into quality tiers.

Are these counts active companies only?

The sector counts cover all graded companies in each industry; you can filter to active tiers (★★★ Listed, ★★ Established, ★ New entrant) on each directory page to exclude dissolved entities.