Samsung Sees Brand Value Rise, But Global Ranking Drops

Samsung continues to be a source of pride for its home country, South Korea. The company has remained in the top 10 of Brand Finance’s most valuable global brands list for 2026. The firm saw a solid increase in brand value, though it failed to maintain its previous position, dropping from 6th to 8th place.

Samsung is the 8th most valuable global brand in 2026

For the uninitiated, Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation consultancy, evaluates the financial value of brands across the globe. Its goal is to help companies understand their brand power and make strategic business decisions. The firm has recently released its Global 500 2026 report, which reveals the brand value of companies alongside their rankings.

Speaking of Samsung, the company’s brand value increased 8% to $119.2 billion in 2026. It secured 8th place in the global rankings, dropping from 6th in 2025. This is the second consecutive decline in ranking (as it held 5th place in 2024), suggesting stiff competition among top global brands. Earlier, Samsung ranked 4th in 2018 and 2nd in 2014 and 2015.

Apple led the global rankings once again with a brand value of $607.6 billion. This is a 6% increase from last year. Microsoft secured second place after recording a solid growth of 23% to $565.2 billion, while Google and Amazon held third and fourth spots with brand values of $433.1 billion and $369.9 billion, respectively. NVIDIA made a big jump (from 9th to 5th) in the top 10, with a brand value of $184.3 billion.

Despite a drop in its global ranking, Samsung continues to perform well in business. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the company may report revenue of about KRW 93 trillion and operating profit of about KRW 20 trillion. This is the firm’s highest quarterly operating profit since 2018. Key drivers of growth include rising demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DRAM chips.