London Stock Exchange (UK): largest companies listed 2025
As of March 2025, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was the leading company listed on the London Exchange (LSE), with a market capitalization of 184 billion British pounds. This made them the largest of all all companies listed on the LSE. Seen as the heart of the global financial community, the London Stock Exchange is the second largest stock market in Europe and ranks eighth globally.
Key information
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is among the largest stock market operators globally and ranks 11th in terms of the number of companies listed, totaling 1,867. By comparison, the leading stock market operator worldwide in terms of listed companies - the Japan Exchange Group - is home to nearly 4,000 companies. Additionally, the LSE boasts a rich history, being one of the oldest stock exchanges in existence, with 224 years of operation as of 2025.
Performance after Covid
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the global economy, causing considerable volatility on the stock market. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) saw a notable decline in the market capitalization value of its listed companies, reaching its lowest value in March 2020 at approximately three trillion British pounds in correlation with a surge in the average daily number of trades, which peaked at over two billion. Following this initial reaction, the LSE observed a decrease in the average daily active traders, alongside a gradual recovery in the market capitalization of the listed companies.
