The Oldest Businesses in Every Country Around the World (2024)

1JapanKongo Gumi578construction2AustriaSt. Peter Stifts Kulinarium803restaurant3GermanyStaffelter Hof Winery862brewer/distillery/winery4FranceMonnaie de Paris864coin production5IrelandSean’s Bar900bar6ItalyMarinelli Bell Foundry1040bell foundry7BelgiumAffligem Brewery1074brewer/distillery/winery8DenmarkMunke Mølle1135food and beverage9ScotlandAberdeen Harbour Board1136shipping10ChinaMa Yu Ching’s Bucket Chicken House1153restaurant11SpainCasa de Ganaderos1218meat distributor12SwitzerlandGasthof Sternen1230inn13PolandBochnia Salt Mine1248salt plant/mine14UkraineDrohobych Salt Plant1250salt plant/mine15SlovakiaKremnica Mint1328coin production16NetherlandsThe Brand Brewery1340brewer/distillery/winery17SwedenSkyllbergs Bruk1346enterprise18CzechiaPivovar Broumov1348brewer/distillery/winery19EstoniaRaeapteek1422pharmacy20LuxembourgMousel1511brewer/distillery/winery21EnglandTrinity House1514shipping22PortugalCTT-Correios de Portugal SA1520post office/mail23MexicoLa Casa de Moneda de Mexico1534coin production24PeruCasa Nacional de Moneda1565coin production25TurkeyÇemberlitaş Hamamı1584turkish bath26LatviaCēsu Alus1590brewer/distillery/winery27ColombiaCasa de Moneda de Colombia1621coin production28United StatesShirley Plantation1638plantation29NorwayPosten Norge1647post office/mail30FinlandFiskars1649conglomerate31GuyanaHacienda Chuao1660plantation32LithuaniaGubernija1665brewer/distillery/winery33CanadaHudson’s Bay Company1670retail34BrazilCasa de Moeda do Brasil1694coin production35BarbadosMount Gay Rum1703bar36RussiaPetrodvorets Watch Factory1721watches37CroatiaKraljevica Shipyard1729shipping38IndiaWadia Group1736conglomerate39SerbiaApatin Brewery1756brewer/distillery/winery40JamaicaRose Hall1770plantation41Northern IrelandDerry Journal1772newspaper42MauritiusMauritius Post1772post office/mail43IcelandÍslandspóstur1776post office/mail44GreeceTraditional Kafenio of Emmanouil Forlidas1785cafe45HungaryZwack1790brewer/distillery/winery46MalaysiaPOS Malaysia1800post office/mail47IndonesiaPindad1808military products48AustraliaAustralia Post1809post office/mail49ChileFamae1811military products50NambiaNampost1814post office/mail51SingaporeSingapore Post1819post office/mail52BangladeshM.M. Ispahani Limited1820food and beverage53South AfricaPremier FMCG1820food and beverage54ArgentinaBanco de La Provincia de Buenos Aires1822bank55Trinidad & TobagoHouse of Angostura1830bar56LebanonBank Audi1830bank57Sri LankaGeorge Steuart Group1835conglomerate58VenezuelaBanks Dih1840food and beverage59MontenegroPošta Crne Gore1841post office/mail60PakistanHouse of Habib1841conglomerate61Saudi ArabiaHouse of Alireza1845enterprise62TunisiaLa Poste Tunisienne1847post office/mail63Cape VerdeCorreios de Cabo Verde1849post office/mail64PhilippinesDestileria Limtuaco1853brewer/distillery/winery65EgyptEgyptian National Railways1854railroad66AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company1858shipping67LiechtensteinNational Bank of Liechtenstein1861bank68New ZealandBank of New Zealand1861bank69HaitiRhum Barbancourt1862bar70BelarusOlivaria Brewery1864brewer/distillery/winery71Bosnia & HerzegovinaSarajevska Pivara1864brewer/distillery/winery72WalesMonmouthshire Building Society1869bank73HondurasNational Railroad of Honduras1870railroad74BoliviaBanco Nacional de Bolivia1871bank75North MacedoniaTutunski Kombinat Prilep1873tobacco76ArmeniaYerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory1877brewer/distillery/winery77UruguayCafe Brasilero1877cafe78RomaniaUrsus Breweries1878brewer/distillery/winery79BulgariaArsenal Ad1878military products80ThailandB. Grimm Group1878conglomerate81AlgeriaHamoud Boualem1878food and beverage82VietnamVietnam Railways1881railroad83MaltaHSBC Bank Malta1882bank84BahrainBMMI1883retail85TogoLa Poste du Togo1883post office/mail86SyriaBakdash1885ice cream parlor87South KoreaKT Corporation1885telecommunications88CongoSociété Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo1889railroad89NicaraguaFlor de Caña1890brewer/distillery/winery90KuwaitM.H. Alshaya Co.1890retail91El SalvadorHSBC El Salvador1891bank92MozambiqueBeira Railroad Corporation1892railroad93ZimbabweStandard Chartered Zimbabwe1892bank94NigeriaFirst Bank of Nigeria1894bank95KenyaKCB Group Limited1896bank96ZambiaZampost1896post office/mail97TaiwanBank of Taiwan1897bank98CyprusBank of Cyprus1899bank99DjiboutiEthio-Djibouti Railways1901railroad100BelizeBelize Bank1902bank101GeorgiaBank of Georgia1903bank102PanamaNational Bank of Panama1904bank103MoroccoAttijariwafa Bank1904bank104EthiopiaNational Bank of Ethiopia1906bank105UgandaStanbic Bank Uganda Limited1906bank106LibyaUmma Bank1907bank107Costa RicaFlorida Ice and Farm Company1908food and beverage108DominicaThe Chronicle (Dominica)1909newspaper109AlbaniaAlbtelecom1912telecommunications110KazakhstanBogatyr Access Komir1913mining111SudanBank of Khartoum1913bank112IsraelCafé Abu Salem1914cafe113Sierra LeoneRokel Commercial Bank1917bank114GuatemalaCorporacion Multi Inversiones1920restaurant115LiberiaNational Port Authority1921shipping116RwandaNational Post Office1922post office/mail117SenegalDakar-Niger Railway1924railroad118IraqNorth Oil Company1928oil119CubaCubana de Aviacion1929airline120AndorraAndbank1930bank121AfghanistanSpinzar Cotton Company1930cotton122JordanArab Bank1930bank123MongoliaMongolian National Broadcaster1931broadcasting124UzbekistanTashkent Aviation Production Association1932airline125TanzaniaTanzania Breweries Limited1933brewer/distillery/winery126NepalNepal Bank Limited1937bank127OmanPetroleum Development Oman1937oil128Saint Lucia1st National Bank of St. Lucia1938bank129United Arab EmiratesLiwa Chemicals1939oil130EritreaAsmara Brewery1939brewer/distillery/winery131SomaliaRadio Mogadishu1943broadcasting132North KoreaKim Chong-T’ae Electric Locomotive Works1945railroad133Cote D’IvoireLa Poste1945post office/mail134Central African RepublicBanque Internationale Pour la Centrafrique1946bank135BruneiHua Ho Department Store1947retail136CameroonCameroon Development Corporation1947agriculture137MyanmarMyanmar National Airlines1948airline138QatarSalam International Investment Limited1952conglomerate139CambodiaNational Bank of Cambodia1954bank140BurundiBrarudi1955brewer/distillery/winery141MaliOffice de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali1957broadcasting142LaosÉlectricité du Laos1959electric company143BhutanTashi Group1959airline144NigerOffice of Radio and Television of Niger1960broadcasting145YemenYemenia Airways1962airline146MadagascarAir Madagascar1962airline147GuineaHalco Mining1962mining148EswatiniSwazi Rail1963railroad149MalawiMalawi Broadcasting Corporation1964broadcasting150BotswanaBotswana Meat Commission1965meat distributor151Burkina FasoAir Burkina1967airline152BéninCommunauté Électrique du Bénin1968electric company153GabonBGFIBank Group1971bank154ChadCotontchad1971cotton155Guinea-BissauCorreios da Guiné-Bissau1973post office/mail156MauritaniaCentral Bank of Mauritania1973bank157São Tomé and PríncipeCentral Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe1975bank158CongoDevelopment Bank of the Central African States1975bank159SeychellesAir Seychelles1977airline160LesothoCentral Bank of Lesotho1978bank161ComorosCentral Bank of the Comoros1981bank162VanuatuEuropean Trust Company1991bank163South SudanIvory Bank1994bank164Equatorial GuineaGuinea Equatorial Airlines1996airline165KosovoMeridian Corporation1999food and beverage

FAQs

The Oldest Businesses in Every Country Around the World? ›

Very generally speaking, the oldest company in the world is usually recognized as Kongo Gumi, the Japanese construction company that was founded in 578 AD. It operated operated continuously for over 1,400 years until it was absorbed by another firm in 2006.

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What is the oldest business around the world? ›

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What is the oldest form of business in the world? ›

The Oldest Business in the World

The oldest operating business is Kongo Gumi in Japan, founded in 578. It's a construction company that specializes in shrines and temples.

What and where are the world's oldest businesses datasets? ›

As well as having the oldest company in the world, Japan is also home to the second to fifth-oldest companies, with three of them (Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan, Koman, and Hōshi Ryokan) being hotels. The oldest company outside of Japan is an Austrian inn called Stiftskeller St.

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What is the oldest company still in business in the United States? ›

Founded in 1613, Shirley Plantation is the oldest company in the United States.

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What is the oldest industry in the world? ›

The oldest industry in the world is the Cotton textile industry. Cotton textile is the second largest industry in the world.

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Which is the oldest human business? ›

Kongo Gumi, established in 578 A.D., is the world's oldest continuously operating company.

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Who is the oldest businessman in the world? ›

George Joseph, who is the founder of the insurance company Mercury General, holds the title of the world's oldest billionaire at the age of 102. On the other hand, Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing is the wealthiest among the 25 oldest billionaires in the world.

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What is the oldest family business in the world? ›

Houshi Ryokan in the village of Awazu, Japan dates back to A.D. 717 and is a family business spanning over 46 generations.

What is the oldest business in Europe? ›

The oldest companies in Europe

The oldest company in the continent is the Staffelter Hof Winery in Germany, which dates back to 862. In Ireland, the oldest company, Sean's Bar, was founded in 900. In the Netherlands, Brand Brewery dates back to 1340.

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What company has a bad reputation? ›

X (formerly Twitter) was the worst-performing, with a reputation quotient (RQ) of just 58.8, which is in the “poor” category. That made it the second-worst company of the 100 most visible overall. It even fell behind Meta, at 59.6 (#97), with TikTok only slightly further ahead at 60.7 (#95).

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What is the oldest industry in America? ›

The longest surviving business in the US is Shirley Plantation in Virginia. The plantation was founded in 1613 as a tobacco grower, and currently operates as a farm and National Historic Landmark tourist destination. Shirley Plantation is owned and operated by direct descendants of its original builders.

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Why does Japan have so many old companies? ›

“More generally, we could say that it is because of the general long-term orientation: the culture of respecting tradition and ancestors, combined with the fact that it has been an island country with relatively limited interaction with other countries,” she says, pointing to people's desire to make the most of what ...

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Is Kongō Gumi still in business? ›

It continues to operate today, specialising in the construction, maintenance and repair of Buddhist temples, using traditional tools and techniques passed down from its founder.

What was the first brand in the world? ›

In 1876, its red-triangle brand became the first registered trademark issued by the British government. Guinness World Records recognizes Tate & Lyle (of Lyle's Golden Syrup) as Britain's, and the world's, oldest branding and packaging, with its green-and-gold packaging having remained almost unchanged since 1885.

What was the first corporation in the world? ›

The alleged oldest commercial corporation in the world, the Stora Kopparberg mining community in Falun, Sweden, obtained a charter from King Magnus Eriksson in 1347. In medieval times, traders would do business through common law constructs, such as partnerships.

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