Though the Fortune 500 companies include numerous corporations outside of engineering, it is important to be aware of the lack of diversity among the highest levels of leadership across all industries, especially women leaders. Diverse leaders are needed to serve as role models, mentors, and supporters of future leaders. The consistent scarcity of female representation among corporate leadership is a concerning trend.
Historically, there are much fewer women CEOs than men in Fortune 500 global companies. In the last 10 years, the number of women CEOs more than doubled and has grown from only a dozen in 2015. As of 2025, there were 33 women CEOs representing roughly 7% of the total leaders of Fortune 500 companies across 36 countries.
*Females as a percent of total shown in figure
There are much fewer women CEOs than men in Fortune 500 Southeast Asian companies. Companies from 7 countries are included in the ranking and they are ranked by revenues. As of 2025, there were 39 women CEOs representing roughly 8% of the total leaders of Fortune 500 companies in Southeast Asia.
*Females as a percent of total shown in figure
There are much fewer women CEOs than men in Fortune 500 European companies. Companies from 24 countries are included in the ranking and they comprise 57% of Europea’s GDP and are ranked by total revenues. As of 2024, there were 32 women CEOs representing roughly 6% of the total leaders of Fortune 500 companies in Europe.
*Females as a percent of total shown in figure
Resources
- Fortune. (2025). Fortune 500 Ranking.