{"id":20256,"date":"2026-02-19T18:06:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/amazon-walmart-sales-2025\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T18:06:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:06:46","slug":"amazon-walmart-sales-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/amazon-walmart-sales-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon overtakes Walmart as world&#8217;s top company by sales in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<h2>Lead<\/h2>\n<p>New York \u2014 In 2025 Amazon reported $717 billion in sales, surpassing Walmart\u2019s $713 billion and ending Walmart\u2019s 13-year streak as the world\u2019s largest company by revenue, company statements showed Thursday. The shift reflects Amazon\u2019s faster growth outside traditional retail \u2014 notably in cloud computing, advertising and subscriptions \u2014 which helped offset lower retail margins. Walmart remains a retail powerhouse but has ceded the top spot in total sales as investor attention turns to tech-driven revenue streams. The change is being closely watched by investors, competitors and policymakers for what it signals about the future of retail and cloud services.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazon logged $717 billion in sales in 2025, edging past Walmart\u2019s $713 billion for the year.<\/li>\n<li>AWS contributed nearly $129 billion to Amazon\u2019s 2025 sales, making it a major driver of growth and profits.<\/li>\n<li>Amazon\u2019s retail operations and third-party marketplace generated about $464 billion in 2025, the largest single component of its revenue.<\/li>\n<li>Amazon also earned more than $100 billion combined from advertising and Prime-related revenue in 2025.<\/li>\n<li>More than 90% of Walmart\u2019s sales in 2025 came from its physical stores and ecommerce sites, underscoring its reliance on bricks-and-mortar volume.<\/li>\n<li>Walmart\u2019s market value recently passed $1 trillion, and the company moved its listing to Nasdaq, signaling a strategic repositioning toward technology.<\/li>\n<li>Walmart reported U.S. sales growth of 4.6% in the most recent quarter under CEO John Furner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The competition between Amazon and Walmart has evolved from simple price and assortment battles into a contest over digital services, cloud infrastructure and customer engagement. Walmart dominated global retail sales for 13 years through scale in physical stores, low-cost supply chains and a broad product assortment. Amazon began as an online bookseller in 1994 and expanded into a diversified platform business with a heavy emphasis on cloud services (AWS), digital advertising and subscription services like Prime.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s diversification has changed how revenue and profit are allocated across sectors: high-margin services such as AWS significantly improve overall profitability even when core retail margins are thin. Walmart, meanwhile, has invested heavily in ecommerce, logistics and store remodels to keep physical traffic and market share, especially among price-sensitive U.S. shoppers. The two firms now occupy overlapping but distinct competitive spaces: Walmart remains dominant in everyday grocery and in-store volume, while Amazon leads in cloud infrastructure and digital monetization.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>The sales figures announced this week show Amazon at $717 billion for 2025, versus $713 billion at Walmart, according to the companies\u2019 published results and media reporting. Amazon\u2019s gain is the result of combined advances: AWS growth, expansion of advertising inventory, and rising subscription revenue from Prime. The $129 billion from AWS is particularly notable because it is both large in absolute terms and far more profitable than typical retail sales, changing the economics of Amazon\u2019s business mix.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon reported roughly $464 billion in revenue from its online and physical stores plus third-party sellers, indicating that retail remains its largest single revenue source by dollars even as services grow faster. Advertising and subscription income together exceeded $100 billion in 2025, illustrating how non-retail products are becoming a significant revenue stream. Walmart\u2019s sales remain heavily concentrated in its stores and owned ecommerce platform, accounting for more than 90% of its revenue, and the retailer continues to expand services and online capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Walmart has countered by strengthening its U.S. business and signaling strategic change to investors: its market capitalization recently topped $1 trillion and it moved its stock listing to Nasdaq to emphasize technology-facing ambitions. Under CEO John Furner, Walmart said U.S. sales increased 4.6% in the most recent quarter, and the company is pursuing pricing, assortment and omnichannel investments to retain market share against competitors like Target and Amazon.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>Amazon overtaking Walmart in sales is significant because it reflects a structural shift in how large consumer-facing companies generate revenue. High-margin, scalable businesses such as cloud computing and digital ads can move a company up the revenue and profit ladder even when core retail margins are constrained. AWS\u2019s near-$129 billion contribution in 2025 both diversifies Amazon\u2019s revenue base and underpins its earnings power.<\/p>\n<p>For Walmart, the loss of the sales crown does not equate to operational weakness: the company\u2019s core retail flows remain robust, especially among middle- and upper-income U.S. households seeking value. Walmart\u2019s $1 trillion-plus market valuation and Nasdaq listing show investor confidence in its modernization push, but the firm\u2019s heavy reliance on physical stores means it faces limits that cloud and ad-driven businesses do not.<\/p>\n<p>Investors will watch margins and free cash flow more closely than headline sales going forward. Amazon\u2019s services-heavy mix tends to boost margins, which can support higher valuations; Walmart\u2019s volume-led model generates steady cash but thinner margins. The two models imply different investor theses: growth and platform monetization for Amazon versus scale and margin efficiency for Walmart.<\/p>\n<p>Regulatory and competitive dynamics also matter. As tech-driven revenues grow, Amazon faces scrutiny over market power in cloud and advertising, while Walmart\u2019s continued expansion into digital services could invite new regulatory and competitive pressures. International exposure, supply-chain resilience and labor costs will all influence each company\u2019s trajectory in the coming years.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Company<\/th>\n<th>2025 Sales<\/th>\n<th>Retail\/store revenue<\/th>\n<th>Services (AWS \/ Ads \/ Subscriptions)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Amazon<\/td>\n<td>$717 billion<\/td>\n<td>$464 billion (stores &#038; third-party)<\/td>\n<td>~$129 billion (AWS) + &gt;$100 billion (ads &#038; Prime)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Walmart<\/td>\n<td>$713 billion<\/td>\n<td>&gt;90% of sales from stores &#038; websites<\/td>\n<td>Smaller proportion from digital services<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The table highlights how Amazon\u2019s services mix (AWS, advertising and subscriptions) stacks up alongside its large retail revenue base, while Walmart\u2019s sales remain concentrated in traditional retail channels. Amazon\u2019s services are more margin-accretive, which can translate to stronger profitability even with similar top-line figures. Walmart\u2019s strength in physical retail continues to provide volume advantages, pricing power and logistical scale that are difficult to replicate.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; Quotes<\/h2>\n<p>Walmart framed the results as validation of its strategic shift and operational progress, pointing to recent gains in U.S. revenue and a push into technology and marketplaces.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The pace of change in retail is accelerating.<\/p>\n<p><cite>John Furner, Walmart CEO<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Furner further emphasized that the company views its financial performance as evidence that it is adapting to those changes.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Our financial results show that we\u2019re not only embracing this change, we\u2019re leading it.<\/p>\n<p><cite>John Furner, Walmart CEO<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Market commentators and investors noted that Amazon\u2019s expanded revenue streams \u2014 especially AWS and advertising \u2014 are key to the company\u2019s upward movement in aggregate sales figures, while Walmart\u2019s market-cap milestone and Nasdaq listing were seen as a signal of strategic repositioning.<\/p>\n<h2>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: AWS, Prime and Amazon\u2019s revenue mix<\/summary>\n<p>AWS (Amazon Web Services) is Amazon\u2019s cloud unit, offering infrastructure, storage and AI tools to corporate and government customers; it is highly profitable relative to retail. Prime combines membership fees with faster shipping, content and services, and it both locks in customers and generates recurring revenue. Amazon\u2019s advertising business sells placements across its marketplace and devices, monetizing shopper intent. Together these services create high-margin revenue that helps offset the lower margins of retail goods sales.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<\/h2>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether Amazon\u2019s sales lead represents a sustained, structural advantage or a single-year result driven by one-time factors is not yet confirmed and will depend on future growth and margin trends.<\/li>\n<li>The long-term effect of Walmart\u2019s Nasdaq listing on its strategic direction and valuations remains uncertain and has not been definitively shown to change operating fundamentals.<\/li>\n<li>Future AWS growth rates, and the extent to which advertising and subscription revenue can continue to expand, are projections that remain subject to market and regulatory risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s $717 billion in 2025 sales edged out Walmart\u2019s $713 billion and marks a notable moment in the rivalry between a digitally diversified platform and a scale-driven retailer. The decisive factor is not only top-line revenue but where that revenue comes from: high-margin services such as AWS and advertising give Amazon a different financial profile than Walmart\u2019s store-centric model.<\/p>\n<p>For investors and industry watchers, the important metrics to track going forward are margins, free cash flow and the growth trajectory of services revenue at Amazon, alongside Walmart\u2019s ability to convert scale into sustainable profit improvements. Both companies remain dominant in their areas of strength, and the shifting mix of revenue underscores broader changes in retail, cloud computing and digital monetization.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/19\/business\/walmart-amazon-sales-companies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> \u2014 news report summarizing company results and statements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead New York \u2014 In 2025 Amazon reported $717 billion in sales, surpassing Walmart\u2019s $713 billion and ending Walmart\u2019s 13-year streak as the world\u2019s largest company by revenue, company statements showed Thursday. The shift reflects Amazon\u2019s faster growth outside traditional retail \u2014 notably in cloud computing, advertising and subscriptions \u2014 which helped offset lower retail &#8230; <a title=\"Amazon overtakes Walmart as world&#8217;s top company by sales in 2025\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/amazon-walmart-sales-2025\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Amazon overtakes Walmart as world&#8217;s top company by sales in 2025\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Amazon tops Walmart in 2025 global sales \u2014 Insight Desk","rank_math_description":"Amazon reported $717B in 2025 sales, surpassing Walmart\u2019s $713B as AWS, advertising and subscriptions drive growth. Read analysis of what this means for retail and investors.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"amazon,walmart,sales,aws,retail,2025","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}