The 50 Most Innovative Companies In The World

Daniel Goodman/Business InsiderEvery year since 2005, the Boston Consulting Group has surveyed more than 1,500 senior global executives for a snapshot of the most innovative companies in the world. Each executive is asked to rate the companies in their industry by how innovative they are, and those results are then weighted to reflect three-year shareholder growth, revenue growth, and margin growth.

Despite losing some of its luster over the past year, Apple tops the list for the ninth consecutive year. Its biggest competitor, Samsung, moves to just one spot behind it, making next year's list one to watch.

The ranking also shows some volatility. Struggling Dell drops 11 places, and Intel falls 13 slots.

The vast majority of the companies on the list fall into just three categories: technology, consumer and retail, and automotive companies. Technology dominates, making up half of the companies in the top 10. Meanwhile, the automotive sector, which has had to step things up to meet consumers' increasing demands, saw the biggest leaps, with three companies in the top 10 and Volkswagen jumping 31 spots.

Health care and energy are almost nowhere to be found, with only one and three companies in the top 50, respectively.

Here are the top 50 most innovative companies: