List of largest mergers and acquisitions
The following tables list the largest mergers and acquisitions by decade of transaction. Transaction values are given in the US dollar value for the year of the merger, adjusted for inflation. As of February 2024[update], the largest ever acquisition was the 1999 takeover of Mannesmann by Vodafone Airtouch plc at $183 billion ($334.7 billion adjusted for inflation). AT&T appears in these lists the most times with five entries, for a combined transaction value of $311.4 billion. Mergers and acquisitions are notated with the year the transaction was initiated, not necessarily completed. Mergers are shown as the market value of the combined entities.
Free market enterprises[edit]
1870s[edit]
Top M&A deal worldwide by value from 1870 to 1879:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1879 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.001 | 0.033 |
1900s[edit]
Top 3 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1900 to 1909:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1901 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 0.492 | 18 |
2 | 1907 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.310 | 10.1 |
3 | 1909 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.222 | 7.5 |
1910s[edit]
Top 3 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1910 to 1919:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1915 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 0.100 | 3 |
2 | 1915 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.050 | 1.5 |
3 | 1918 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.045 | 0.912 |
1920s[edit]
Top 5 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1920 to 1929:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1928 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.0 | 17.7 |
2 | 1929 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 0.665 | 11.8 |
3 | 1928 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.522 | 9.3 |
4 | 1928 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.500 | 8.9 |
5 | 1928 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 0.400 | 7.1 |
1930s[edit]
Top 5 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1930 to 1939:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1930 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 0.650 | 11.9 |
2 | 1932 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 0.542 | 12.1 |
3 | 1934 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.323 | 7.4 |
4 | 1931 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.080 | 1.6 |
5 | 1932 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.026 | 0.581 |
1940s[edit]
Top 5 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1940 to 1949:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1949 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.059 | 0.756 |
2 | 1943 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 0.038 | 0.669 |
3 | 1949 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.022 | 0.282 |
4 | 1943 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.016 | 0.282 |
5 | 1948 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.014 | 0.178 |
1950s[edit]
Top 10 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1950 to 1959:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1959 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.8 | 18.8 |
2 | 1957 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.768 | 8.3 |
3 | 1957 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.717 | 7.8 |
4 | 1955 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.550 | 6.3 |
5 | 1956 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.549 | 6.2 |
6 | 1954 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.500 | 5.7 |
7 | 1955 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.486 | 5.5 |
8 | 1955 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.466 | 5.3 |
9 | 1953 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.420 | 4.8 |
10 | 1954 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.355 | 4 |
1960s[edit]
Top 10 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1960 to 1969:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1969 | ![]() | ![]() | 3.7 | 30.7 |
2 | 1965 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.5 | 14.5 |
3 | 1968 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 1.0 | 8.8 |
4 | 1969 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.925 | 7.7 |
5 | 1967 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.922 | 8.4 |
6 | 1968 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.763 | 6.7 |
7 | 1965 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.620 | 6 |
8 | 1961 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.600 | 6.1 |
9 | 1968 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.582 | 5.1 |
10 | 1967 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.550 | 5 |
1970s[edit]
Top 15 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1970 to 1979:
Rank | Year | Purchaser | Purchased | Transaction value (in billions USD) | [1] Inflation adjusted (in billions USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1979 | ![]() | ![]() | 3.65 | 15.3 |
2 | 1976 | ![]() | ![]() | 2.17 | 11.6 |
3 | 1979 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.3 | 5.5 |
4 | 1979 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.2 | 5 |
5 | 1978 | ![]() | ![]() | 1.0 | 4.7 |
6 | 1979 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.765 | 3.2 |
7 | 1976 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.760 | 4.1 |
8 | 1978 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.620 | 2.9 |
9 | 1978 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.585 | 2.7 |
10 | 1977 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.567 | 2.9 |
11 | 1978 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.520 | 2.4 |
12 | 1978 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.488 | 2.3 |
13 | 1977 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | 0.485 | 2.4 |
14 | 1974 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.480 | 3 |
15 | 1979 | ![]() | ![]() | 0.465 | 2 |
1980s[edit]
Top 30 M&A deals worldwide by value from 1980 to 1989:
1990s[edit]
Top M&A deals worldwide by value ($20 billion or larger) from 1990 to 1999:[99]
2000s[edit]
Top M&A deals worldwide by value ($20 billion or larger) from 2000 to 2009:[99]
2010s[edit]
Top M&A deals worldwide by value ($20 billion or larger) from 2010 to 2019: