• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

China’s Unicorns Have Overtaken the Herd in the U.S.

Grady McGregor
By
Grady McGregor
Grady McGregor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Grady McGregor
By
Grady McGregor
Grady McGregor
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 22, 2019, 7:44 AM ET
CHONGQING, CHINA - AUGUST 27: Citizens visit Tencent booth on day two of 2019 Smart China Expo at Chongqing International Expo Center on August 27, 2019 in Chongqing, China. 2019 Smart China Expo is held from August 26 to 29 in Chongqing. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
CHONGQING, CHINA - AUGUST 27: Citizens visit Tencent booth on day two of 2019 Smart China Expo at Chongqing International Expo Center on August 27, 2019 in Chongqing, China. 2019 Smart China Expo is held from August 26 to 29 in Chongqing. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)VCG via Getty Images

Los Angeles might be the city of dreams, but Beijing is now the city of unicorns. 

With 206 companies, China now has more unicorn start-ups than any other country in the world, just edging out 203 from the United States, according to a new Hurun Report. As a city, Beijing also tops the list with 82 unicorn companies located within its limits, though northern California as a region has over 100 companies. 

The publication defined a unicorn as a start-up founded after 2000, worth over $1 billion, that has not yet publicly listed on an exchange. In total, the list counted almost 500 unicorns in 24 countries around the globe, though the list heavily skewed towards the U.S. and China. 

“China and the U.S. dominate with over 80% of the world’s known unicorns,” said Hurun Report Chairman and Chief Researcher Rupert Hoogewerf. “The rest of the world needs to wake up to creating an environment that allows unicorns to flourish.”

China not only holds the most unicorns on the list, the country is also home to the three most valuable. Ant Financial, which runs the online payment system Alipay, came in at number one valued at $150 billion, followed by Bytedance ($75 billion), which runs Tiktok, and the China’s ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing ($55 billion). Six of the top ten, however, were from the United States, and included companies like WeWork, Uber, Airbnb, and SpaceX.

While the San Francisco-based Sequoia remains as the largest investor into unicorns with 92 companies, Tencent is the second largest investor at 46 companies.

Yet some analysts believe the volume and valuations of China’s unicorns might be inflated, as the government has directed resources and fast-tracked regulatory processes to speed up the development of these firms. 

“In its attempt to establish the next generation of tech ‘unicorns’ China has ironically injected nationalism into its development process,” Brock Silvers, managing director a Shanghai-based investment advisory firm told the South China Morning Post last year.

While Chinese and American firms dominate the list, India has emerged as the world’s third largest market for unicorns with 21 companies, followed by the U.K. with 13, and Germany and Israel with 7.

On the list, fintech is dominant, accounting for 22% of the total valuation of unicorns in the world. The list also leans toward other tech-based industries such as e-commerce, cloud services, and artificial intelligence; each have dozens of unicorns represented.

“These are the industries that are disrupting the world economy, initiating the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Hoogewerf. “They are widely considered to hold the key to the future. Not surprising that many of the world’s top young talent want to work in these sectors.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Has the trade war actually hurt tech?
—Google and NASA claimed quantum supremacy, but China’s not far behind
—The U.S. tech world is watching China’s advances in A.I. warily
—Why China’s digital currency is a ‘wake-up call’ for the U.S.
—China’s 5G is ahead of schedule, on a spectrum the U.S. can’t match
Catch up with
Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Author
Grady McGregor
By Grady McGregor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
0

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
The $38 trillion national debt is to blame for over $1 trillion in annual interest payments from here on out, CRFB says
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 17, 2025
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, McDonald's CEO dishes out some tough love career advice for navigating the market: ‘You've got to make things happen for yourself’
By Preston ForeDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
America's $38 trillion national debt 'exacerbates generational imbalances' with Gen Z and millennials paying the price, warns think tank
By Eleanor PringleDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
'Robots are going to be amongst us': Qualcomm exec says buckle up for the next 5 years. Your car is going to be the first shoe to drop
By Nino PaoliDecember 17, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt Roomba maker iRobot says Elon Musk's vision of humanoid robot assistants is 'pure fantasy thinking'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
IBM, AWS veteran says 90% of your employees are stuck in first gear with AI, just asking it to ‘write their mean email in a slightly more polite way’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.