As of 2026-10-12, Nomura Research Institute tops the list with 9,000 employees.
- #1 Nomura Research Institute — 9,000 employees
Research Institute
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. is the largest economic research and consulting firm in Japan, and a member of the Nomura Group. Established in 1965, the firm now employs over 13,000 people. It owns ten subsidiaries in Japan and multiple subsidiaries overseas, in India, New York City, Dallas, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Moscow, Taipei, the Philippines, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 RAND Corporation — 1,850 employees
American research organization
The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the 1950s, RAND research has helped inform United States policy decisions on a wide variety of issues, including the Cold War space race, the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the U.S.–Soviet nuclear arms confrontation, the creation of the Great Society... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Friedrich Ebert Foundation — 1,589 employees
German political foundation linked to the SDP
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as the political legacy of Friedrich Ebert, Germany's first president, it is the largest and oldest of the German party-associated foundations. It is headquartered in Bonn and Berlin, and has offices and projects in over 100 countries. It is Germany's oldest organisation to promote democracy, political education, and... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Konrad Adenauer Foundation — 778 employees
German political foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sankt Augustin near Bonn, as well as in Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 111 foreign offices and runs programs in over 100 countries. Its current chairwoman is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a former Federal Minister of Defence and Minister-President of Saarland. It is a member of the Martens Centre,... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 World Economic Forum — 550 employees
Swiss nonprofit foundation
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer Klaus Schwab. The foundation's stated mission is "improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas". Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Center for Strategic and International Studies — 354 employees
American think tank in Washington, D.C.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Bertelsmann Stiftung — 334 employees
German non-profit foundation, headquartered in Gütersloh
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent foundation under private law, based in Gütersloh, Germany. It was founded in 1977 by Reinhard Mohn as the result of social, corporate and fiscal considerations. The foundation states that it promotes "reform processes" and "the principles of entrepreneurial activity" to build a "future-oriented society". Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Conference Board of Canada — 285 employees
think tank
Signal49 Research is Canadian applied-research organization that focuses economics, human capital, innovation and technology, education, health, sustainability, Indigenous and northern communities, and immigration. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Hanns Seidel Foundation — 277 employees
party political foundation of the German CSU
The Hanns Seidel Foundation is a German political party foundation. It is politically associated with but independent of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) party and taxpayer-money funded political research registered association. It was founded in November 1966 after most of the other party-associated foundations in Germany had already been established. It is headquartered in Munich. The conference centre in the Banz Abbey is the foundation's main location. It is a member of the... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Heinrich Böll Foundation — 276 employees
German, legally independent political foundation affiliated with the Green Party
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with Alliance 90/The Greens, it was founded in 1997 when three predecessors merged. The foundation was named after German writer Heinrich Böll (1917–1985). Read more on Wikipedia.
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