The Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2026 shows how China’s leading brands are accelerating growth through AI transformation, international expansion and Meaningful Difference.
The combined value of the ranking has risen 13% year-on-year to reach US$1.4 trillion, outpacing China’s overall economic growth and marking a second consecutive year of double-digit gains.
Based on the views of more than 438,500 consumers about 2,224 brands across 142 categories, the report uncovers the brands, trends and growth drivers shaping China’s brand landscape. Key findings include:
- Tencent holds the No.1 spot for the sixth-year running, growing 6% to almost US$210 billion
- Alibaba remains at No.2, increasing its brand value by 33% to US$112.5 billion
- Douyin climbs to No.3, growing 29% to US$98.4 billion
- Seven brands make their ranking debut, including AI-native brands Kimi (No.45), ChatGLM (No.53) and Doubao (No.78)
- Midea is this year’s Top Riser, growing 54% to US$11.7 billion through premiumisation, connected home innovation and international expansion
- Media & Entertainment, Financial Services, Consumer Technology & Services Platforms and Retail are the standout growth categories, together contributing 69% of the ranking’s total value
- Difference remains a powerful driver of value, with Chinese brands that have increased Difference since 2019 growing far faster than those in decline.
Discover the full Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2026 ranking and explore the insights, innovations and growth strategies shaping China’s most valuable brands.
Infographic
Explore the Chinese brand landscape in these infographics. Kantar BrandZ’s Top 5 Most Valuable Chinese Brands in 2026 are:No.1 Tencent – US$210 billion
No.2 Alibaba – US$112 billion
No.3 Douyin – US$98 billion
No.4 Moutai – US$82 billion
No.5 Huawei – US$80 billion
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China’s most valuable brands are entering a new phase of brand-led growth, with the Top 100 rising 13% year-on-year to reach US$1.37 trillion. The ranking shows that the brands best placed to accelerate value are those combining AI-powered innovation with clear differentiation, international ambition and a deep understanding of shifting consumer expectations. By finding profitable new spaces, strengthening relevance and building Meaningful Difference, China’s leading brands are turning momentum into competitive advantage.
Methodology: how we measure brand value
Kantar BrandZ uses a consumer-centric approach combining Financial Value (corporate earnings linked to brand assets) and Brand Contribution (driven by Demand Power, Pricing Power and Future Power). This approach is powered by over 4.5 million interviews across 54 markets. Kantar’s Meaningful Different and Salient framework is endorsed by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) and delivers actionable intelligence to power brand growth. Learn more
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Highlights from this report, which includes the opinions of 40,600 respondents about 2,100 brands across 141 categories, reveal:
- Tencent remains China’s most valuable brand for the fifth consecutive year
- Alibaba climbs back to No.2, with a 23% increase in brand value to $84.4 billion
- Moutai holds strong at No.3, reinforcing its leadership in the alcohol category
- Xiaomi is the Fastest Riser, jumping 154% to reach No.11 in the ranking
- Fast Food emerged as a standout category, with Mixue Bingcheng (No.51; $4.0bn) leading as the top newcomer
- Qunar.com (No.78; $2.2bn) re-entered the ranking by enhancing its travel platform with smarter search and competitive packages
- Over 60% of the Top 100 brands are both highly Meaningful and Different - the two key drivers of strong brand equity and long-term success.
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2025 report
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The combined value of China’s top 100 most valuable brands now stands a $968 billion.
Over the past year, Chinese brands have faced several macroeconomic headwinds, many of which may persist for some time to come. Despite this, 36 brands have grown their brand value year-over-year, with 11 brands growing by more than 20%.
Highlights from this study, which includes the opinions of more than 381,000 people, about 2058 brands across 140 categories reveal:
• Tencent is China’s most valuable brand, for the fourth year, worth over $129 billion.
• Moutai moves up to second position ($87.3bn), followed by Alibaba (No.3; $68.5bn)
• Huawei ($41bn; +52%) rejoins the Top 5, claiming the title of this year’s Top Riser, followed by %), NetEase (No.25; +51%) and Pinduoduo (No.10; +47%)
• Vivo (No.34; $5.4bn) enters the ranking for the first time; Didi Chuxing re-enters the ranking at No.47
• BYD (No.24; $9.6bn) continues to maintain its position as an industry leader, helping China to become the world’s largest car exporter
• Overseas expansion is a key growth strategy for many Chinese brands demonstrated by the success of Douyin (No.4; $56.9bn) and Haier (No.7; $32.4bn).
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2024 report
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Since 2014, the overall value of China’s Top 100 brands has grown 265%, to reach a total for 2023 of more than $1 trillion. Highlights from this latest report, which is based on the opinions of more than 250,000 consumers about 1,980 brands across 137 categories, reveals:
- Tencent is the most valuable Chinese brand for the third year, with a brand value of $144.1bn
- Alibaba ($90.2bn) is the second most valuable brand, with Moutai (No.3; $88.4bn), Douyin (No.4; $46.6bn) and China Mobile (No.5; $31.7bn) completing the top five
- The largest category by total brand value is Media and Entertainment with 11 brands and a total value of $241.4bn
- This year’s top 10 fastest-growing Chinese brands hail from eight categories, led by China Mobile (+38%) and Ctrip (+31%)
- Eleven brands enter the ranking, including apparel brand, Shein (No.12; $21.6bn), which also joined the global top 100 most valuable brands in 2023
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2023 report
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Despite a particularly challenging year, the total value of the Top 100 Chinese brands has surpassed $1 trillion for a second consecutive year, and are now worth a staggering $1.24 trillion in brand value. Tencent has maintained the top spot as China’s number one most valuable brand, following further expansion, growing its brand value to $204.4 billion.
Retail giant, Alibaba leads in second position, with a brand value of $137.0 billion. Premium liquor brand, Moutai, is at number three with a brand value of $108.5bn as consumers crave the taste of luxury. Athletic apparel brand, Li-Ning, has been crowned the fastest riser by a healthy 66%. It successfully combined technical innovations with nostalgic and patriotic styling cues, while its cumulative investment in fashion has paid off.
Lifestyle-focused social platform, Xiaohongshu, (No.37; $6.6bn) and intelligent speech/AI technologies company, iFLYTEK (No.53; $4.2bn) were the highest-ranking newcomers this year.
Smaller Chinese brands have also gained momentum this year, over larger and more established brands. Over the last four years, the most valuable Top 30 Chinese brands have come to represent a smaller proportion of the Top 100’s total value.
Find out more about the key shifts and trends in China’s brand landscape and how the most valuable Chinese brands are building stronger perceived value with consumers, embracing sustainability, and improving end-to-end innovation capability.
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2022 report
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The value of China’s Top 100 most valuable brands has soared by 57% over the past year, reaching record-setting new heights. The total value of the Chinese brand ranking now exceeds $1.56 trillion. It has grown by 197 percent since 2016, at a significantly faster rate than the Global Top 100 most valuable brands, which increased by 110% over the same five-year period.
Tencent is China’s most valuable brand, with an 85% increase in brand value to $280 billion. Alibaba ($202bn) and Moutai ($111bn) rank in second and third places respectively. Video-sharing mobile apps, Douyin (No. 8, $39bn;) and Kuaishou (No.10, $33bn) enter the Top 10 for the first time.
Across all major categories, the building blocks of brand equity have continued to drive sustainable brand value growth in China. Some of Chinese brands’ biggest announcements over the past year have also had a focus on sustainability, as social responsibility and environmental impact become more important growth benchmarks: China’s biggest brand, Tencent has pledged $7.8 billion to environmental, educational, and rural development programmes; the founders of Meituan, Pinduoduo, and ByteDance have all made significant personal donations to aid China’s development, in addition to steering their companies towards new ethics of corporate responsibility.
Find out more about what has changed for Chinese brands over the past year in this new brand ranking report. Read more on the significant shift in how businesses are balancing profits against social responsibility, and how innovation must move to be centred both on the user and society.
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2021 report
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands ranking?
The Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands ranking identifies and values China’s most valuable brands by combining financial performance with consumer perception data. It measures the value each brand contributes to its parent company, reflecting its current strength, contribution to business performance and potential for future growth.
Which brand is the most valuable brand in China in 2026?
Tencent is China’s most valuable brand in 2026, retaining the No.1 position in the Kantar BrandZ Top 100 for a sixth consecutive year. Its brand value increased 6% to almost US$210 billion, supported by a long-term growth strategy, a strong consumer franchise and continued innovation across digital services, gaming and technology platforms.
What are the fastest-growing brands in China in 2026?
Midea is China’s Top Riser in 2026, up 54% to a brand value of US$11.7 billion. It is followed by China Construction Bank (+54%), NCI (+53%), RedNote (+47%), Nio (+44%), Baidu (+40%) and Freshippo (+38%). The fastest risers span multiple categories, showing the breadth of growth opportunities for brands that innovate, diversify and expand into new spaces.
What makes a brand valuable according to Kantar BrandZ?
Kantar BrandZ calculates brand value by combining financial value with brand equity data from consumers. The methodology isolates the contribution a brand makes to business performance, including its impact on consumer choice, pricing power and future growth potential.
What is Meaningful Difference and why is it important?
Meaningful Difference is Kantar’s measure of how well a brand meets consumer needs while standing out from competitors. BrandZ analysis shows that brands consumers see as Meaningful, Different and Salient are more likely to grow, justify stronger pricing and convert brand equity into commercial value. In China, brands with increasing Difference have grown significantly faster than those with declining Difference.
Which new brands entered the China Top 100 in 2026?
Kimi, Amap, ChatGLM, Laopu Gold, Doubao, Goodme, Bank of Jiangsu.
How does AI affect brand building in China?
AI is reshaping brand building in China by creating new categories, changing consumer expectations and helping brands deliver smarter, more convenient experiences. Many of the ranking’s newcomers are AI-native, while established leaders are using AI-powered innovation to strengthen ecosystems, improve decision-making and unlock new growth opportunities. At the same time, Chinese consumers are increasingly using AI assistants to research and evaluate purchases, making strong brand reputation and Meaningful Difference even more important.
What can marketers learn from China’s most valuable brands?
The strongest brands: Build Difference that is continually renewed and recognised by consumers Use AI and technology to create smarter, more connected experiences Stay close to fast-changing consumer needs both on- and offline Expand into new audiences, categories, occasions and international markets Maintain a clear and differentiated positioning while exploring new growth spaces Balance innovation with trusted value, relevance and brand consistency These practices are helping China’s leading brands turn strong equity into sustained growth, international momentum and long-term competitive advantage.