Pearson and New Oriental are the world’s largest publicly listed education companies by market capitalization, valued at $9.45 billion and $9.10 billion, respectively.
This is based on Companies Market Cap data as of September 11, 2026.
But the company in third place stands out from the traditional education businesses dominating much of the ranking.
Duolingo, the language-learning app, is valued at $6.77 billion, putting it ahead of Laureate Education ($4.95 billion) and Grand Canyon Education ($3.93 billion).
The difference lies partly in how Duolingo operates.
Rather than relying on physical campuses, the company delivers language lessons through an app, offering its core product for free while generating revenue from subscriptions and advertising.
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Ranked: Largest education companies by market cap in 2026
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Rank | Name | Market cap (USD Billions) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 1 | Pearson | 9.45 | United Kingdom |
| 2 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 2 | New Oriental | 9.10 | China |
| 3 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 3 | Duolingo | 6.77 | United States |
| 4 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 4 | TAL Education Group | 6.61 | China |
| 5 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 5 | Laureate Education | 4.95 | United States |
| 6 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 6 | Grand Canyon Education | 3.93 | United States |
| 7 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 7 | Stride (K12 Education) | 3.42 | United States |
| 8 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 8 | Bright Horizons | 3.09 | United States |
| 9 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 9 | John Wiley & Sons | 2.38 | United States |
| 10 | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | Patience | 05/10/2026 02:05 PM | 10 | Perdoceo Education | 2.07 | United States |
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