Shell's net profit/loss 2008-2021

In 2021, Shell's net income amounted to 20.6 billion U.S. dollars. This is a noticeable increase compared to the previous year, when the Anglo-Dutch company reported a historic net loss of roughly 21.5 billion U.S. dollars. As the coronavirus pandemic has seen fuel demand and oil prices sharply decline, many companies within the oil and gas sector struggled to turn a profit that year. Headquartered in the Hague, Netherlands, Shell is not only one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, but also one of the largest companies worldwide in general.

Shell in history and today

As one of the six oil and gas supermajors in the world, Shell's revenue amounted to 261.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, a nearly 50 percent increase compared to the previous year. Founded as the Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. in 1890, it is involved and operating in every segment of the oil and gas industry. Shell is a vertically integrated company, meaning they own every part of their supply chain. The coronavirus pandemic and ever growing concern over the future use of fossil fuels will likely push Shell's investments in renewable and alternative energy sources. The company has announced it will cut fossil fuels production by more than half until 2030 and instead focus on its chemicals segment.

Earnings and shares of Royal Dutch Shell

The upstream segment was the leading Shell's segments generating earnings in 2021. In 2021, upstream sales contributed some 9.7 billion U.S. dollars in earnings. Shell’s number of shares stood at some 7.8 billion in 2021, down from over eight billion in 2019.