Ping An Insurance topped a list of China’s top 100 private-sector companies for 2009 released today by China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).

The report aims to give a glimpse into the performance of non-state-owned companies after the financial crisis and the increasing involvement of private companies in international capital markets.

Also in the top five in the ranking, in order, were retail chain Suning Appliance, appliance maker GD Midea, retail chain Gome Electrical Appliances and China Minsheng Bank. Numbers six and seven were electric car maker BYD – which is about 10% by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and Fosun International – which invests in U.S.-listed companies such as Focus Media, Chindex International and Tangjitang Chinese Medicines.

Rounding out the list were Taiwan-based beverage giant Ting Hsin International Group, appliance maker Haier, and meat processor Shuanghui Development.

Wind Info, a financial information company, collaborated with CEIBS by providing data.

Private companies performed slightly better in 2009 than their non-private counterparts in terms of growth rate and profitability, according to the report. Total revenue of private-sector listed companies in 2009 was RMB214.35 trillion, or $31.5 trillion, while average revenue per company was RMB2.3 billion. Compared to 2008, average revenue increased 13.1% in 2009. By contrast, average revenue rose at a faster 36.1% clip in 2008 versus 2007.

Revenue growth at non-private companies listed in China’s domestic A-share market was 12.4% in 2009. Average profit among the group was RMB254 million, compared with RMB154 million in 2008.

The average return on equity at private listed companies was 8.2% in 2009, indicating a high quality of growth, CEIBS said, while the ROE of non-private companies was 3.1%. The average return on assets at private listed companies was 5.1% compared with only 2.1% for non-private companies.

According to the report, there are 697 private-sector Chinese companies listed in mainland China, 178 listed in Hong Kong and 97 in the U.S., for a total of 972.

The report said overseas listed private companies performed better than domestic listed companies. Average revenue for overseas listed private-sector companies was RMB3.2 billion in 2009, compared with RMB1.9 billion for domestic listed companies.

On the other hand, in 2009, the profitability of domestic listed companies exceeded that of overseas listed companies. The average return on assets of overseas listed companies was 4.0%, and the ROE was 6.9% in 2009. The average ROA and return on equity of domestic listed companies were 5.49% and 8.69%, respectively.