Rio Tinto is a publicly traded dual-listed company with its shares listed on the London Stock Exchange (Rio Tinto plc) and the Australian Securities Exchange (Rio Tinto Limited). Ownership is dispersed among institutional investors, retail investors, and significant shareholders. The largest single shareholder is the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) with approximately 11.6% ownership. Other major institutional investors include BlackRock, Inc. (around 6.8%) and The Vanguard Group, Inc. (around 4.5%). The rest of the shares are broadly held by various institutional investors and retail shareholders globally, with no single entity having overall control.

The company operates as a single economic entity despite the dual listings, meaning shareholders of both entities have proportional economic interests and ownership rights combined. There is a strong institutional presence with around 58% of ownership held by institutions, reflecting significant professional investor influence but no controlling majority.