Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes   ☒     No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     Yes   ☒     No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

As of February 4, 2022,3, 2023, the number of shares of Registrant’s common stock outstanding was 715,352,586.728,576,886. The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on July 2, 20211, 2022 was $173.7$167.3 billion, based upon the closing price of the Registrant’s common stock as quoted on the New York Stock Exchange on such date.

Certain statements included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report, in other documents we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in our press releases, webcasts, conference calls, materials delivered to shareholders and other communications, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. All statements other than historical factual information are forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding: projections of revenue, expenses, profit, profit margins, pricing, tax rates, tax provisions, cash flows, pension and benefit obligations and funding requirements, our liquidity position or other projected financial measures; management’s plans and strategies for future operations, including statements relating to anticipated operating performance, cost reductions, restructuring activities, new product and service developments, competitive strengths or market position, acquisitions and the integration thereof, divestitures, spin-offs, split-offs, initial public offerings, other securities offerings or other distributions, strategic opportunities, securities offerings, stock repurchases, dividends and executive compensation; growth, declines and other trends in markets we sell into; new or modified laws, regulations and accounting pronouncements; future regulatory approvals and the timing and conditionality thereof; outstanding claims, legal proceedings, tax audits and assessments and other contingent liabilities; future foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; the potential or anticipated direct or indirect impact of COVID-19 on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition; general economic and capital markets conditions; the anticipated timing of any of the foregoing; assumptions underlying any of the foregoing; and any other statements that address events or developments that Danaher intends or believes will or may occur in the future. Terminology such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “should,” “could,” “intend,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “forecast” and “positioned” and similar references to future periods are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements are accompanied by such words. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties set forth below and under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from the results, developments and business decisions contemplated by our forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the report, document, press release, webcast, call, materials or other communication in which they are made. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.

Below is a summary of material risks and uncertainties we face, which are discussed more fully in “Item 1A. Risk Factors”:

DBS is not only the set of business processes and tools our operating companies use on a daily basis, but is more broadly our culture. As reflected in our logo, DBS features five core values (the “Core Values”):

The idea for Danaher originated in the early 1980s when the Company’s founders, Steven M. and Mitchell P. Rales, envisioned a business that would generate sustainable long-term value for customers, employeesassociates and shareholders. Through a series of acquisitions and divestitures, Danaher has evolved over time into the science and technology innovator it is today. While the operating companies that make up Danaher have changed, DBS continues to be the guiding philosophy for the Company.

Sales in 20212022 by geographic destination (geographic destination refers to the geographic area where the final sale to the Company’s unaffiliated customer is made) as a percentage of total 20212022 sales were: North America, 40%44% (including 38%42% in the United States); Western Europe, 24%22%; other developed markets, 5%; and high-growth markets, 31%29%. The Company defines North America as the United States and Canada. The Company defines high-growth markets as developing markets of the world experiencing extended periods of accelerated growth in gross domestic product and infrastructure which include Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America (including Mexico) and Asia (with the exception of Japan, Australia and New Zealand). The Company defines developed markets as all markets of the world that are not high-growth markets.

Danaher established the life sciences business in 2005 through the acquisition of Leica Microsystems and has expanded the business through numerous subsequent acquisitions, including the acquisitions of AB Sciex and Molecular Devices in 2010, Beckman Coulter in 2011, Pall in 2015, Phenomenex in 2016, IDT in 2018 Cytiva in 2020 and Aldevron in 2021.

The Life Sciences segment consists of the following businesses:

Customers served by the Life Sciences segment select products based on a number of factors, including product quality and reliability, the product’s capacity to enhance productivity, innovation (particularly productivity and sensitivity improvements), product performance and ergonomics, access to a service and support network and the other factors described under “—Competition.” The businesses in Danaher’s Life Sciences segment market their products and services under key brands including ALDEVRON, BECKMAN COULTER, CYTIVA, IDT, LEICA MICROSYSTEMS, MOLECULAR DEVICES, PALL, PHENOMENEX and SCIEX. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe and Asia. The business sells to customers through direct sales personnel and independent distributors.

Danaher established the diagnostics business in 2004 through the acquisition of Radiometer and expanded the business through numerous subsequent acquisitions, including the acquisitions of Vision Systems in 2006, Beckman Coulter in 2011, Iris International and Aperio Technologies in 2012, HemoCue in 2013, Devicor Medical Products in 2014, the clinical microbiology business of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in 2015 and Cepheid in 2016. The Diagnostics segment consists of the following businesses:

Typical users of the segment’s core lab products include hospitals, physician’s offices, reference laboratories and pharmaceutical clinical trial laboratories.

Customers in the diagnostics industry select products based on a number of factors, including product quality and reliability, the scope of tests that can be performed, the accuracy and speed of the product, the product’s ability to enhance productivity, ease of use, total cost of ownership and access to a highly qualified service and support network as well as the other factors described under “—Competition.” The businesses in Danaher’s Diagnostics segment market their products and services under key brands including BECKMAN COULTER, CEPHEID, HEMOCUE, LEICA BIOSYSTEMS, MAMMATOME and RADIOMETER. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The business sells to customers primarily through direct sales personnel and, to a lesser extent, through independent distributors.

Typical users of these products and services include professionals in municipal drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, industrial process and discharge water facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, third-party testing laboratories and environmental operations. Customers in these industries choose suppliers based on a number of factors including the customer’s existing supplier relationships, application expertise, product performance and ease of use, the comprehensiveness of the supplier’s solutions offering, after-sales service and support and the other factors described under “—Competition.” The Company’s water quality businesses provide products under a variety of key brands, including AQUATIC INFORMATICS,

Typical users of these products include manufacturers of consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, paints, plastics and textiles, retailers, graphic design firms and packaging printers and converters. Customers in these industries choose suppliers based on a number of factors, including domain experience, speed and accuracy, ease of connection to the internet and other software

systems, equipment uptime and reliable operation without interruption, ease of maintenance, service coverage and the other factors described under “—Competition.” The product identification business’ products are primarily marketed under key brands including AVT, ESKO, LAETUS, LINX, PANTONE, VIDEOJET and X-RITE. Manufacturing and software development facilities are located in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Sales are generally made through the business’ direct sales personnel, independent distributors and e-commerce.

The Company’s manufacturing operations employ a wide variety of raw materials, including metallic-based components, electronic components, chemistries, OEM products, plastics and other petroleum-based products. Prices of oil and gas also affect the Company’s costs for freight and utilities.utilities and also have an indirect impact on the cost of other purchased materials. While the price of, and global instability with respect to the supply of, oil and gas did not materially, adversely affect the Company’s operations in 2022, the Company is continuing to monitor the oil and gas commodity markets and will seek to mitigate price and/or availability risks as needed. The Company purchases raw materials from a large number of independent sources around the world. No single supplier is material, although for some components that require particular specifications or regulatory or other qualifications there may be a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers that can readily provide such components. The Company utilizes a number of techniques to address potential disruption in and other risks relating to its supply chain, including in certain cases the use of safety stock, alternative materials and qualification of multiple supply sources.

Direct and indirect impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have resulted inThe supply chain disruptions that began in 2021 for a number of our businesses continued in 2022 (including in some cases shortages of supply, cost inflation and shipping delays), as well as labor availability constraints and labor cost increases for a number of our businesses, especially duringincreases. Through the latter part of 2021. Our application of DBS tools and processes (including the implementation of price increases), the Company largely mitigated the impact thereof in 2021of these pressures on the Company’s profitability and as a result these constraintspressures did not have a material, adverse effect on the business in 2021. However, the2022. These pressures noted above continue to varying degrees as of the date of this Annual Report. In 2021, certain of our existing suppliers were unable to provide us with the quantity of certain components we required or informed us that they may

In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, in addition to suspending sales prohibited by sanctions, the Company has suspended the shipment of products to Russia with the exception of products for the purposes of diagnosing and treating patients and producing vaccines and therapeutics. In the first quarter of 2022, the Company recorded a pretax charge of $43 million, primarily related to the impairment of accounts receivable and inventory, as well as accruals for contractual obligations related to Russian operations. Russia has significantly reduced the export of natural gas to Europe, creating upward pressure on natural gas prices and a reduced supply of natural gas. If this trend continues, the Company’s European manufacturing facilities could face increased costs and risks of production disruptions. The Company’s European customers and suppliers could experience similar adverse impacts, which could further adversely impact the Company’s supply chain and also adversely impact the demand for its products. The Company will continue monitoring the military, social, political, regulatory and economic environment in Ukraine and Russia and its broader impacts, and will consider further actions as appropriate. For a discussion of risks related to the Company’s operations as a result of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

The Company owns numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and licenses to intellectual property owned by others. Although in aggregate the Company’s intellectual property is important to its operations, the Company does not consider any single patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or license (or any related group of any such items) to be of material importance to any segment or to the business as a whole. From time to time the Company engages in litigation to protect its intellectual property rights. For a discussion of risks related to the Company’s intellectual property, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” All capitalized brands and product names throughout this document are trademarks owned by, or licensed to, Danaher.

Although the Company’s businesses generally operate in highly competitive markets, the Company’s competitive position cannot be determined accurately in the aggregate or by segment since none of its competitors offer all of the same product and service lines or serve all of the same markets as the Company, or any of its segments, does. Because of the range of the products and services the Company sells and the variety of markets it serves, the Company encounters a wide variety of competitors, including well-established regional competitors, competitors who are more specialized than it is in particular markets, as well as large companies or divisions of large companies with substantial sales, marketing, research and financial capabilities. The Company is facing increased competition in a number of its served markets as a result of the entry of well-resourced companies into certain markets, the entry of competitors based in low-cost manufacturing locations, the development of competitive technologies by early-stage and emerging companies and increasing consolidation in particular markets. The number of competitors varies by product and service line. Management believes that the Company has a leadership position in many of the markets it serves. Key competitive factors vary among the Company’s businesses and product and service lines, but include the specific factors noted above with respect to each particular business and typically also include price, quality and safety, performance, delivery speed, application expertise, service and support, technology and innovation, distribution network, breadth of product, service and software offerings and brand name recognition. For a discussion of risks related to competition, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Danaher is committed to attracting, developing, engaging and retaining the best people from around the world to sustain and grow our science and technology leadership. As noted above, “Consistently attracting and retaining exceptional talent” is one of our three strategic priorities and “The Best Team Wins” is one of our five Core Values, reflecting the critical role our human capital plays in supporting our strategy. Our human capital strategy spans multiple, key dimensions, including the following:

The health and well-being of our associates has been a key area of focus in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We launched a global Employee Assistance Program in March 2020 to ensure a consistent support structure for mental health and well-being across the Company and have since expanded the program to provide enhanced support with respect to childcare, eldercare and tutoring, among other areas. In the United States, we have provided benefits beyond the requirements of the Families First Act, for example by extending our leave policy to cover elder care and providing for voluntary leaves even in certain circumstances not required by the law. We have also implemented safety precautions on a facility-specific basis. The results of our 2021 Associate Engagement Survey questions relating to the pandemic validate the impact of these efforts: 87% of surveyed associates believe that associate well-being and safety is Danaher’s priority, and 90% of surveyed associates feel supported by their direct supervisor in adapting to changes due to the pandemic.

The Company conducts R&D activities for the purpose of developing new products, enhancing the functionality, effectiveness, ease of use and reliability of its existing products and expanding the applications for which uses of its products are appropriate. The Company’s R&D efforts include internal initiatives and those that use licensed or acquired technology, and we work with a number of leading research institutions, universities and clinicians around the world to develop, evaluate and clinically test our products. The Company conducts R&D activities primarily in North America, Europe and Asia and generally on a business-by-business basis. The Company anticipates that it will continue to make significant expenditures for R&D as it seeks to provide a continuing flow of innovative products and services to maintain and improve its competitive position. For a discussion of the risks related to the need to develop and commercialize new products and product enhancements, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Although the substantial majority of the Company’s revenue in 20212022 was from customers other than governmental entities, each of Danaher’s segments has agreements relating to the sale of products to government entities. As a result, the Company is subject to various statutes and regulations that apply to companies doing business with governments. For a discussion of risks related to government contracting requirements, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” No material portion of Danaher’s business is subject to renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of a government entity.

The Company faces extensive government regulation both within and outside the United States relating to the development, manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of its products and services. The following sections describe certain significant regulations that the Company is subject to. These are not the only regulations that the Company’s businesses must comply

Many of our products are classified as medical devices and are subject to restrictions under domestic and foreign laws, rules, regulations, self-regulatory codes, circulars and orders, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”). The FDCA requires these products, when sold in the United States, to be safe and effective for their intended uses and to comply with the regulations administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). The FDA regulates the design, development, research, preclinical and clinical testing, introduction, manufacture, advertising, labeling, packaging, marketing, distribution, import and export and record keeping for such products. Many medical device products are also regulated by comparable agencies in non-U.S. countries in which they are produced or sold.

Unless an exemption applies, the FDA requires that a manufacturer introducing a new medical device or a new indication for use of an existing medical device obtain either a Section 510(k) premarket notification clearance or a premarket approval (“PMA”) before introducing it into the U.S. market. The type of marketing authorization is generally linked to the classification of the device. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes (Class I, II or III) based on the degree of risk the FDA determines to be associated with a device and the level of regulatory control deemed necessary to ensure the device’s safety and effectiveness.

The process of obtaining a Section 510(k) clearance generally requires the submission of performance data and clinical data, which in some cases can be extensive, to demonstrate that the device is “substantially equivalent” to a device that was on the market before 1976 or to a device that has been found by the FDA to be “substantially equivalent” to such a pre-1976 device. A predecessor device is referred to as “predicate device.” As a result, FDA clearance requirements may extend the development process for a considerable length of time.

Medical devices can be marketed only for the indications for which they are cleared or approved. After a device has received 510(k) clearance for a specific intended use, any change or modification that significantly affects its safety or effectiveness, such as a significant change in the design, materials, method of manufacture or intended use, may require a new 510(k) clearance or PMA approval and payment of an FDA user fee. The determination as to whether or not a modification could significantly affect the device’s safety or effectiveness is initially left to the manufacturer using available FDA guidance; however, the FDA may review this determination to evaluate the regulatory status of the modified product at any time and may require the manufacturer to cease marketing and recall the modified device until the required 510(k) clearance or PMA approval is obtained.

Any medical devices we manufacture and distribute are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA and certain state and non-U.S. agencies. These include product listing and establishment registration requirements, which help facilitate inspections and other regulatory actions. As a medical device manufacturer, our manufacturing facilities are subject to inspection on a routine basis by the FDA. We are required to adhere to the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (“CGMP”) requirements, as set forth in the Quality Systems Regulation (“QSR”), which require manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during all phases of the design and manufacturing process.

We must also comply with post-market surveillance regulations, including medical device reporting (“MDR”) requirements which require that we review and report to the FDA any incident in which our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury. We must also report any incident in which our product has malfunctioned if that malfunction would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur.

Labeling and promotional activities are subject to scrutiny by the FDA and, in certain circumstances, by the Federal Trade Commission.Commission (“FTC”) (and similar regulators in other jurisdictions). Medical devices approved or cleared by the FDA may not be promoted for unapproved or uncleared uses, otherwise known as “off-label” promotion. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses.

In the EU,European Union (“EU”), our products are subject to the medical device and in vitro medical device laws of the various member states, which for many years were based on Directives of the European Commission. However, in May 2017, the EU adopted new, formal regulations to replace such Directives; specifically, the EU Medical Device Regulation (the “EU MDR”) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (the “EU IVDR”), each of which imposes stricter requirements for the marketing and sale of medical devices and in vitro devices, including in the area of clinical evaluation requirements, quality systems and post-market surveillance. The EU regulations were adopted with staggered transitional periods that have since been updated. In January 2023, the European Commission endorsed a proposal to extend the original compliance dates for both MDR and EU IVDR, subject to approval by the European Parliament and European Council. The full applicationproposal would extend the current MDR transitional period deadline of May 2024 to 2027 or 2028, based upon the risk class of the EU MDR became effective in May 2021, while thedevice. The EU IVDR will bebecame fully applicable in May 2022.2022, with transition periods for certain classes of in vitro diagnostic devices extending until 2027 and the EU Commission is considering additional extensions to the EU IVDR deadlines. Regulatory requirements in the United Kingdom (“UK”) are also changing as a result of Brexit (the UK’s withdrawal from the EU)., and regulatory requirements in Switzerland are changing as a result of the country’s withdrawal from its Mutual Recognition Agreement with the EU Commission. Complying with the EU MDR, EU IVDR and the evolving regulatory schemeregimes in the UK and Switzerland requires modifications to our

We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and various health care related laws regulating fraud and abuse, research and development, pricing and sales and marketing practices, and the privacy and security of health information, including the U.S. federal regulations described below. Many states, foreign countries and supranational bodies have also adopted laws and regulations similar to, and in some cases more stringent than, the U.S. federal regulations discussed above and below, including the UK Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws.

In addition, some of the in vitro diagnostic drugs-of-abuse assays and reagents sold by the Company’s subsidiaries contain small amounts of controlled substances, and as a result some of the Company’s facilities are inspected periodically by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to assess whether the Company properly handles, stores and disposes of controlled substances in the manufacture of those products.

Federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers. Analogous U.S. state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, also may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers. Further, there are state laws that require medical device manufacturers to comply with the voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws and regulations that require manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information, which requires tracking gifts and other remuneration and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; state and local laws requiring the registration of sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA.

For a discussion of risks related to regulation by the FDA and comparable agencies of other countries, and the other regulatory regimes referenced above, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

In the United StatesU.S. and certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system. There is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality or expanding access. For example, in the United States, in March 2010, the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act) (collectively, the “PPACA”) was signed into law, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and significantly affected the healthcare industry. Since its enactment, there have been judicial, Congressional and executive challenges to certain aspects of the PPACA, and there may be additional challenges and amendments to the PPACA in the future.

Moreover, there has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted legislation designed, among other things, to bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for medical products. Individual states in the United StatesU.S. have also become increasingly active in implementing regulations designed to control product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures and, in some cases, mechanisms to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

As a global organization, we are subject to data privacy and security laws, regulations, and customer-imposed controls in numerous jurisdictions as a result of having access to and processing confidential, personal and/or sensitive data in the course of our business. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) imposes significant restrictions on how we collect, transmit, process and retain personal data, including, among other things, in certain circumstances a requirement for almost immediate notice of data breaches to supervisory authorities with significant fines for non-compliance. In the United States,U.S., HIPAA privacy and security rules require certain of our operations to maintain controls to protect the availability and confidentiality of patient health information, individual states regulate data breach and security requirements, and multiple governmental bodies assert authority over aspects of the protection of personal privacy. In particular, theState privacy laws in California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which came into effect in January 2020 hasimpose some of the same features as the GDPR (discussed below), and has alreadyhave prompted several other states to enact or consider enacting similar laws. The EU General Data Protection Regulation that became effectiveAdditionally, a bipartisan bill under consideration in May 2018 (“GDPR”) has imposed significantly stricterCongress would, if adopted, impose broad privacy requirements in how we collect, transmit, process and retain personal data, including, among other things, in certain circumstances a requirement for almost immediate notice of data breaches to supervisory authorities with significant fines for non-compliance.at the federal level. Several other countries such as China and Russia have passed, and other countries are considering passing, privacy laws that require personal data relating to their citizens to be maintained on local servers andor impose additionalsignificant restrictions on data transfer restrictions.transfer. For a discussion of risks related to these laws, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

For a discussion of the environmental laws and regulations that the Company’s operations, products and services are subject to and other environmental contingencies, refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. For a discussion of risks related to compliance with environmental and health and safety laws and risks related to past or future releases of, or exposures to, hazardous substances, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

The U.S. federal government, most U.S. states and many other countries have laws that prohibit certain types of conduct deemed to be anti-competitive. Violations of these laws can result in various sanctions, including criminal and civil penalties. Private plaintiffs also could bring civil lawsuits against us in the United States for alleged antitrust law violations, including claims for treble damages.

The Company is required to comply with various U.S. export/import control and economic sanctions laws, including:

In addition, under U.S. laws and regulations, U.S. companies and their subsidiaries and affiliates outside the United StatesU.S. are prohibited from participating or agreeing to participate in unsanctioned foreign boycotts in connection with certain business activities, including the sale, purchase, transfer, shipping or financing of goods or services within the United StatesU.S. or between the United StatesU.S. and countries outside of the United States.other countries. If we, or certain third parties through which we sell or provide goods or services, violate anti-boycott laws and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal enforcement action and varying degrees of liability.

For a discussion of risks related to export/import control and economic sanctions laws, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

The Company’s products and services are available worldwide, and its principal markets outside the United StatesU.S. are in Europe and Asia. The Company also has operations around the world, and this geographic diversity allows the Company to draw on the skills of a worldwide workforce, provides greater stability to its operations, allows the Company to drive economies of scale, provides revenue streams that may help offset economic trends that are specific to individual economies and offers the Company an opportunity to access new markets for products. In addition, the Company believes that future growth depends in part on its ability to continue developing products and sales models that successfully target high-growth markets.

The manner in which the Company’s products and services are sold outside the United StatesU.S. differs by business and by region. Most of the Company’s sales in non-U.S. markets are made by its subsidiaries located outside the United States,U.S., though the Company also sells directly from the United StatesU.S. into non-U.S. markets through various representatives and distributors and, in some cases, directly. In countries with low sales volumes, the Company generally sells through representatives and distributors.

Information about the effects of foreign currency fluctuations on the Company’s business is set forth in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (“MD&A”) included in this Annual Report. For a discussion of risks related to the Company’s non-U.S. operations and foreign currency exchange, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

The Company maintains an internet website at www.danaher.com. The Company makes available free of charge on the website its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“the Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such material with, or furnishing such material to, the SEC. Danaher’s internet site and the information contained on or connected to that site are not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises, including epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19. The global spread of COVID-19 has led to unprecedented restrictions on, and disruptions in, business and personal activities, including as a result of preventive and precautionary measures that we, other businesses, our communities and governments are takingundertook to mitigate the spread. For example, national, state and local governments have implemented and may continue to implement safety precautions, including quarantines, border closures, increased border controls, travel restrictions, shelter in place orders, shutdowns, government-ordered vaccine mandates and other measures. These measures can disrupt normal business operations and can have significant negative impacts on businesses and financial markets worldwide.

The Company deployed its capabilities, expertise and scale to address critical health needs related to COVID-19, including developing and making available diagnostic tests for the rapid detection of COVID-19 as well as providing critical support to firms developing and producing vaccines and therapies for COVID-19. Please see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”7. MD&A” for a discussion of the Company products that are being used in the fight against COVID-19. In an effort to optimize availability of needed medicalAs COVID-19 and other supplies and products in connection with the pandemic, we may elect to or governments may require us or our customers to allocate manufacturing capacity (for example, pursuant topreventive measures related thereto have moderated, demand for the U.S. Defense Production Act (“DPA”)) in a way that adversely affects our financial condition and results of operations, results in differential treatment of customers and/or adversely affects our reputation and customer relationships. For example, certain of our customers are or have been subject to DPA requirements relating to the production ofCompany’s COVID-19 related products has moderated as well. The duration and have required certainextent of future demand for our businessesproducts supporting COVID-19 testing and for our products related to also comply with these requirements under our supply agreements. Please also seedeveloping and producing vaccines and therapies for COVID-19 is uncertain and depends on multiple factors, including the risk factor titled “The U.S. government has certain rights with respectextent to incremental production capacity and/or the intellectual property we have developed using government financing” for a discussion of the U.S. government’s rightswhich COVID-19 persists in connection with funding they have provided certain of our businesses to finance capacity expansion for the production of certain COVID-19 related products.

Our business is sensitive to general economic conditions. Slower economic growth in the domestic and/or international markets, inflation, actual or anticipated default on sovereign debt, volatility in the currency and credit markets, high levels of unemployment or underemployment, labor availability constraints, reduced levels of capital expenditures, changes or anticipation of potential changes in government trade, fiscal, tax and monetary policies, changes in capital requirements for financial institutions, government budget negotiation dynamics, sequestration, austerity measures and other challenges that affect economies of the global economyworld have in the past adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the Company and its distributors, customers and suppliers, including having the effect of:

If growth in any key economy of the global economyworld or in any of the markets we serve slows for a significant period, if there is significant deterioration in the globalany such economy or such markets or if economic improvements in the global economy do not benefit the markets we serve, our business and financial statements can be adversely affected.

Our businesses operate in industries that are intensely competitive and have been subject to increasing consolidation. Because of the range of the products and services we sell and the variety of markets we serve, we encounter a wide variety of competitors; refer to “Item 1. Business—Competition” for additional details. In order to compete effectively, we must retain longstanding relationships with major customers and continue to grow our business by establishing relationships with new customers, continually developing new products and services to maintain and expand our brand recognition and leadership position in various product and service categories and penetrating new markets, including high-growth markets. Our ability to compete can also be impacted by changing customer preferences and requirements (for example increased demand for products incorporating digital capabilities or more environmentally-friendly products and supplier practices) as well as changes in the way healthcare services are delivered (including the movement of some care from acute to non-acute settings and increased focus on chronic disease management). Cost containment efforts by governments and the private sector, particularly in the healthcare industry, are also resulting in increased emphasis on products that reduce costs and improve efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, significant shifts in industry market share have occurred and may in the future occur in connection with product problems, safety alerts and publications about products, reflecting the competitive significance of product quality, product efficacy and quality systems in our industry. Our failure to compete effectively and/or pricing pressures resulting from competition may adversely impact our business and financial statements, and our expansion into new markets may result in greater-than-expected risks, liabilities and expenses. In addition, the Company’s competitors and customers have from time to time introduced, and may in the future introduce, private label, generic or low-cost products that compete with the Company’s products at lower price points. New, disruptive technologies may emerge that displace the Company’s existing technologies. Competitors’ products can capture significant market share or lead to a decrease in market prices overall, resulting in an adverse effect on the Company’s business and financial statements.

We generally sell our products and services in industries that are characterized by rapid technological changes, frequent new product introductions and changing industry standards. If we do not develop innovative new and enhanced products and services on a timely basis, our offerings will become obsolete over time and our business and financial statements will suffer. Our success depends on several factors, including our ability to:

If we fail to accurately predict future customer needs and preferences or fail to produce viable technologies, we may invest heavily in R&D of products and services that do not lead to significant revenue, which would adversely affect our business and financial statements. Even when we successfully innovate and develop new and enhanced products and services, we often incur substantial costs in doing so, and our profitability may suffer. In addition, promising new offerings may fail to reach the market or realize only limited commercial success because of real or perceived efficacy or safety concerns, failure to achieve positive clinical outcomes, uncertainty over third-party reimbursement or entrenched patterns of clinical practice. Competitors may also develop after-market services and parts for our products which may detract from our sales.

The health care industry and related industries that we serve have undergone, and are in the process of undergoing, significant changes in an effort to reduce (and increase the predictability of) costs, including the following:

These changes as well as other impacts from market demand, government regulations, third-party coverage and reimbursement policies and societal pressures are changing the way healthcare is delivered, reimbursed and funded and have in the past and could in the future cause participants in the healthcare industry and related industries that we serve to purchase fewer of our products and services, reduce the prices they are willing to pay for our products or services, reduce the amounts of reimbursement and funding available for our products and services from governmental agencies or third-party payors, heighten clinical data requirements, reduce the volume of medical procedures that use our products and services, affect the acceptance rate of new technologies and products and increase our compliance and other costs. In addition, we may be excluded from important market segments or unable to enter into contracts with group purchasing organizations and integrated health networks on terms acceptable to us, and even if we do enter into such contracts they may be on terms that negatively affect our current or future profitability. All of the factors described above can adversely affect our business and financial statements.

In 20212022 approximately 62%58% of our sales were derived from customers outside the U.S. In addition, many of our manufacturing operations, suppliers and employees are located outside the U.S. Since our growth strategy depends in part on our ability to further penetrate markets outside the U.S. and increase the localization of our products and services, we expect to continue to increase our sales and presence outside the U.S., particularly in the high-growth markets. Our non-U.S. business (and particularly our business in high-growth markets) is subject to risks that include:

International business risks have in the past and may in the future negatively affect our business and financial statements.

For example, in 2021In 2022 we generated approximately 13% of our sales from China. Accordingly, our business and financial statements can be adversely influenced by political, economic, legal, compliance, social and business conditions in China generally.generally can adversely influence our business and financial statements. Additionally, China’s government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing sector-specific policies, and it maintains control over China’s economic growth through setting monetary policy and determining treatment of particular industries or companies. Further, considerable uncertainty exists regarding the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the U.S. and China. Uncertainty or adverse changes to conditions in China or the policies of China’s government or its laws and regulations can adversely affect the overall economic growth of China, or of the particular industries in which we participate, and can adversely affect our business and financial statements.

Our growth depends in part on the growth of the markets which we serve, and visibility into our markets can be limited (particularly for markets into which we sell through distribution). Our quarterly sales and profits depend substantially on the volume and timing of orders received during the quarter, which are difficult to forecast. Any decline or lower than expected growth in our served markets can diminish demand for our products and services and adversely affect our business and financial statements. Certain of our businesses operate in industries that have experienced and may experience periodic, cyclical downturns. In addition, in certain of our businesses demand depends on customers’ capital spending budgets as well as government funding policies, and matters of public policy and government budget dynamics as well as product and economic cycles can affect the spending decisions of these entities. Demand for our products and services is also sensitive to changes in customer order patterns, which may be affected by announced price changes, marketing or promotional programs, new product introductions, the timing of industry trade shows and changes in distributor or customer inventory levels due to distributor or customer management thereof or other factors. Any of these factors could adversely affect our business and financial statements in any given period.

For certain of our businesses, success in penetrating target markets depends in part on their ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with other companies. Relying on collaborative relationships is risky because, among other things, our collaborative partners may (1) not devote sufficient resources to the success of our collaborations; (2) fail to obtain regulatory approvals necessary to continue the collaborations in a timely manner; (3) be acquired by other companies and terminate our collaborative partnership or become insolvent; (4) compete with us; (5) disagree with us on key details of the collaborative relationship; (6) have insufficient capital resources; (7) decline to renew existing collaborations on acceptable terms; and (8) fail to comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements and/or applicable contractual obligations. Because theseobligations; and other factors(8) terminate or decline to renew existing collaborations on acceptable terms, which may be beyond our control, the development or commercialization of our products involved in collaborative partnerships may be delayed or otherwise adversely affected. In addition, if we or any of our collaborative

Our ability to grow revenues, earnings and cash flow at or above our historic rates depends in part upon our ability to identify and successfully acquire and integrate businesses at appropriate prices and realize anticipated synergies, and to make appropriate investments that support our long-term strategy. We may not be able to consummate acquisitions at rates similar to the past, which could adversely impact our business. Promising acquisitions and investments are difficult to identify and complete for a number of reasons, including high valuations, competition among prospective buyers or investors, the availability of affordable funding in the capital markets and the need to satisfy applicable closing conditions and obtain applicable antitrust and other regulatory approvals on acceptable terms. In addition, competition for acquisitions and investments has resulted and may result in higher purchase prices. Changes in accounting or regulatory requirements or instability in the credit markets could also adversely impact our ability to consummate acquisitions and investments.

As part of our business strategy, we acquire businesses, make investments and enter into joint ventures and other strategic relationships in the ordinary course, and we also from time to time complete more significant transactions; refer to “Item 7. MD&A&A” for additional details. Acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and strategic relationships involve a number of financial, accounting, managerial, operational, legal, compliance and other risks and challenges, including but not limited to the following, any of which couldcan adversely affect our business and our financial statements:

Certain of the acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies require the former owners to indemnify us against certain liabilities related to the operation of the acquired company before we acquired it. In most of these agreements, however, the liability of the former owners is limited and certain former owners may be unable to meet their indemnification responsibilities. In addition, we obtain or receive the benefits of representations and warranties insurance in connection with certain acquisitions. We cannot assure youThere can be no assurance that these indemnification provisions or insurance coverages will protect us fully or at all, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our business and financial statements.

We continually assess the strategic fit of our existing businesses and may divest, spin-off, split-off or otherwise dispose of businesses that are deemed not to fit with ourfor strategic, planfinancial or are not achieving the desired return on investment.other reasons. For example, in 2015 Danaher separated and split-off to Danaher shareholders the majority of its former communications business in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction with NetScout Systems, Inc. (the “Communications Disposition”), in 2016 Danaher separated and spun-off to Danaher shareholders its former Test & Measurement segment, Industrial Technologies segment (excluding the product identification businesses) and retail/commercial petroleum business (collectively known as “Fortive Corporation”) (the “Fortive Disposition”), and in 2019 Danaher consummated the separation and initial public offering (“IPO”) and subsequent split-off of its Dental segment, known as Envista Holdings Corporation (the “Envista Disposition”)., and in 2022 Danaher announced the anticipated EAS Separation. Transactions such as these pose risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business and financial statements. For example, when we decide to sell or otherwise dispose of a business or assets, we may be unable to do so on satisfactory terms within our anticipated timeframe or at all, and even after reaching a definitive agreement to sell or dispose a business the sale is typically subject to satisfaction of pre-closing conditions which may not become satisfied. In addition, divestitures or other dispositions can dilute the Company’s earnings per share, have other adverse financial, tax and accounting impacts and distract management, and disputes can arise with buyers.the new owners of the divested/disposed business. In addition, we have retained responsibility for and/or have agreed to indemnify buyers against some known and unknown contingent liabilities related to a number of businesses we or our predecessors have sold or disposed. The resolution of these contingencies has not had a material effect on our business or financial statements but we cannotthere can be certainno assurance that this favorable pattern will continue.

With respect to each of the Communications Disposition, the Fortive Disposition and the Envista Disposition, we entered into a separation agreement and related agreements to govern the separation and related transactions and the relationship between the respective companies going forward.forward (and we expect to enter into similar agreements in connection with the EAS Separation). These agreements provide for specific indemnity and liability obligations of each party that can lead to disputes between us and the respective counterparty. If we are required to indemnify any of the other parties under the circumstances set forth in these agreements, we may be subject to substantial liabilities. In addition, with respect to the liabilities for which the other parties have agreed to indemnify us under these agreements, there can be no assurance that the indemnity rights we have against such other parties will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of the liabilities, or that such other parties will be able to fully satisfy their respective indemnification obligations. It is also possible that a court could disregard the allocation of assets and liabilities agreed to between Danaher and such other parties and require Danaher to assume responsibility for obligations allocated to such other parties. Each of these risks could negatively affect our business and financial statements.

We have received opinions from outside tax counsel to the effect that each of the Communications Disposition, the Fortive Disposition and the Envista Disposition qualifies as a transaction that is described in Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code.Code, and we anticipate obtaining a similar opinion with respect to the EAS Separation. These opinions rely on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not satisfied, our stockholders and we may not be able to rely on the respective opinion of tax counsel and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the opinion of tax counsel, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”)IRS could determine on audit that any such transactions are taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the respective opinion. If any such transaction is determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our stockholders that are subject to U.S. federal income tax and we could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities.

We rely on information technology systems, some of which are provided and/or managed by third-parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information (including sensitive data such as confidential business information and personal data relating to employees, customers, other business partners and patients), and to manage or support a variety of critical business processes and activities (such as receiving and fulfilling orders, billing, collecting and making payments, shipping products, providing services and support to customers and fulfilling contractual obligations). In addition, some of our remote monitoring products and services incorporate software and information technology that house personal data and some products or software we sell to customers connect to our systems for maintenance or other purposes. These systems, products and services (including those we

acquire through business acquisitions) can be damaged, disrupted or shut down due to attacks by computer hackers, computer viruses, ransomware, human error or malfeasance (including by employees), power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication or utility failures, catastrophes or other unforeseen events, and in any such circumstances our system redundancy and other disaster recovery planning may be ineffective or inadequate. Attacks can also target hardware, software and information installed, stored or transmitted in our products after such products have been purchased and incorporated into third-party products, facilities or infrastructure. Security breaches of systems provided or enabled by us, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to a vulnerability in our products or services, or security breaches of third-party suppliers we rely on to process, store or transmit electronic information, can result in the misappropriation, destruction or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or personal data belonging to us or to our employees, partners, customers, patients or suppliers. Like most multinational corporations, our information technology systems and data have been subject to computer viruses, malicious codes, unauthorized access and other cyber-attacks and we expect the sophistication and frequency of such attacks to continue to increase. Unauthorized tampering, adulteration or interference with our products may also adversely affect product functionality and result in loss of data, risk to patient safety and product recalls or field actions. The attacks, breaches, misappropriations and other disruptions and damage described above can interrupt our operations or the operations of our customers and partners, delay production and shipments, result in theft of our and our customers’ intellectual property and trade secrets, result in disclosure of personal data, damage customer, patient, business partner and employee relationships and our reputation and result in defective products or services, legal claims and proceedings, liability and penalties under privacy and other laws and increased costs for security and remediation, in each case resulting in an adverse effect on our business and financial statements. Our liability insurance may not be sufficient in type or amount to cover us against claims related to security breaches, cyber-attacks and other related breaches.

In addition, our information technology systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving legal and regulatory standards, evolving customer expectations, changes in the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to data and information systems, and the information technology needs associated with our changing products and services. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully maintain, enhance and upgrade our systems as necessary to effectively address these requirements. Further, a greater number of our employees have been working remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposes us to greater cybersecurity and data privacy risks.

Any inability to maintain reliable information technology systems and appropriate controls with respect to global data privacy and security requirements and prevent data breaches can result in adverse regulatory and business consequences and litigation. As a global organization, we are subject to data privacy and security laws, regulations and customer-imposed controls in numerous jurisdictions as a result of having access to and processing confidential, personal and/or sensitive data in the course of our business. Please see “Item 1. Business—Regulatory Matters” for additional information. For example, entities that are

Manufacturing or design defects or “bugs” in, unanticipated use of, safety or quality issues (or the perception of such issues) with respect to, “off label” use of, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of products and services that we make or sell (including items that we source from third-parties) can lead to personal injury, death, and/or property damage andand/or regulatory violations that can adversely affect our business and financial statements. These events can lead to recalls or safety alerts, result in the removal of a product or service from the market and result in product liability or similar claims being brought against us. The accelerated development and production of products and services in an effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic also

increased the risk of regulatory enforcement actions, product defects or claims thereof. Recalls, removals and product liability and similar claims (regardless of their validity or ultimate outcome) can result in significant costs, as well as negative publicity and damage to our reputation that could reduce demand for our products and services. Our business can also be affected by studies of the utilization, safety and efficacy of medical device products and components that are conducted by industry participants, government agencies and others. Any of the above can result in the discontinuation of marketing of such products in one or more countries and give rise to claims for damages from persons who believe they have been injured as a result of product issues, including claims by individuals or groups seeking to represent a class.

Our facilities, supply chains, distribution systems and information technology systems are subject to catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, cyber-attack, earthquake, hurricane, power shortage or outage, public health crisis (including epidemics and pandemics) and the reaction thereto, war, terrorism, riot, public protest or other natural or man-made disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the damage caused to our facilities by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. If any of these facilities, supply chains or systems were to experience a catastrophic loss, it could disrupt our operations, delay production and shipments, result in defective products or services, diminish demand, damage customer relationships and our reputation and result in legal exposure and significant repair or replacement expenses. The third-party insurance coverage that we maintain varies from time to time in both type and amount depending on cost, availability and our decisions regarding risk retention, and may be unavailable or insufficient to protect us against such losses.

Climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could presentpresents risks to our operations. Physical risk resulting from acute changes (such as hurricane, tornado, wildfire or flooding) or chronic changes (such as droughts, heat waves or sea level changes) in climate patterns can adversely impact our facilities and operations and disrupt our supply chains and distribution systems. Concern over climate change can also result in new or additional legal, regulatory or regulatoryquasi-regulatory requirements designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment (such as taxation of, or caps on the use of, carbon-based energy). Any such new or additional legal or regulatory requirements may increase the costs associated with, or disrupt, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution of our products, which may adversely affect our business and financial statements. In addition, any failure to adequately address stakeholder expectations with respect to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters may result in the loss of business, adverse reputational impacts, diluted market valuations and challenges in attracting and retaining customers and talented employees.

The manufacture of many of our products is a highly exacting and complex process, due in part to strict regulatory requirements. Problems can arise during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with raw materials or components, cyber-attacks, natural disasters and environmental factors, and if not discovered before the product is released to market can result in recalls and product liability exposure. Because of the time required to approve and license certain regulated manufacturing facilities and other stringent regulations of the FDA and similar agencies regarding the manufacture of certain of our products, an alternative manufacturer is not always available on a timely basis to replace such production capacity. Any of these manufacturing problems could result in adverse impacts to our business and financial statements.

We purchase materials, components and equipment from third-parties for use in our manufacturing operations, including metallic-based components, electronic components, chemistries, OEM products, plastics and other petroleum-based products. Our profitability could also be adversely impacted if we are unable to adjust our purchases to reflect changes in customer demand and market fluctuations, including those caused by seasonality or cyclicality. During a market upturn, suppliers from time to time extend lead times, limit supplies or increase prices. If we cannot purchase sufficient products at competitive prices and quality and on a timely enough basis to meet increasing demand, we may not be able to satisfy market demand, product shipments may be delayed, our costs may increase or we may breach our contractual commitments and incur liabilities. Please see “Item 1. Business—Materials” for a discussion of certain supply chain constraints we experienced in 2021. Conversely, in order to secure supplies for the production of products, we sometimes enter into noncancelable purchase commitments with vendors, which can impact our ability to adjust our inventory to reflect declining market demands. If demand for our products is less than we expect, we may experience additional excess and obsolete inventories and be forced to incur additional charges and our business and financial statements may suffer.

The market for highly skilled workers and leaders in our industries, particularly in the areas of science and technology, is extremely competitive.competitive and expectations from qualified talent in many areas of the labor market have evolved and escalated recently. In addition, in 2021 a number of our businesses2022 we faced certain labor availability constraints and labor cost inflation.inflation in certain areas of our business. If we are less successful in our recruiting efforts, or if we cannot retain and motivate highly skilled workers and key leaders representing diverse backgrounds, experiences and skill sets, or if we experience labor disputes, our business and financial statements may be adversely affected.

We have implemented significant restructuring activities across our businesses to adjust our cost structure, and we may engage in similar restructuring activities in the future. These restructuring activities and our regular ongoing cost reduction activities (including in connection with the integration of acquired businesses) reducecould diminish our available talent, assets and other resources and can slow improvements in our productscompetitiveness, and services, adversely affect our ability to respond to customers, limit our ability to increase production quickly if demand for our products increases and trigger adverse public attention. In addition, delays or failures in implementing planned restructuring activities or other productivity improvements, unexpected costs or failure to meet targeted improvements on the anticipated timeline or at all may diminish the expected operational or financial benefits from such actions. Any of the circumstances described above could adversely impact our business and financial statements.

Many of the markets we serve are technology-driven, and as a result intellectual property rights play a significant role in product development and differentiation. We own numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other intellectual property and licenses to intellectual property owned by others, which in aggregate are important to our business. The intellectual property rights that we obtain, however, are not always sufficiently broad and do not always provide us a significant competitive advantage, and patents may not be issued for pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us. In addition, the steps that we and our licensors have taken to maintain and protect our intellectual property do not always prevent it from being challenged, invalidated, circumvented, designed-around or becoming subject to compulsory licensing. In some circumstances, enforcement is not available to us because an infringer has a dominant intellectual property position or for other business reasons. We also rely on nondisclosure and noncompetition agreements with employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights. There can be no assurance that these agreements adequately protect our trade secrets and other proprietary rights and will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that

These risks are particularly pronounced in countries in which we do business that do not have levels of protection of corporate proprietary information, intellectual property, technology and other assets comparable to the United States. The risks we encounter in such countries include but are not limited to the following:

Any of these risks can adversely impact our business and financial statements. Refer to “—International economic, political, legal, compliance, social and business factors could negatively affect our financial statements” for a discussion of additional risks relating to our international operations.

From time to time, we receive notices from third parties alleging intellectual property infringement or misappropriation of third parties’ intellectual property and cannot be certain that the conduct of our business does not and will not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of others. Disputes or litigations regarding intellectual property can be costly and time-consuming to defend due to the complexity of many of our technologies and the uncertainty of intellectual property

litigation. Our intellectual property portfolio may not be useful in asserting a counterclaim, or negotiating a license, in response to a claim of infringement or misappropriation. In addition, as a result of such claims of infringement or misappropriation, we could lose our rights to critical technology, be unable to license critical technology or sell critical products and services, be required to pay substantial damages or license fees with respect to the infringed rights, be required to license technology or other intellectual property rights from others, be required to cease marketing, manufacturing or using certain products or be required to redesign, re-engineer or re-brand our products at substantial cost, any of which could adversely impact our business and financial statements. Third-party intellectual property rights may also make it more difficult or expensive for us to meet market demand for particular product or design innovations. When we are required to seek licenses under patents or other intellectual property rights of others, we are not always able to acquire these licenses on acceptable terms, if at all. Even if we successfully defend against claims of infringement or misappropriation, we may incur significant costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could adversely affect our business and financial statements.

Certain agencies of the U.S. government, such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have agreed to finance an expansion of production capacity and/or the development of technology at certain of our businesses, and our businesses may enter into similar agreements in the future.

As of December 31, 2021,2022, we had approximately $22.2$19.7 billion in outstanding indebtedness. In addition, we had the ability to incur approximately $2.2$3.0 billion of additional indebtedness in direct borrowings or under our outstanding commercial paper facilities based on the amounts available under our credit facilities that were not being used to backstop outstanding commercial paper balances. Our debt level and related debt service obligations (as well as the dividend obligations pursuant to our Series A and Series B Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock (“MCPS”)) can have negative consequences, including (1) requiring us to dedicate significant cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our debt (or dividends on our MCPS), which reduces the funds we have available for other purposes such as acquisitions and other investments; (2) reducing our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business and market conditions; and (3) exposing us to interest rate risk since a portion of ouron any variable rate debt obligations are at variable rates.

Our credit facilities and long-term debt obligations also impose certain restrictions on us, including certain restrictions on our ability to incur liens on our assets, and a requirement under our credit facilities to maintain a consolidated leverage ratio (the ratio of consolidated indebtedness to consolidated indebtedness plus shareholders’ equity) of 0.65 to 1.0 or less. If we breach any of these restrictions and cannot obtain a waiver from the lenders on favorable terms, subject to applicable cure periods, the outstanding indebtedness (and any other indebtedness with cross-default provisions) could be declared immediately due and payable, which would adversely affect our business and financial statements (including our liquidity). If we add new debt in the future, the risks described above would increase.

Sales and purchases in currencies other than the U.S. dollar expose us to fluctuations in foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, which have in the past and may in the future adversely affect our financial statements. Increased strength of the U.S. dollar increases the effective price of our products sold in U.S. dollars into other countries, which can adversely affect sales or require us to lower our prices.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in numerous non-U.S. jurisdictions. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was enacted. The TCJA significantly revised the U.S. federal corporate income tax law by, among other things, lowering the corporate income tax rate to 21.0%, implementing a quasi-territorial tax system, and imposing a one-time tax on unremitted cumulative non-U.S. earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries (“Transition Tax”).

The U.S. Congress,Legislative bodies and government agencies in non-U.S. jurisdictions where we do business,the U.S. and other countries as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) have focused on issues related to the taxation of multinational corporations. One example is in the area of “base erosion and profit shifting,” for which the OECD has released several components of its comprehensive plan that have been adopted and expanded by many taxing authorities to address perceived tax abuse and inconsistencies between tax jurisdictions. As a result, the tax laws in the U.S. and other countries in which we do business could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such changes could adversely affect our business and financial statements.

The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has adversely affected and may further adversely affect our business and financial statements. In light of the situation in Ukraine, in addition to suspending sales prohibited by sanctions, the Company has suspended the shipment of products to Russia with the exception of products for the purposes of diagnosing and treating patients and producing vaccines and therapeutics. We incurred a pretax charge of $43 million in 2022 as a result of Russia-related asset impairments, accruals for contractual obligations and similar items and we may incur additional charges in the future. In 2021, approximately 1% of the Company’s sales were derived from customers based in Russia and a de minimis percentage of sales were derived from customers based in Ukraine, and in 2022 Russia and Ukraine sales accounted for less than 1% of the Company’s sales. The conflict in Ukraine may escalate and/or expand in scope and the broader consequences of this conflict, which have included and/or may in the future include sanctions, embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts and adverse impacts on energy supplies and prices; potential retaliatory action by the Russian government against companies,

including the Company, such as nationalization of foreign businesses in Russia. Further, increased tensions between the United Kingdom fromStates and countries in which we operate cannot be predicted, nor can we predict the EU could have an adverse effectconflict’s future impact on the global economy and on our business and financial statements.

The UK ceased to be a member stateRussia and Ukraine conflict also heightens many other risks disclosed in this Annual Report, any of the EU on January 31, 2020 (commonly referred to as “Brexit”), and the parties have agreed to and ratified a trade and cooperation agreement. Uncertainties remain regarding the application of the terms of the trade and cooperation agreement and the other potential impacts of Brexit, such as the impact of new or different laws and regulations as the UK replaces or replicates certain EU laws, and trade and tax impacts as the UK negotiates its own tax and trade treaties with countries around the world. The impacts from Brexit couldwhich can adversely affect our business and financial statements. AsSuch risks include, but are not limited to, adverse effects on macroeconomic conditions, including increased inflation, constraints on the availability of December 31, 2021, the Company had eight manufacturing facilitiescommodities, supply chain disruption and decreased business spending; disruptions to our or our business partners’ global technology infrastructure, including through cyber-attack or cyber-intrusion; adverse changes in international trade policies and relations; claims, litigation and regulatory enforcement; our ability to implement and execute our business strategy; terrorist activities; our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations; reputational risk; and constraints, volatility, or disruption in the UK and the Company’s net investment in property, plant and equipment in the UK was $260 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, less than 5% of our sales were derived from customers located in the UK, however, the impact of Brexit could also impact our business and financial statements outside the UK.capital markets.

The performance of the financial markets and interest rates impact our defined benefit pension plan expenses and funding obligations. Significant changes in market interest rates, decreases in the fair value of plan assets, investment losses on plan assets and changes in discount rates can increase our defined benefit pension plan funding obligations, and adversely impact our financial statements. In addition, upward pressure on the cost of providing health care coverage to current employees and retirees can increase our future funding obligations andobligations. Any of these risks can adversely affect our financial statements.

Significant developments or changes in U.S.national laws or policies to protect or promote domestic interests and/or address foreign competition, including laws and policies in areas such as laws and policies governing non-U.S. trade, manufacturing, and development and investment in the territories and countries where we or our customers operate, or governing thegovernment purchasing, health care, systemintellectual property and drug prices,investment/development, can adversely affect our business and financial statements. For example, certain governments have implemented policies to induce “re-shoring” of supply chains, reduce reliance on imported supplies and promote national production. The Chinese government has issued a series of policies in the past several years to promote the development and use of local medical devices. In addition, in recent years the U.S. has increased tariffs on certain imported goods and trade tensions between the U.S. and China escalated, with each country imposing significant, additional tariffs on a wide range of goods imported from the other country. The U.S. and China could impose other types of restrictions such as limitations on government procurement or technology export restrictions, which could affect our access to markets. These factors have adversely affected, and in the future could further adversely affect, our business and financial statements.

We cannot provideThere can be no assurance that our internal controls and compliance systems, including our Code of Conduct, always protect us from acts committed by employees, agents or business partners of ours (or of businesses we acquire or partner with) that violate laws, including the laws governing payments to government officials, bribery, fraud, kickbacks and false claims, pricing, sales and marketing practices, conflicts of interest, competition, employment practices and workplace behavior, export and import compliance, economic and trade sanctions, money laundering and data privacy. In particular, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree. Any such improper actions or allegations of such acts could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations and related shareholder lawsuits, could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant legal and investigatory fees. In addition, the government may seek to hold us liable for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. We also rely on our suppliers to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct, and violations of such code of conduct could adversely affect our business and financial statements.

In addition to the environmental, health, safety, health care, medical device, anticorruption, data privacy and other regulations noted elsewhere in this Annual Report, our businesses are subject to extensive regulation by U.S. and non-U.S. governmental and self-regulatory entities at the supranational, federal, state, local and other jurisdictional levels, including for example the following:

These are not the only regulations that our businesses must comply with. The regulations we are subject to have tended to become more stringent over time and can be inconsistent across jurisdictions. We, our representatives and the industries in which we operate are at times under review and/or investigation by regulatory authorities. Failure to comply (or any alleged or perceived failure to comply) with the regulations referenced above or any other regulations can result in import detentions, fines, damages, civil and administrative penalties, injunctions, consent decrees, suspensions or losses of regulatory approvals, recall or seizure of products, operating restrictions, refusal of the government to approve product export applications or allow us to enter into supply contracts, disbarment from selling to certain governmental agencies or exclusion from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance, disruption of our business, limitation on our ability to manufacture, import, export and sell products and services, loss of customers, significant legal and investigatory fees, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, reputational harm, contractual damages, diminished profits, curtailment or restricting of business operations, criminal prosecution and other monetary and non-monetary penalties. Compliance with these and other regulations can also affect our returns on investment, require us to incur significant expenses or modify our business model or impair our flexibility in modifying product, marketing, pricing or other strategies for growing our business. Our products and operations are also often subject to the rules of industrial standards bodies such as the International Standards Organization, and failure to comply with these rules can result in withdrawal of certifications needed to sell our products and services and otherwise adversely impact our business and financial statements. For additional information regarding these risks, refer to “Item 1. Business—Regulatory Matters.”

Consistent with SEC Regulation S-K Item 103, we have elected to disclose those environmental proceedings (if any) with a governmental entity as a party where the Company reasonably believes such proceeding would result in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of $1 million or more.

Mitchell P. Rales is a co-founder of Danaher and has served on Danaher’s Board of Directors since 1983, serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee of Danaher since 1984. He was also President of the Company from 1984 to 1990.  Mr. Rales is also a member of the board of directors of Colfaxeach of Enovis Corporation and ESAB Corporation, and is a brother of Steven M. Rales.

Rainer M. Blair has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2020, after serving as Executive Vice President from January 2017 to August 2020.

Matthew R. McGrew has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 2019, after serving as Group CFO of Danaher from 2012 until December 2018.

Jennifer L. Honeycutt has served as Executive Vice President since January 2021 after serving as Vice President – Group Executive from May 2019 until December 2020 and President of Danaher’s Pall business from January 2017 until April 2019.

Joakim Weidemanis has served as Executive Vice President since December 20172017.

Georgeann F. Couchara has served as Senior Vice President – Human Resources since April 2022, after serving as Vice President-Talent from January 2021 to April 2022, Vice President – Group ExecutiveHuman Resources for Danaher’s Life Sciences business from March 2014 until December 2017.July 2019 to January 2021 and Senior Vice President-Human Resources and Communications for Danaher’s Pall business from June 2017 to July 2019.

Brian W. Ellis has served as Senior Vice President – General Counsel since joining Danaher in January 2016.

Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos has served as Senior Vice President – Chief Science Officer since joining Danaher in December 2020. Prior to joining Danaher, Dr. Gutierrez-Ramos served as Vice President-DrugPresident – Drug Discovery for AbbVie, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from January 2020 to December 2020; as President and CEO of Repertoire Immune Medicines, a biotechnology company, from August 2018 until January 2020; and as President and CEO of Synlogic, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from August 2015 until August 2018.

William H. King has served as Senior Vice President – Strategic Development since 2014.

Any future payments of dividends on the Company’s common stock will be determined by Danaher’s Board of Directors and will depend on business conditions, Danaher’s earnings and other factors Danaher’s Board deems relevant.

None

This discussion and analysis should be read together with Danaher’s audited financial statements and related Notes thereto as of December 31, 20212022 and 20202021 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 20212022 included in this Annual Report. Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for 20192020 is included in Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the year ended December 31, 20202021 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as supplemented by the discussion herein of the new Biotechnology and Life Sciences segments (which were previously reported together as the former Life Sciences segment), and should be referred to for information regarding this period.

Unless otherwise indicated, all financial results in this report refer to continuing operations.

As a result of the Company’s geographic and industry diversity, the Company faces a variety of opportunities and challenges, including rapid technological development (particularly with respect to computing, automation, artificial intelligence, mobile connectivity, communications and digitization) in most of the Company’s served markets, the expansion and evolution of opportunities in high-growth markets, trends and costs associated with a global labor force, consolidation of the Company’s competitors and increasing regulation. The Company operates in a highly competitive business environment in most markets, and the Company’s long-term growth and profitability will depend in particular on its ability to expand its business in high-growth geographies and high-growth market segments, identify, consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions and identify and consummate appropriate investments and strategic partnerships, develop innovative and differentiated new products and services with higher gross profit margins, expand and improve the effectiveness of the Company’s sales force, continue to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency and quality, and effectively address the demands of an increasingly regulated global environment. The Company is making significant investments, organically and through acquisitions and investments, to address the rapid pace of technological change in its served markets and to globalize its manufacturing, research and development and customer-facing resources (particularly in high-growth markets) in order to be responsive to the Company’s customers throughout the world and improve the efficiency of the Company’s operations.

The Company’s net earnings from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 20212022 totaled approximately $6.3$7.2 billion, compared to approximately $3.6$6.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021. Net earnings attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 20212022 totaled approximately $6.3$7.1 billion or $8.61$9.66 per diluted common share compared to approximately $3.5$6.3 billion or $4.89$8.61 per diluted common share for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021. The increase in net earnings in 20212022 as compared to 20202021 was driven by increased sales in the Company’s existing businesses and sales from acquired businesses, partially offsetby a lower effective tax rate in 2022 driven by discrete tax benefits and by the impact of the non-recurring charge incurred in 2021 related to the modification and partial termination of a prior commercial arrangement and resolution of the associated litigation.litigation recorded, partially offset by investment losses recorded in 2022. Refer to “—Results of Operations” for further discussion of the year-over-year changes in net earnings and diluted net earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2021.2022.

For a discussion of the impact of supply chain disruptions, labor availability constraints and increased labor costs on our businesses in 2021,2022, please see “Item 1. Business – Materials.” For a discussion of the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on our businesses in 2022, please see “Item 1. Business – Russia-Ukraine Conflict.”

Demand for the Company’s products that support COVID-19 related vaccines and therapeutics (including initiatives that seek to prevent or mitigate similar, future pandemics) anddecreased in 2022 versus 2021. The Company expects overall demand for these products to decrease in 2023 versus 2022. Additionally, demand for the Company’s products that support COVID-19 testing will continue. However, on a relative basis, we expectcontinues to fluctuate significantly driven by increases or decreases in COVID-19 cases in particular geographies. While sales of COVID-19 related testing products increased in 2022 compared to 2021, the level of ongoingCompany expects overall demand for these products supporting COVID-19 testing will be subject to more fluctuationsdecrease in demand than2023 as the level of demand for products supporting COVID-19 related vaccinespandemic subsides in most geographies and therapeutics. The Company’s ability to satisfy COVID-19 related demand will also depend in part upon the expansion of our production capacity in these areas.evolves toward endemic status.

Due to the speed with which the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve,has evolved, the global breadth of its spread, the range of governmental and community responses thereto and our geographic and business line diversity, its further impact on our

For additional information on the risks of COVID-19 to the Company’s operations, refer to the “Item 1A. Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report.

Refer to Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for discussion regarding the Company’s acquisitions.

In this report, references to the non-GAAP measures of core sales (also referred to as core revenues or sales/revenues from existing businesses) and core sales including Cytiva refer to sales from continuing operations calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) but excluding:

References to sales or operating profit attributable to acquisitions or acquired businesses refer to sales or operating profit, as applicable, from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition less any sales and operating profit, during the applicable period, attributable to divested product lines not considered discontinued operations; provided that in calculating core sales including Cytiva, Cytiva’s sales (net of the sales of the Company product lines divested in 2020 to obtain regulatory approval to acquire Cytiva, or the “divested product lines”) (“Cytiva sales”) are excluded from the definition of sales attributable to acquisitions or acquired businesses. The portion of revenue attributable to currency translation is calculated as the difference between:

As noted above, beginning with results for the second quarter of 2020, the Company also presents core sales on a basis that includes Cytiva sales. Prior to the acquisition of Cytiva, Danaher calculated core sales solely on a basis that excluded sales from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition. However, given Cytiva’s significant size and historical core sales growth rate, in each case compared to Danaher’s existing businesses, management believes it is appropriate to also present core sales on a basis that includes Cytiva sales. Management believes this presentation provides useful information to investors by demonstrating beginning immediately after the acquisition Cytiva’s impact on the Company’s growth profile, rather than waiting to demonstrate such impact until 12 months after the acquisition when Cytiva would normally have been included in Danaher’s core sales calculation. Danaher calculates period-to-period core sales growth including Cytiva by adding Cytiva sales to core sales for both the baseline and current periods. Beginning in the second quarter

Core sales growth (and the related measure of core sales including Cytiva) should be considered in addition to, and not as a replacement for or superior to, sales, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management believes that reporting these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors by helping identify underlying growth trends in Danaher’s business and facilitating comparisons of Danaher’s revenue performance with its performance in prior and future periods and to Danaher’s peers. Management also uses these non-GAAP financial measures to measure the Company’s operating and financial performance and uses core sales growth (and previously used core sales growth including Cytiva) as one of the performance measures in the Company’s executive short-term cash incentive program. The Company excludes the effect of currency translation from these measures because currency translation is not under management’s control, is subject to volatility and can obscure underlying business trends, and excludes the effect of acquisitions (other than Cytiva sales, in the case of core sales growth including Cytiva) and divestiture-related items because the nature, size, timing and number of acquisitions and divestitures can vary dramatically from period-to-period and between the Company and its peers and can also obscure underlying business trends and make comparisons of long-term performance difficult.

Throughout this discussion, references to sales growth or decline refer to the impact of both price and unit sales and references to productivity improvements generally refer to improved cost efficiencies resulting from the ongoing application of DBS.

The Company deems acquisition-related transaction costs incurred in a given period to be significant (generally relating to the Company’s larger acquisitions) if it determines that such costs exceed the range of acquisition-related transaction costs typical for Danaher in a given period.

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets both decreased as a percentage of sales during 20212022 as compared with 2020,2021, primarily as a result of the increase in sales.

Price increases in the segment contributed 1.5%7.5% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 20212022 as compared with 20202021 and are reflected as a component of the change in core revenue growth.

In 2021,2022, total Environmental & Applied Solutions segment sales increased 8.0%4.0%, primarily as a result of core sales growth driven by the factors discussed below. Thebelow, partially offset by the impact of changes in currency translation increased reported sales 1.5% in 2021, primarily due to the favorable impact of the weakening of the U.S. dollar in 2021 compared to 2020. Divestitures,exchange rates and divestitures, net of acquisitions, decreased reported sales by 1.5% in 2021.acquisitions.

On an overall basis, in 20212022 core sales in the segment’s water quality businesses increased at a mid-singlelow-double digit rate due to continuing demand for consumables and increased demand for equipment on a year-over-year basis, driven in part by the recovery from the decline in equipment demand in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.rate. Year-over-year core sales in the analytical instrumentation product line increased driven by demand in North America, Western Europe and China and by demandhigher core sales in the municipal and industrial end-markets. Geographically, core sales growth was led by North America and Western Europe. Core sales in the chemical treatment solutions product line increased as a result of demandhigher core sales across all major end-markets. Geographically, the increase in thecore sales of chemical commercial and industry and food and beverage end-markets,treatment solutions was driven by North America and Latin America.

The segment’s product identification businessesbusinesses’ core sales grew at a low-doublemid-single digit rate due to continued demand for consumables along with an increase in demand for equipment, driven in part by the recovery from lower equipment volumes in 2020 resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.rate. Core sales in the marking and coding business increased across all major geographiesled by the food and most major end-markets.beverage end-market. Geographically, core sales growth was led by North America, Western Europe and Latin America, partially offset by the core sales decline from the suspension of shipments to Russia. Year-over-year core sales in the packaging and color solutions products and services business increased, across most major geographies.geographically led by Western Europe.

The year-over-year increasedecrease in gross profit margin during 20212022 as compared with 20202021 was due primarilydriven by incremental year-over-year costs associated with material, transportation, labor and restructuring and continuing productivity improvement initiatives. In addition, the gross profit margin was negatively impacted by a 2022 inventory charge related to higherreduction of business activities in Russia. Gross profit margins declines were partially offset by increased year-over-year core sales volumes, including sales volumes from recently acquired businesses and product mix as well as the impact of the changeacquisition-related charges incurred in mix of sales to higher margin product lines.2021. The 2021 acquisition-related charges of $76 million incurred in 2021 associated withincluded fair value adjustments to deferred revenue related to the acquisition of Cytiva Acquisition and fair value adjustments to inventory in connection with the acquisitions of both Aldevron and Cytiva, were lower than the $509 million of fair value adjustments to deferred revenue and inventory recorded in 2020 related to the Cytiva Acquisition, which also contributed to the increased gross profit margin in 2021. Gross profit margin also benefited in 2021 from the inclusion of a full year of Cytiva sales compared to only nine months in 2020.Cytiva.

R&D expenses (consisting principally of internal and contract engineering personnel costs) as a percentage of sales declined slightly in 20212022 as compared with 2020,2021, primarily due to the sales growth rate exceeding the spending growth related to new product development initiatives.

Other operating expenses and other operating expenses as a percentage of sales increaseddecreased in 20212022 compared with 20202021 as a result of the contract settlement expense related to the modification and partial termination of a prior commercial arrangement and resolution of the associated litigation during 2021. Refer to Note 8 to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

For a further description of the Company’s debt and cross-currency swap derivative contracts related to the debt as of December 31, 20212022 refer to Notes 14 and 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company’s effective tax rate can be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with different statutory tax rates (including as a result of business acquisitions and dispositions), changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, accruals related to contingent tax liabilities and period-to-period changes in such accruals, the results of audits and

The amount of income taxes the Company pays is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state and non-U.S. tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. Management performs a comprehensive review of its global tax positions on a quarterly basis. Based on these reviews, which take into account the results of discussions and resolutions of matters with certain tax authorities and the other factors referenced in the prior paragraph, reserves for contingent tax liabilities are accrued or adjusted as necessary. For a discussion of risks related to these and other tax matters, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors”.

The Company’s effective tax rate for 2021 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to net discrete benefits related primarily to the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions due to the expiration of statutes of limitation and audit settlements and excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, and the mix of earnings between the U.S. and certain jurisdictions with lower overall tax rates, net of changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions. Refer to Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s effective tax rate.

The Company conducts business globally and files numerous consolidated and separate income tax returns in the U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. jurisdictions. The non-U.S. countries in which the Company has a significant presence include China, Denmark, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Excluding these jurisdictions, the Company believes that a change in the statutory tax rate of any individual non-U.S. country would not have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements given the geographic dispersion of the Company’s taxable income.

The Company and its subsidiaries are routinely examined by various U.S. and non-U.S. taxing authorities. The IRS has completed substantially all of the examinations of the Company’s federal income tax returns through 2015 and is currently examining certain of the Company’s federal income tax returns for 2016 through 2018. In addition, the Company has subsidiaries in Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and various other countries, states and provinces that are currently under audit for years ranging from 2004 through 2020.2021.

Similar to the year ended December 31, 2020,position it took in connection with the Company settledaudit of the IRS audits of its federalCompany’s taxable income tax returns for the years 2012 through 2015. In2015, in the audit,fourth quarter of 2022, the IRS proposed significant adjustments to the Company’s taxable income of approximately $2.7 billion relatedfor the years 2016 through 2018 with respect to the deferral of tax on certain premium income related to the Company’s self-insurance programs. The settlement of this matter for the 2012 through 2015 audit was not material to the Company’s financial statements but did not preclude the IRS from proposing similar adjustments in future audit periods, as the IRS has with the 2022 assessment. For income tax purposes, the recognition of certain premium income has been deferred in accordance with U.S. tax laws related to insurance. While the settlement of these matters was not material to the Company’s financial statements, the settlement does not preclude theThe IRS from proposing similar adjustments in future audits and the IRS has continued to examineis challenging the deferral of premium income related to self-insurance programs in its examinationfor certain types of the Company’s federalself-insurance policies. The proposed adjustments would increase the Company’s taxable income tax returns forover the 2016 through 2018. The examination is ongoing and to date, the IRS has not proposed any adjustments related to the Company’s self-insurance programs.2018 periods by approximately $2.5 billion. Due to the enactment of the TCJA in 2017 and the resulting reduction in the U.S. corporate tax rate for years after 2017, the Company remeasured its deferred tax liabilities related to the temporary differences associated with this deferred premium income from 35.0% to 21.0%. If the IRS proposes adjustments related to the Company’s self-insurance premiums with respect to years prior to the adoption of the TCJA and the Company is unsuccessful in defending its position, any taxes owed to the IRS may be computed under the previous 35.0% statutory tax rate and the Company may be required to remeasure the related deferred tax liabilities from 21.0% to 35.0%, which in addition to any interest due on the amounts assessed, would require a charge to future earnings. Management believes the positions the Company has taken in its U.S. tax returns are in accordance with the relevant tax laws.laws and intends to vigorously defend these positions.

Tax authorities in Denmark have issued tax assessments related to interest accrued by certain of the Company’s subsidiaries for the years 2004 through 2015. During the first quarter of 2021, the Company received a notice from the Danish tax authorities that included a significant reduction in the interest amounts imposed onin the original tax assessments. Taking into account the revised interest amounts, the assessments total approximately DKK 2.1 billion including applicable accrued interest accrued to date (approximately $317$298 million based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2021)2022). The Company’s appeal of the tax assessments with the Danish National Tax Tribunal has been put on hold awaiting the final outcome of other preceding withholding tax cases that have been brought before the Danish High Court and the Danish Supreme Court. Management believes the positions the Company has taken in Denmark are

The Company expects its 20222023 effective tax rate to be approximately 20.0%19.5% which is higher than the 20212022 rate due primarily to the impact of net discrete tax benefits on the 20212022 effective tax rate that are not expected to repeat in 2023 and the geographic mix of earnings anticipated for 2022.2023. Any future legislative changes in the United States and/or potential tax reform in other jurisdictions could cause the Company’s effective tax rate to differ from this estimate. Refer to Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to income taxes.

Refer to Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

As of December 31, 2021,2022, the Company’sCompany had no variable-rate debt obligations, consisted primarilyhowever, the interest rates of U.S. dollar andthe Company’s euro-based commercial paper borrowings are fixed based on short-term market rates at the time of issuance (refer to Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s outstanding commercial paper balances as of December 31, 2021)2022). As a result, the Company’s primary interest rate exposure results from changes in short-term interest rates. As these shorter duration obligations mature, the Company may issue additional short-term commercial paper obligations to refinance all or part of these borrowings, to the extent commercial paper markets are available. In 2021,2022, the average annual interest rate associated with the Company’s outstanding commercial

Refer to “Results of Operations—Interest Costs” for discussion of the Company’s cross-currency swap derivative contracts and interest rate swap agreements.

Currency exchange rates positivelynegatively impacted 20212022 reported sales on a year-over-year basis primarily due to the weakeningstrengthening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies during the first nine months of 2021, slightly offset by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar during the fourth quarter of 2021.2022. If the currency exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 20212022 were to prevail throughout 2022, currency exchange rates2023, the Company’s 2023 sales would decrease 2022 estimated salesbe essentially flat relative to 2021 sales by approximately 1.0%.2022 sales. Strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 20212022 would adversely impact the Company’s sales and results of operations on an overall basis. Any weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 20212022 would positively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations.

The Company has generally accepted the exposure to exchange rate movements without using derivative financial instruments to manage this transactional exchange risk, although the Company has used foreign currency-denominated debt and cross-currency swaps to hedge a portion of its net investments in non-U.S. operations against adverse movements in exchange rates. Both positive and negative movements in currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar will continue to affect the reported amount of sales and net earnings in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In addition, the Company has assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies. A 10% depreciation in major currencies relative to the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 20212022 would have reduced foreign currency-denominated net assets and stockholders’ equity by approximately $1.6$1.7 billion. Refer to Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s hedging of a portion of its net investment in non-U.S. operations.

In addition, concentrations of credit risk arising from receivables from customers are limited due to the diversity of the Company’s customers. The Company’s businesses perform credit evaluations of their customers’ financial conditions as deemed appropriate and also obtain collateral or other security when deemed appropriate.

The Company enters into derivative transactions infrequently and typically with high-quality financial institutions, so that exposure at any one institution is limited.

The Company has relied primarily on borrowings under its commercial paper program to address liquidity requirements that exceed the capacity provided by its operating cash flows and cash on hand, while also accessing the capital markets from time to time including to secure financing for more significant acquisitions. Subject to any limitations that may result from the COVID-19 pandemic or other market disruptions (such as the disruptions in the financial and capital markets that occurred at times in 2020), the Company anticipates following the same approach in the future.

Following is an overview of the Company’s cash flows and liquidity for the years ended December 31: