Ireland sees record jump in FDI despite global economic uncertainty

More than half of the investments this year took place outside Dublin. Picture: Larry Cummins

The IDA secured 323 investments by foreign companies in Ireland this year, a 38% increase on 2024, which is expected to deliver more than 15,000 new jobs.

It is the highest number of projects on record secured by the agency, with 78 investments coming from companies new to Ireland.

Publishing its annual results, the industrial development body said employment in IDA client companies increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 312,400. 

Annual client expenditure on payroll, Irish materials and Irish services reached more than €40bn in 2024, with a further €12.8bn spent on capital expenditure projects. 

Of the new companies establishing a presence here, 38 were from North America and 40 from Europe and the APAC region. There were 68 expansions from existing client companies.

The IDA said Dublin remained paramount for Ireland to compete for investments, but said 183 (57%) of the total number of investments took place outside the capital.

There has also been a record level of future RD&I investment commitments of €2.5bn by IDA clients, exceeding €2bn in one year for the first time, as companies invest in new and emerging technologies such as AI and quantum computing.

New name companies to Ireland this year include Datavant, which opened its global R&D centre in Galway, with plans to hire 125 people, and Sony Interactive Entertainment, which established its digital innovation and engineering centre in Dublin, creating 100 jobs.

Established companies like Ericsson announced a €200m investment over the next three years at its Athlone facility; GE Healthcare confirmed a €132m investment to expand its contrast media fill-and-finish manufacturing site in Cork; IBM, which further expanded its presence in Ireland, with the creation of 75 new software engineering roles in Waterford; and PayPal, which opened a new AI R&D centre of excellence in Dublin, creating 100 jobs. 

IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan said: “This year’s results are a testament to the enduring strength and adaptability of our valued clients, Ireland’s proven investment value proposition, along with the commitment and dedication of the IDA Ireland global team."

"Our 2025-2029 strategy, Adapt Intelligently, is focused on ensuring that we strengthen long-term investment, deliver sustainable growth, scale cutting-edge innovation, and deliver across all regions, and today's results demonstrate that the implementation of our strategy has got off to an exceptional start. 

"This has enabled us to deliver record levels of investment across priority areas — including attraction of first-time investment, scalable RD&I, and progressing digital transformation, talent development, and the green economy. 

"We remain resolute in our vision to position IDA Ireland as the world’s best investment promotion agency by nurturing a collaborative, inclusive and future-focused ecosystem that benefits clients, employees and communities nationwide.”

IDA Ireland chairperson Feargal O’Rourke said 2025 had been an excellent year for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, in what was a turbulent and uncertain economic year globally. 

"When we launched our five-year IDA strategy back in January, our targets looked very ambitious given the backdrop we were facing. However, our results for the first year of the plan are exceptional. They have shown the attractiveness and resilience of the Irish economy and the Irish workforce," he said.

"But more importantly, the strong investment by our clients in upskilling their people and investing in research development and innovation sets Ireland up for continued future success. Delivery by the State on the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce recommendations is also key to this continuing success."