Why global companies choose Ireland as their European home
Ireland’s exceptional performance in attracting inward investment is more than a matter of historical fact; it’s a story of continued success.
Over 1,800 multinational companies, across technology, life sciences, financial services, advanced manufacturing and more, have chosen to set up operations here. World-renowned names like Intel, Pfizer, Google and Meta first chose Ireland as their European headquarters decades ago. As recently as 2025, Ireland reported a record 323 new investments, up 38% on 2024.
Ireland ranked seventh for FDI attractiveness in 2025 among global economies, IMD found. Amid challenging and uncertain economic conditions, it’s worth digging deeper into why Ireland is as compelling to companies making their first steps in scaling internationally as it is to those already based here.
323
new investments reported in Ireland in 2025
€2.5 billion
collectively committed to R&D in 2025 by IDA Ireland clients
1,800
multinational companies have operations in Ireland
Growing levels of research and development
IDA Ireland figures show that 78 projects in 2025 came from companies that hadn’t invested in Ireland before, while 68 existing client companies expanded their operations. Growing levels of R&D in 2025 – IDA Ireland clients collectively committed €2.5 billion – point to Ireland’s place as a source of high-value activity. That combination of reinvestment and R&D represents a significant vote of confidence in what Ireland offers.
Nine out of 10 US multinationals see Ireland positively as an investment location, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland. If they were making their first investment decision in Europe, 95% would pick Ireland again.
High-quality talent
That positive sentiment flourishes because the conditions that investors seek have strong roots. Ireland offers high-quality talent through its education system and EU membership which enables citizens to come and work here.
We have Europe’s youngest population that’s also one of the world’s most educated: 52.4% of adults aged 25-64 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Ireland has the second highest number of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) graduates per capita in the EU.
AI is one of the most talked-about technologies of our time, and companies in this space are finding Ireland has what they need. When the software company Genesys was looking for a European location to build out its 440-strong AI practice, it chose Ireland.
Here in Galway we have a world-class computer science programme with PhDs from the Insight research facility, so talent acquisition has not been a problem for us. says Joe Smyth, SVP of R&D, Digital & AI, at Genesys.
Recently, some of the biggest names in technology announced further investment into Ireland: Apple unveiled a new Dublin office with more jobs along with a flagship building for its 6,000-strong Cork site. OpenAI plans to double its headcount in Dublin. Microsoft has reached the milestone of 6,800 people in Ireland, having committed to 550 engineering and R&D roles in 2024.
Another factor in Ireland’s favour is its geopolitical stability, with a consistent pro-business outlook from successive governments. It’s an English-speaking member of the European Union, its tax regime is efficient and fully complies with OECD guidelines and EU law.
Inspiring collaboration, innovation and ideas
Ireland’s ecosystem for welcoming multinationals is intended to inspire collaboration, research partnerships, and the flow of talent, innovation and ideas. “The Irish tech scene is very healthy and contains a large number of multinationals from many different countries. This means that the Dublin Zalando talent brings a lot of experience of working across sites and working in different cultures,” says Ellie Ivanova, Zalando’s site operations lead in Ireland.
The e-commerce platform set up a technology hub site in Dublin in 2015, originally focused on data science and big data research. Over time, the site’s mandate evolved into a core engineering engine room for the group. Many others have made a similar evolution in their Irish operations.
The international financial services sector has grown rapidly in Ireland, with employment rocketing from 30,000 in 2015 to over 52,000 by 2025. Ireland is now the third largest centre in the world for the domicile of investment fund assets. Major investment management firms have significant operations and senior global executive roles in Ireland.
“We have ambitious plans for Ireland as a place to do business,” says Enda McMahon, BlackRock’s head of Irish operations. The world’s largest investment firm has had a presence in Ireland for 30 years, and its 140-person operation in Ireland has more than $1.5 trillion (€920 billion) of assets under management.
Denmark’s Novo Nordisk will begin manufacturing a tablet form of its weight-loss drug Wegovy in Ireland after investing €400m to upgrade its facility. Novo Nordisk Executive VP Kasper Bødker Mejlvang, called the investment “a historic milestone which marks our continued commitment to Ireland and our highly skilled employees in Athlone”.
Stryker’s partnerships with Irish universities ultimately led to 3D printing technology replacing implants made with bone cement.
Ireland is massively important to Stryker. It punches above its weight in terms of our company. We’re committed to continuing to expand here because it has been a key engine of success for our organisation. Ireland’s a place we’re always going to consider investing in.
Stryker is no outlier: Ireland hosts operations for 14 of the top 15 global medtech companies.
Lastly, multinationals can count on IDA Ireland’s model of continued support and ongoing partnership. Its suite of services, from sourcing locations to financial support and facilitating collaboration. This ensures a smooth landing and rapid scale-up from the moment of the initial investment decision: one that 1,800 others have been happy to make.
