The flow of multinational investment into Ireland hit a record level in 2025 despite the uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs earlier this year.
IDA Ireland’s full-year results show the agency supported a record 323 investments this year with the potential to create 15,300 new jobs.
The number of investments was up 38 per cent on the previous year. They included 78 “new-name” investments, which the IDA said highlighted “Ireland’s continued attraction for first-time investors”.
Employment in IDA client companies rose by 1.5 per cent to stand at 312,400, also a record.
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IDA CEO Michael Lohan said the agency had “broken new ground” in terms of RD&I (research, development and innovation) investment with 80 projects supporting a record €2.5 billion in client expenditure.
The agency’s strong results come against an uncertain international backdrop with higher levels of tariffs and trade fragmentation damaging global demand.
“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,” Mr Lohan said.
He noted that of the 78 new-name investments, 38 were from North America, which was up on the previous year.
New-name companies to Ireland in 2025 include health-data platform Datavant, which opened a global R&D centre in Galway, with plans to hire 125 people, and Sony Interactive Entertainment, which announced the establishment of its digital innovation and engineering centre in Dublin, creating 100 jobs.
The IDA’s stronger-than-expected results were not reflected in IDA announcements made during the year, suggesting companies may be hesitant to announce expansion plans for fear of alienating the White House.
“We haven’t seen the same level of announcements that we’ve seen in previous years; that is reflective of the environment we’re in,” Mr Lohan said. “We’ve gone through a lot of uncertainty since the start of the year and that has had a spill-over in terms of the appetite for people to announce.
Mr Lohan rejected assertions that there was now tension between the data centres, their energy requirements and FDI (foreign direct investment) here.
He said last week’s ruling around data centres, made by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), represented a “pragmatic” approach that attempted to balance supply and demand.
“We haven’t kept pace in terms of our own generation capacity . . . but we have the opportunity now to do that,” he said.
The CRU ruled last week that data centres will only be able to connect to Ireland’s electricity grid if they also generate and supply power to homes and businesses.
IDA’s 2025-29 strategy places an emphasis on partnering with companies to retain and renew this economic contribution.
Commenting on the IDA figures, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said: “Today’s record results are a powerful endorsement of the strength and resilience of foreign direct investment in Ireland.
“The continued growth, innovation and competitiveness of our FDI sector are testament to the trusted relationships built by IDA Ireland and the exceptional talent of our workforce.”
Separate figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released on Thursday showed FDI in Ireland decreased by €97.4 billion to just over €1 trillion in 2024.
Investment from the US fell by €106 billion while investment from Europe rose by €30.1 billion, the CSO said.
