Foreign direct investment in Ireland decreased by €97.4bn to €1,089bn in 2024.
Investment from the US fell by €106bn in 2024, while investment from Europe rose by €30.1bn.
In 2024, Irish investment abroad increased by €35.7bn to €1,192bn.
Increased investment in Europe of €117bn in 2024 was partially offset by a decline in investment in the US (€57.5bn) and Asia (€26.8bn).
The services sector was the largest sector for inward investment to Ireland in 2024, amounting to 67% of total inward investment.
| Foreign Direct Investment Annual | € million | |
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| Flows - Abroad | -86,987 | 27,823 |
| Flows - In Ireland | -100,586 | -34,305 |
| Positions - Abroad - end year | 1,155,831 | 1,191,557 |
| Positions - In Ireland - end year | 1,186,567 | 1,089,152 |
| Positions - Net - end year | -30,736 | 102,405 |
| Net Income Flows | -130,674 | -138,972 |
| X-axis label | Inward | Outward |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1186.567 | 1155.831 |
| 2024 | 1089.152 | 1191.557 |
Irish stocks of direct investment abroad increased to €1,192bn at the end of 2024 from a stock position of €1,156bn at the end of 2023. The €35.7bn increase was seen primarily in Europe (€117bn) and was partially offset by decreases in the United States (-€57.5bn) and Asia (-€26.8bn).
The stock of direct investment abroad at the end of 2024 comprised of Equity Capital & Reinvested Earnings of €1,268bn and of Other Capital of -€76.9bn. In Europe, there were increases in Equity Capital & Reinvested Earnings of €104.2bn and in Other Capital of €12.4bn – see Table 1.
The stock of direct investment in Ireland decreased between the end of 2023 and end of 2024 from €1,187bn to €1,089bn. Decreased investment from the US of €106bn was partially offset by increases in investment in Europe of €30.1bn – see Table 2.
Ireland had net foreign assets of €102bn at the end of 2024, an increase of €133bn on the net foreign liabilities of €30.7bn at the end 2023.
| X-axis label | United States | Other | Offshore Centres | UK | Netherlands | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 388.4256 | 203.2301 | 232.9724 | 24.38917 | 156.3025 | 83.83223 |
| X-axis label | United States | Ireland | Other | Offshore Centres | United Kingdom | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 780.939670043 | 4.3818344749 | 194.7968740471 | 54.675996252 | 30.698030177 | 23.657295006 |
In line with international recommendations the geographic allocation of direct investment flows and stocks in Tables 1 to 9 is based on the country of location of the immediate owner of the direct investment enterprise.
An alternative presentation of the stock of direct investment in Ireland by ultimate investor displays a different geographic pattern. Figure 2 presents the value of investment stock in Ireland by location of the immediate owner (of the direct investment enterprise). Figure 3 presents the value of investment stock in Ireland by location of the ultimate investor. In 2024, the stock of investment from the US as ultimate investor at €781bn was €393bn greater than the stock of US investment presented by immediate owner (€388bn). This difference indicates that while a great deal of investment into Ireland comes directly from our European counter parts, this investment originates from enterprises located in the US.
Investment stock from Ireland as ultimate investor at €4bn primarily represents former US-based corporate inversion enterprises which are now located in Ireland (see figure 3).
For further analysis on FDI, that explores its impact on the Irish economy with respect to employment, wages and regional breakdowns, see the FDI in Ireland publication. This research publication also contains numerous statistics based on the location of the ultimate investor, pass-through FDI and round-tripping FDI.
Flows of direct investment into Ireland amounted to -€34.3bn in 2024. Other capital flows of -€98.7bn were partially offset by equity flows of €20.4bn and reinvested earnings flows of €44bn. Flows to offshore centres flows were €34.7bn, while flows to Europe and the US were €15.8bn and -€76.3bn respectively – see Table 4.
| X-axis label | US | Offshore Centres | Belgium | Other | Netherlands | Luxembourg | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flows | -76.34888 | 34.72875 | -0.5970203 | 17.2530801 | -20.13038 | 11.05734 | -0.2678298 |
| X-axis label | Total | Europe | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 46.77 | 101.238 | -53.064 |
| 2018 | -10.176 | -154.913 | 74.256 |
| 2019 | 133.485 | 67.936 | -105.339 |
| 2020 | 90 | 34 | 0 |
| 2021 | -9.805 | -33.894 | 0 |
| 2022 | -53.03496 | -37.79638 | 9.879056 |
| 2023 | -100.5856 | -82.68703 | -50.00581 |
| 2024 | -34.30494 | 15.79897 | -76.34888 |
Direct investment abroad amounted to €27.8bn in 2024, compared to -€87bn in 2023. Increases in reinvested earnings and other capital of €29.5bn and €42.3bn were partially offset by decreases in equity of €44bn – see Table 3.
Investment abroad by enterprises located in Ireland is primarily in the services sector – an investment position of €1,028bn at the end of 2024 was up €55.1bn compared to the position at the end of 2023. The stock of services sector investment into the EU was €529bn (51.5% of total services sector investment). Investment abroad in the manufacturing sector amounted to €104bn, down €36.5bn on the position at the end of 2023 – see table 7.
The services sector is also the largest sector for inward investment - at the end of 2024, the investment position was €732bn, down €57.4bn from the position at the end of 2023. The investment position in financial intermediation increased from €333bn at end of 2023 to €345bn at end of 2024, while investment in information and communication decreased from €193bn to €175bn and investment in administrative and support activities decreased from €161bn to €120bn. Investment in the manufacturing sector decreased by €40.6bn to a stock position of €355bn in the same period – see Table 8.
| X-axis label | Manufacturing | Services |
|---|---|---|
| In Ireland | 354.568 | 732.229 |
| Abroad | 103.5125 | 1027.607 |
Income outflows of foreign owned direct investment enterprises were €208bn in 2024, an increase of €13.8bn compared with 2023. Earnings of European owned companies were €84.8bn in 2024, up €2.6bn from 2023. Income earned abroad by investors located in Ireland was €68.7bn in 2024, up €5.5bn from 2023. Income earned abroad was spread across geographies – see Table 9.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (18 December 2025) published the Foreign Direct Investment Annual 2024.
Commenting on the release, Faris Bader, Statistician in the International Accounts Division said:
"The decrease in foreign direct investment in Ireland of €97.4bn to €1,089bn can be largely attributed to lower investment from the US, which was partially offset by increased investment from Europe. The fall in inward investment was seen in both the Services and Manufacturing sectors, which fell by €57.4bn and €40.6bn respectively. On the Services side, the Activities of Holdings Companies increased by €67.7bn, and was offset by decreases in Administrative & Support Activities of €41.3bn as well as decreases elsewhere. On the Manufacturing side, Metal & Mechanical Products fell by €42.8bn. Irish foreign direct investment abroad rose by €35.7bn to €1,192bn, with investment in Europe increasing by €117bn and declines in investment in the US (€57.5bn) and Asia (€26.8bn). The growth in Irish foreign direct investment abroad was seen predominantly in the Services sector."