Key Facts

Founded May 10, 1876

Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA

Lilly introduced the world's first commercial insulin in 1923

More than 46,000 employees worldwide

More than 11,000 employees engaged in research and development

Products marketed in approximately 105 countries

R&D expenditure $11.0 billion (2024)

R&D as a percentage of sales: 24.4%

Percentage of total workforce engaged in R&D: 23.7% 

Research and development facilities located in 8 countries

Clinical research conducted in more than 55 countries 

Manufacturing sites located in 9 countries

Of our 46,913 employees worldwide, 21,729 are in the US and 25,184 are outside the US (2024)

3,761 employees in Ireland (31 ^st March 2025)

Percentage of Lilly Ireland leadership positions occupied by women: 64% (30 ^th June 2024)

For over 100 years, Lilly employees, retirees and the Lilly Foundation have contributed more than $300 million to United Way

Since 2009, Lilly has donated more than 8.1 million vials and cartridges of insulin through Life for a Child

Almost 200,000 people screened for breast and cervical cancer in Kenya through AMPATH partnership

More than 1 million employee volunteer hours through Lilly Global Day of Service since 2008

Average cost to discover and develop a new drug: $2.6 billion

Average length of time from discovery to patient: 10 years