Key Facts
Lilly at a Glance
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
Research & Development
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
Our Employees
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)
Social Impact
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
Cost of Pharmaceuticals
Average cost to discover and develop a new drug: $2.6 billion
Average length of time from discovery to patient: 10 years