IEEE at a Glance
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities.
The following information provides an overview of IEEE offerings and services.
IEEE Quick Facts
IEEE has:
- Over 486,000members in more than 190 countries, with more than 67 percent from outside the United States
- More than 189,000 Student members
- 347 Sections in ten geographic Regions worldwide
- 2,815 Chapters that unite local members with similar technical interests
- 3,613 Student Branches at colleges and universities in over 100 countries
- 4,240 Student Branch Chapters of IEEE technical Societies
- 670 affinity groups; IEEE affinity groups are non-technical sub-units of one or more Sections or a Council. The affinity group parent entities are the IEEE-USA Consultants Network, Young Professionals (YP), Women in Engineering (WIE), and Life Members (LM)
IEEE:
- Has 39 technical Societies and eight Technical Councils representing a wide range of IEEE technical interests
- Has more than 6 million documents in the IEEE Xplore® Digital Library
- Has an active portfolio of 1,079 standards and more than 1,093 projects under development
- Publishes more than 200 transactions, journals, and magazines
- Sponsors more than 2,000 conferences and events in 109 countries while contributing over 4.5 million total conference papers to IEEE Xplore since 1936, with more than 280,000 new papers added annually
Membership
There are over 486,000 IEEE members in over 190 countries, more than 67 percent of whom are from outside the United States. IEEE members are engineers, scientists, and allied professionals whose technical interests are rooted in electrical and computer sciences, engineering, and related disciplines.
Communities
With 39 technical Societies, ten geographic Regions that host over 10,000 local meetings annually, several affinity and special interest groups, humanitarian opportunities, and virtual communities and private groups through IEEE Collabratec®, IEEE offers ample opportunity to network and grow professionally through communities.
Conferences and events
IEEE sponsors more than 2,000 annual conferences and events worldwide, curating cutting-edge content for all of the technical fields of interest within IEEE.
Publications
IEEE publishes approximately a third of the world’s technical literature in electrical engineering, computing, and electronics. This includes more than 250 transactions, journals, and magazines published annually. In cooperation with John Wiley and Sons, Inc., IEEE also produces technical books, monographs, guides, and textbooks.
IEEE journals are consistently among the most highly cited in electrical and electronics engineering, telecommunications, and other technical fields.
The IEEE Xplore Digital Library contains more than 6 million documents from IEEE and IEEE journals, transactions, magazines, letters, conference proceedings, and active IEEE standards.
Standards
IEEE is a leading developer of international standards that underpin many of today's telecommunications, information technology, and power-generation products and services.
Often the central source for standardization in a broad range of emerging technologies, the IEEE Standards Association has an active portfolio of nearly 1,079 standards and more than 1,093 projects under development. This includes the prominent IEEE 802® standards for local, metropolitan, and other area networks, including Ethernet and Wireless LAN (commonly referred to as Wi-Fi®).
Education
By awarding continuing education units and professional development hours, IEEE helps its members meet their continuing education requirements and develops products and services in support of these efforts.
IEEE follows strict guidelines for the development and delivery of continuing education materials, conforming to the highest industry practices for awarding continuing education units, professional development hours, and certificates of completion.
At the pre-college level, IEEE works with industry, universities, and government to raise students’ literacy in science, math, engineering, and technology.
Humanitarian
As the philanthropic partner of IEEE, the IEEE Foundation translates the values of IEEE members and donors into social impact and advances the IEEE mission across the globe.
The IEEE Foundation connects 200+ IEEE member-led initiatives with financing, expertise, and philanthropic guidance. Its goal is to put effort where philanthropy and technology intersect. The investment of time, talent, and treasure from generous donors supports IEEE programs that improve access to technology, enhance technological literacy, and support technical education and the IEEE professional community.
The IEEE Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in the United States:
- Inspires donations to IEEE, bringing visibility, focus, scale, impact, and relevance to the work of IEEE through philanthropy
- Manages donations for IEEE, ensuring effective financial management and strong governance
- Invests in programs of IEEE, turning the donations into action and impact through IEEE programs
The IEEE Foundation serves as a steward of donations that improve the human condition. It empowers the next generation of engineers and scientists, educates and raises awareness, energizes and recognizes innovation, and preserves the history of technology. With donor support, the IEEE Foundation strives to be a leader in transforming lives through the power of technology and education.
Learn more about the IEEE Foundation
IEEE Humanitarian Technologies
IEEE Humanitarian Technologies (HT) is a consortium of programs and initiatives—supported by a global network of volunteers and technical professionals—working together to apply technology to solve the world’s most pressing problems. In keeping with the IEEE mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, IEEE HT provides the framework, best practices, and tools for developing and deploying innovative solutions to advance sustainable development goals globally, while achieving social and environmental impact locally.
Get involved:
The consortium of IEEE HT’s programs leverages the strength and reach of the IEEE network to make a difference in local communities around the globe. There are many ways to get involved, including:
- Volunteering time and skills to ongoing initiatives
- Applying for funding to deploy an innovation technology solution that solves a local challenge
- Donating money to the IEEE Foundation to support the work of each program
- Spreading the word about IEEE HT and encouraging others to get involved
Awards
Accomplishments in IEEE technical fields are recognized with annual awards for outstanding contributions to technology, society, and the engineering profession.
IEEE Medals are the highest awards that IEEE presents on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors. IEEE Medals embrace significant and broad IEEE interests and purposes. The highest honor is the IEEE Medal of Honor, which recognizes an individual for an exceptional contribution or extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of interest.
Visit the Awards site to see the Medal of Honor winners
Updated February 2025