China will install more than half of all industrial robots worldwide in 2024

In 2024, a total of 542,000 new industrial robots were installed worldwide. This was announced by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in its World Robotics Report 2025. The number is more than twice as high as ten years ago. One player stands out in particular: China. Around 54 percent of all robots worldwide were installed in the country in 2024.

Asia also leads the ranking for new robot installations due to China's strength. Asia's share of total installations is 74 percent, followed at a distance by Europe with 16 percent and the USA with 9 percent.

2024 saw the second-highest number of industrial robot installations ever recorded. Only in 2022 was an even higher figure achieved with 553,000 units. Overall, the number of new robot installations has risen sharply every year since 2021. Since then, they have exceeded 500,000 units every year, but were always lower before that.

The increasing number of new robot installations also has an impact on the total number of industrial robots in use worldwide. It is expected to total 4,664,000 units in 2024, according to the IFR (PDF). This is an increase of 9 percent compared to 2023.

China with the most new robot installations worldwide

China leads the world in new robot installations in 2024. Around 295,000 robots were added, a share of 54 percent. The domestic market has grown. For the first time, Chinese robotics suppliers sold more robots in their home country than foreign robotics companies. The share of domestic companies rose to 57 percent. In 2023, their share was still 28 percent. China is also said to be home to the highest number of robots. According to the IFR, more than 2 million robots will be installed there. Growth in China is set to continue, predicts the IFR, which sees average annual growth of around 10 percent in China.

Japan will remain the second-largest market for industrial robots in 2024. However, the number of installed units there has fallen slightly by 4 percent to 44,500. However, the total number of robots has grown by 3 percent to 450,500. Growth is expected to pick up in the coming years. The IFR is forecasting average annual growth rates in the mid-single-digit range for the coming years.

South Korea is the fourth-largest market for industrial robots in the world. In 2024, the number of new installations fell by 3 percent to 30,600 units. In contrast, India is growing. 9,200 units were newly installed there. That is 7 percent more than in the previous year. A large part of this is attributable to the automotive industry, which has a market share of 45 percent.

Decline in western countries

The European growth figures look rather meager. In Germany, the fifth largest robot market in the world, installation figures fell by 5 percent to 26,982 units. This is still the second-best result to date after 2023. Overall, Germany dominates the European robotics market with a market share of 32 percent.

The number of newly installed industrial robots has also fallen in other European countries. In Italy, the second-largest European market, new installations fell by 16 percent to 8,783 units, while Spain recorded an increase of 5,100 units and France saw a 24 percent decline to 4,900 units.

The situation also looks rather poor in the United Kingdom: installed industrial robots fell by 35 percent to just 2500 units in 2024.

The USA is the largest robotics market in North and South America. The USA accounts for 68 percent of new installations. However, the country will see a decline of 9 percent to 34,200 units in 2024. Most of these come from Japan and Europe, as there are only a few domestic robot manufacturers in the USA.

Canada and Mexico also saw a decline in new installations in 2024. In Canada, the number fell by 12 percent to 3,800 robots, in Mexico by 4 percent to 3,800 units. In both cases, the automotive industry continues to dominate new robot installations.

Despite the difficult economic situation, the IFR does not believe that growth in the robot market will decline globally. On the contrary, growth is likely to continue in individual markets. For 2025, 6 percent growth to 575,000 units is expected worldwide. By 2028, this figure is expected to exceed 700,000.

(olb)