The number of industrial robots in the world has more than tripled in the past 10 years with half a million new units coming online in the last year alone.
The latest World Robotics report recorded 4,281,585 robots operating in factories worldwide, an increase of 10 percent over the past 12 months.
This compared with the 1.3 million industrial robots recorded in 2013.
Asia was the robot hot-spot of the world, with 70 percent of all newly-deployed robots compared with 17 percent in Europe and 10 percent in the Americas.
“The new World Robotics statistics show an all-time high in the number of industrial robots automating production around the world,” International Federation of Robotics President Marina Bill said.
“The annual installation figure of 541,302 units in 2023 is the second highest in history. It is only two percent lower than the record of 552,946 units installed in 2022.”
Globally, China is by far the world’s largest robot market with 51 percent of all installations over the past year.
“The operational stock was just shy of the 1.8-million-unit-mark in 2023, making China the first and only country in the world with such a large robot stock,” the report said.
“Demand for robots is expected to accelerate in the second half of 2024, contributing to a more stable market by the end of the year.”
Japan was the second largest global market for industrial robots. South Korea is also a significant market, behind only China, Japan and the United States.
India is also moving rapidly into robotics with a new high of 8510 installations in 2023.
Europe is also an emerging market for robots, with nine percent annual growth, boosted by greater automation in the automotive industry.
“Recent crises have raised political awareness of domestic production capacity in strategic industries,” the report said.
“Automation allows manufacturers to locate production in developed economies without sacrificing cost efficiency.
“By 2024, the global economic downturn will have bottomed out. Global robot installations are expected to level off at 541,000 units. Growth is expected to accelerate in 2025 and continue in 2026 and 2027. There are no signs that the overall long-term growth trend will end in the near future.”
Report can be found on the International Federation of Robots website.
