Industrial robotics reached a large but uneven global scale in 2024. Manufacturers installed 542,076 industrial robots worldwide, while the operational stock reached 4,663,698 units. Asia received most new deployments, China remained the largest national market, and robot density varied sharply between manufacturing regions.
Table of contents
- Global installations and operational stock
- Where industrial robots are deployed
- Leading national markets
- Robot density and installed-base concentration
- Demand by customer industry
- Historical benchmarks and forecasts
- Collaborative robots
Global installations and operational stock
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reported 542,076 new industrial-robot installations worldwide in 2024. That was the second-highest annual total on record. The record remains 552,946 installations in 2022. In 2021, the industry passed 500,000 new installations worldwide for the first time. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
The 2024 result also shows a relatively stable level of annual demand. IFR recorded 541,302 installations in 2023, which was 2% below the 2022 record. Its 2025 executive summary describes 2024 installations as remaining close to the 2023 level after that 2023 decline. These are annual installation flows, not the number of robots operating in factories at a given time. Executive summary World Robotics 2024 Industrial Robots; Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
The operational stock was 4,663,698 industrial robots in 2024, up 9% year over year. IFR reported an average annual increase of 11% in global operational stock from 2019 through 2024. For comparison, the 2023 operational stock was 4,281,585 units, up 10% from 2022. The stock measure captures the installed base, so it changes through new installations and the retirement or removal of older equipment. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots; Executive summary World Robotics 2024 Industrial Robots
Where industrial robots are deployed
Asia dominated new industrial-robot deployment in 2024. The region installed 401,665 units, up 5% from 2023, and received 74% of all new industrial robots worldwide. Asia’s share was 70% in 2023. Across 2019–2024, Asian installations grew by an average of 10% per year. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
Europe installed 85,006 industrial robots in 2024, an 8% year-over-year decline. Even with that decrease, the result was Europe’s second-highest annual total on record. European installations grew by an average of 3% per year from 2019 through 2024. Within the region, the European Union received 67,819 units, also down 8% year over year, while euro-area countries received 54,945 units, down 11%. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
The Americas installed 50,077 industrial robots in 2024, down 10% year over year. The United States accounted for 68% of installations in the Americas, with 34,164 units. The regional totals use IFR’s geographic reporting categories; the European Union and euro area figures are narrower groupings than the broader Europe total. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
| Region or grouping | 2024 installations | Change or share reported by IFR |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 401,665 | 5% increase; 74% of global deployments |
| Europe | 85,006 | 8% decrease; second-highest total on record |
| European Union | 67,819 | 8% decrease |
| Euro area | 54,945 | 11% decrease |
| Americas | 50,077 | 10% decrease |
| United States | 34,164 | 68% of the Americas total |
Leading national markets
China was the clear leader in 2024, with 295,045 industrial-robot installations, up 7% from 2023. IFR said China represented 54% of worldwide installations and has been the largest national market since 2013. Japan installed 44,453 units, down 4% year over year, while the Republic of Korea installed 30,596, down 3%.
Germany installed 26,982 industrial robots in 2024, down 5% from its 2023 record. Italy installed 8,783 units, down 16%, and Spain installed 5,086, up 1%. In North America, Mexico installed 5,594 units, down 4%, and Canada installed 3,787, down 12%. All of these national figures refer to 2024 installations. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
The five largest national markets—China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Germany—together accounted for 431,240 installations in 2024, or 80% of the global total. China alone accounted for more than half of worldwide installations. Japan represented 8%, the United States 6%, the Republic of Korea 6%, and Germany 5%. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
| National market | 2024 installations | Year-over-year result or global share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 295,045 | 7% increase; 54% of global installations |
| Japan | 44,453 | 4% decrease; 8% of global installations |
| Republic of Korea | 30,596 | 3% decrease; 6% of global installations |
| Germany | 26,982 | 5% decrease; 5% of global installations |
| United States | 34,164 | 6% of global installations |
| Italy | 8,783 | 16% decrease |
| Mexico | 5,594 | 4% decrease |
| Spain | 5,086 | 1% increase |
| Canada | 3,787 | 12% decrease |
Robot density and installed-base concentration
Robot density measures operational industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees. Using that denominator, the global average reached 177 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2024. Asia averaged 204, Europe 148, and the Americas 131. These regional values should not be mixed with measures that use a different labor denominator. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
The Republic of Korea had the world’s highest 2024 robot density, at 1,220 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees. Singapore ranked second at 818. Germany recorded 449, Japan 446, the United States 307, and Canada 241. Density describes the relationship between the operating stock and manufacturing employment; it is not the same measure as annual installations or total operational stock. Robot Density Surges in Europe, Asia, and Americas - International Federation of Robotics
Installed-base totals show another aspect of concentration. China’s operational stock reached 2,027,190 units in 2024, representing 43% of the global stock. Japan held 450,530 units, or 10%. Europe’s operational stock was 821,384, while the Americas held 542,464. The global operational-stock total used here is IFR’s executive-summary figure of 4,663,698 units; a separate IFR foreword reports a slightly different rounded figure, so the executive-summary value is used consistently. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
Demand by customer industry
Electrical and electronics was the largest reported customer industry in 2024, installing 128,899 industrial robots worldwide. That was up 2% year over year and represented 24% of worldwide installations. From 2019 through 2024, installations in electrical and electronics grew by an average of 8% per year. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
Automotive manufacturers installed 126,088 industrial robots in 2024, down 7% year over year. Automotive installations nevertheless grew by an average of 5% per year from 2019 through 2024. The metal and machinery industry installed 88,777 units, up 16% to a new peak, and represented 16% of worldwide installations. Its average annual growth from 2019 through 2024 was 12%. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
Other reported industry shares were 5% for plastic and chemical products and 4% for food and beverage in 2024. These percentages describe each industry’s share of worldwide installations, not its share of the entire operational stock or its year-over-year growth. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
| Customer industry | 2024 installations or share | Reported trend |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronics | 128,899; 24% of global installations | 2% increase year over year |
| Automotive | 126,088 | 7% decrease year over year |
| Metal and machinery | 88,777; 16% of global installations | 16% increase; new peak |
| Plastic and chemical products | 5% of global installations | 2024 share |
| Food and beverage | 4% of global installations | 2024 share |
Historical benchmarks and forecasts
The recent installation record sits within a longer expansion of the installed base. Global operational stock increased by an average of 11% per year from 2019 through 2024, while Asia’s installations grew by 10% per year over the same period. Europe grew more slowly at 3% per year, and the Americas’ 2024 flow was below its 2023 level. These growth rates are reported period averages, not projections.
IFR’s World Robotics 2025 outlook projected 575,000 global industrial-robot installations in 2025, a 6% increase from 2024. It also projected annual installations to surpass 700,000 units by 2028. The same outlook projected approximately 435,000 installations in Asia in 2025 and around 43,500 in North America, with North American demand expected to remain broadly stable. These figures are forecasts, not observed 2025 results. Executive summary World Robotics 2025 Industrial Robots
For product designers and manufacturing planners, the distinction between flow and stock matters. A 2024 installation total describes equipment added during that year; operational stock describes robots in service at the measurement point; density relates that stock to manufacturing employment. Keeping those definitions separate makes regional comparisons and industry comparisons more meaningful.
Collaborative robots
Collaborative robots represented 10.5% of the 541,302 industrial robots installed worldwide in 2023, according to IFR. That share applies specifically to 2023 installations, not to the entire global operational stock and not to the 2024 installation total. Collaborative robots therefore form a defined portion of the annual market, while the broader figures above cover industrial robots as a whole. Collaborative Robots - How Robots Work alongside Humans
The distinction is useful when interpreting adoption statistics. The 10.5% figure measures collaborative robots within one year’s worldwide installations, whereas the 4,663,698-unit figure measures the global operational stock of industrial robots in 2024. They answer different questions and should not be combined into a single adoption rate.