Photo: BMW Werk Leipzig, CC BY-SA 2.0 de (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en), via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (source)
The number of industrial robots working in factories worldwide rose 9% to a record 5 million in 2025, the International Federation of Robotics said Thursday, Sept. 24, in a press release.
Factories installed more than 600,000 new robots last year, an 11% increase, the Frankfurt-based industry group said. IFR President Jane Heffner said the operating stock is more than double the level of seven years ago, with the fastest growth in Asia, followed by the Americas, while Europe "is moving ahead more slowly."
China widens its lead
China installed 354,000 industrial robots in 2025, up 20% and nearly 60,000 more than the year before, accounting for 59% of global installations, according to the IFR. Chinese manufacturers sold 195,000 of those units, up 15%, giving domestic suppliers 55% of their home market, compared with 57% in 2024.
The United States overtook Japan to become the world's second-largest market. U.S. installations rose 12% to almost 38,500 units, the third-highest total the federation has recorded, The Robot Report said. Japan installed 36,219 robots, down 19%, and fell to third. South Korea was fourth with about 30,000, down 1%.
Germany ranked fifth with fewer than 25,000 installations, down 8%, but still accounted for 41% of installations in the European Union. India placed sixth with almost 10,500 units, up 15%; its installations have grown an average of 27% a year since 2020, though from a much smaller base than the top five markets.
Elsewhere in the Americas
Installations in Mexico fell 7% to fewer than 5,200, a third straight annual decline. Canada rose 5% to almost 4,000. Brazil jumped 38% to almost 4,300 units, driven by a 212% rise in automotive installations that the IFR attributed to investment by Chinese carmakers in the country.
Jon Quick, chief executive of Launchpad Build AI, told The Robot Report that China's dominance in installations "won't be enough alone to solve its export challenges" and that the picture offers opportunities to manufacturers elsewhere.
What's next
The IFR projected a 9% rise in global installations this year, to 655,000 units, and a total of 806,000 units in 2029. It said Japanese demand is expected to grow only slightly, and that new automotive investments in South Korea could lift demand there in 2027.
Sources
- International Federation of Robotics: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (2026-09-24)
- The Robot Report: 5 million robots are now at work in factories worldwide, reports the IFR (2026-09-24)
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Added to the Motion Media archive on Sep. 28, 2026.
