Technology

Charted: The Growth of Industrial Robots by Country

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4 weeks ago

April 18, 2025

Dorothy Neufeld

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Charted: The Growth of Industrial Robots by Country

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Key Takeaways

Globally, there were nearly 4.3 million operational industrial robots in 2023, with China installing over 276,000 that year alone.
India saw the fastest annual growth of industrial robots, rising by 59% annually—the equivalent of 8,510 new robots in 2023.
In the UK, the automotive sector drove installations, increasing by 297% annually. Meanwhile, the metal and food sectors also experienced notable installation growth over the year.

As robots become more common across industries—from automotive plants to food processing facilities—manufacturing is steadily becoming more automated.

In 2023, over 540,000 new industrial robots were installed, pushing the global total past 4 million for the first time. Overall, Asia accounted for 70% of these new installations while Europe and the Americas made up 17% and 10% shares, respectively.

This graphic shows the rise in industrial robot installations by country, based on data from the International Federation of Robotics and 2025 AI Index Report.

India Sees the Fastest Annual Growth

While global industrial robot installations jumped by 10% in 2023, India outpaced this growth by nearly sixfold.

The automotive sector largely powered installations, which boomed by 139% over the year. Overall, the sector added 3,551 robots into factories, comprising a 42% share of installations.

Country	Annual Growth Rate of Industrial Robot Installations in 2023 (%)
🇮🇳 India	59
🇬🇧 UK	51
🇨🇦 Canada	37
🇪🇸 Spain	31
🇹🇷 Türkiye	15
🇹🇭 Thailand	9
🇩🇪 Germany	7
🇰🇷 South Korea	-1
🇲🇽 Mexico	-3
🇺🇸 U.S.	-5
🇨🇳 China	-5
🇮🇹 Italy	-9
🇯🇵 Japan	-9
🇫🇷 France	-13
🇹🇼 Taiwan	-43

As we can see, the UK followed closely behind, with a 51% increase in industrial robot installations in 2023.

This brought the total number of new units to 3,083—though the figure still lagged behind countries like Canada, Spain, and Mexico. One notable adopter is Greencore, the UK’s largest sandwich manufacturer, which invests $25 million annually in industrial robots. These machines reportedly save the company 350 labor hours per week on sushi-making, as just one example.

In the U.S., new installations reached 37,587, marking a 5% annual decline. The automotive industry drove a third of this share, making it the largest market for robot deployment. For instance, General Motors uses collaborative robots that grasp tools on the assembly line.

Notably, more than 1 million robots are used in the auto industry worldwide.

Top 5 Countries by Number of New Industrial Robots

When it comes to the absolute number of installed industrial robots, China took the lead by far:

Country	Number of Installed Industrial Robots in 2023
🇨🇳 China	276,000
🇯🇵 Japan	46,000
🇺🇸 U.S.	38,000
🇰🇷 South Korea	31,000
🇩🇪 Germany	28,000

In total, there are 1.7 million machines working in China’s factories, with the highest concentration in the electronics and electrical sector.

While China dominates globally, South Korea has the highest share of industrial robots per capita. In 2023, there were 1,012 machines per 10,000 employees compared with 392 in China and 285 in America. Many leading South Korean companies, such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, deploy industrial robots supported by the country’s advanced robotics industry.