These are the results from the World Robotics 2024 annual report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Although Germany installed a record number of 28,355 industrial robots in 2023, it significantly lags behind China in mid-term dynamics: the average annual installation rate (CAGR) between 2018 and 2023 was only 1%. China surpassed this result twelvefold in the same period.

"China has massively invested in automation technology and ranked third in robot density in 2023, after South Korea and Singapore, ahead of Germany and Japan," says Takayuki Ito, President of the International Federation of Robotics. "This is particularly remarkable because China only reached the top 10 in the global ranking in 2019. The robot density metric is an important indicator to make the automation of manufacturing industries internationally comparable by country."
 

Top Countries

South Korea is the world leader in manufacturing automation with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees. The robot density has increased by an average of 5% annually since 2018. With a leading electronics industry and a strong automotive sector, the Korean economy benefits from two major customer industries for industrial robots.

Singapore follows in second place with 770 robots per 10,000 employees. The electronics industry is by far the largest customer sector for industrial robots, accounting for 75 to 90%. Due to a relatively small number of employees in the manufacturing industry and the rapidly increasing operational stock, Singapore's robot density is very high.

China ranks third and has more than doubled the ratio of robots per 10,000 factory workers since 2019 (2019: 206; 2023: 470 units). The number of employees in the manufacturing industry is particularly high at around 37 million people.

Germany follows in fourth place with 429 robots per 10,000 employees. The robot density of Europe's largest economy has increased by an average annual growth rate of 5% since 2018.

Japan ranks fifth with 419 units. The robot density of the country with the largest industrial robot manufacturing sector grew by an average of 7% per year (2018 - 2023).

The robot density in the USA is 95 units, ranking the country tenth worldwide.
 

Robot Density by Region

Globally, the average robot density in 2023 reached a new record of 162 units per 10,000 employees - more than double the number seven years ago (2016: 74 units).

The European Union has a robot density of 219 units per 10,000 employees, an increase of 5.2% compared to the previous year. Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Slovenia are among the top ten automated economies worldwide.

The robot density in North America is 197 units per 10,000 employees, an increase of 4.2%. The United States is among the ten countries with the highest robot density.

Asia has a robot density of 182 units per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing sector, an increase of 7.6%. The economies of South Korea, Singapore, China, and Japan are among the ten most automated countries.