International Federation of Robotics
Western Europe leads in Robot Density
Robot density in industry continues to rise worldwide. Western Europe is ahead in an international comparison, followed by North America and Asia. New data from the International Federation of Robotics shows clear differences between regions and countries.
Industrial automation continues to increase worldwide. According to the latest data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Western Europe reached a new high of 267 industrial robots per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing sector in 2024. This puts the region ahead of North America (204 units) and Asia (131 units).
"The robot density indicator relates the total number of robots used in a country to the number of employees as a measure of the respective economic performance and thus provides a good benchmark for comparison between economies of different sizes," says Takayuki Ito, President of the International Federation of Robotics.
Robot density in Europe on the rise
Within Europe, robot density increased by 3%. Eight Western European countries are among the top 20 nations worldwide, including Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The EU-27 averages 231 robots per 10,000 employees, well above the global average of 132.
North America recorded an increase of 4%. The USA ranked eighth in the world with 307 units, while Canada had 241 and Mexico 62. Growth in Asia was significantly stronger at 11%. South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan are particularly highly automated.
Largest operating portfolio in China
China plays a special role within Asia. With 166 robots per 10,000 employees, the country ranks 22nd in the world, but was able to increase its robot density by 17% year-on-year. At the same time, China has the largest operational stock of industrial robots in the world: around 2 million units are in use. In 2024, China accounted for 54% of global installations, which corresponds to around 295,000 newly installed robots.
In a country comparison, South Korea leads the rankings with 1220 robots per 10,000 employees. It is followed by Singapore (818), Germany (449) and Japan (446). Other countries in the top 10 include Sweden, Denmark, the USA and Switzerland.
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