30% increase for service robots worldwide

A good one in two professional service robots were sold for use in transport and logistics in 2023. At almost 113,000 units, sales increased by 35% compared to the previous year. The demand for technological support is being driven by a serious shortage of skilled workers. One of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers, for example, is loading and unloading, for which service robots offer special automation applications. The acceptance of such solutions depends crucially on non-technical personnel also being able to operate the robot application.

The shortage of skilled labor is also boosting sales of service robotics in outdoor areas without public traffic. The types of robots in this class range from automated conventional vehicles such as forklift trucks or tractors to customized solutions, often with weatherproof enclosures for the goods to be transported.

Robots in the hotel and hospitality industry are becoming increasingly popular, with more than 54,000 units sold (+31%). Robots in this category are primarily used as mobile assistants for information and telepresence. The sector is developing rapidly. Applications such as the preparation of food and beverages as well as control and information points in public spaces are benefiting from this dynamic.

Robotics also plays an important role in agriculture, with more than 20,000 units sold (+21%). The shortage of skilled workers as a result of demographic change and the demand for more sustainable precision agriculture make service robots an important player in this market.

Demand for professional cleaning robots rose by 4% to just under 12,000 units sold. The main application in this group is floor cleaning, which accounts for around 70% of the market in this application group.

The World Robotics 2024 yearbook lists medical robots as the third category alongside service robots and industrial robots, thus following the requirements of the ISO standard: sales of medical robots rose by 36% to around 6,100 units in 2023. Sales of rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy robots rose by 128%. Demand for surgical robots grew by 4% in 2023 and sales of robots for diagnostics by 25%.

Top 3 countries of providers

Most manufacturers of service and medical robots worldwide are based in the USA: 199 companies have their headquarters there. 66% of these manufacturers produce professional service robots, 27% service robots for private use and 12% medical robots.

China is in second place with a total of 107 manufacturers of service and medical robots. At 80%, the proportion of companies offering professional service robots is even higher than in the USA. A total of 34% of companies offer service robots for private use and only 5% offer medical robots.

Germany ranks third with 83 companies. As in China, the proportion of manufacturers of professional service robots is also very high here at 79%. A total of 17% offer service robots for private use and 12% medical robots.

Broken down by region, most manufacturers of service and medical robots are based in Europe: The global market share is 44%. Asia follows with 29 % and America with 25 %.
Sample data

The market data in the World Robotics Service Robots Report is sample data. The data is not extrapolated to the entire industry and the composition of the sample varies from year to year. We strongly advise against compiling or comparing data from different World Robotics Reports. All figures from the World Robotics Service-Robots 2024 annual report are based on a sample of 298 companies.