China overtakes Germany in global league of robot users
21 November 2024 
China has overtaken Germany to become the world’s third-largest user of industrial robots with 470 robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers (known as “robot density”) compared to Germany’s 429. Korea remains in first place with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees, with Singapore second (on 770) and Japan fifth (on 419).
China only entered the global top 10 in 2019 and has doubled its robot density in four years. The UK remains outside the top 20, despite a 51% increase in its uptake of industrial robots last year.
The numbers come from the International Federation of Robotics’ World Robotics 2024 report, which reveals that the average robot density around the world in 2023 was 162 per 10,000 employees – more than double the figure just seven years ago (74).
“Robot density serves as a barometer to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world,” says IFR president, Takayuki Ito.
The European Union had an average robot density of 219 per 10,000 employees in 2023 – an increase of 5.2% on 2022, with Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia all in the global top ten.
North America’s robot density is 197 per 10,000 employees – an increase of 4.2% on 2022. The US, with a robot density of 295, ranks tenth in the world.
Asia has a density of 182 robots per 10,000 people – an increase of 7.6% on 2022. In Korea, the robot density has increased by 5% on average each year since 2018, boosted by uptake by its strong electronics and automotive sectors.
Singapore – in second place in the global league (with a density of 770) – has a relatively small number of people working in manufacturing, so it can reach a high robot density with a relatively small stock of working robots.
Japan – the world’s largest robot manufacturer – is in fifth place in the global ranking, with 419 machines per 10,000 workers. Its robot density has grown by an average of 7% a year since 2018.
