Cobot shipments slumped by 13.8% in 2024, defying predictions
18 July 2025 
Global shipments of collaborative robots (cobots) hit new lows in 2024, falling by 13.8%, defying earlier predictions that market would bottom out in 2023, according to new data from Interact Analysis. The sector has come under increasing pressure in recent years amid economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions.
However, Interact is predicting a return to a growth rate of 23.9% in 2026 – the strongest year in the forecast period to 2029.
The analyst reports that there has been a significant structural shift that has reshaped the cobot sector. Non-manufacturing and new energy applications have emerged as key pillars for the market, with both maintaining stable demand.
The semiconductor and electronics industries, which have traditionally been big users of cobots, have started to move into a recovery cycle, generating significant orders.
Two manufacturing applications – material-handling and assembly – accounted for about half of cobot revenues in 2024. Downstream industries also showed strong demand. Testing and inspection both achieved growth rates above 20% in 2023 and 2024.
Since 2023, China has accounted for more than half of all global shipments of cobots and it is predicted to buy almost 70,000 machines in 2029. EMEA and the Americas will maintain a stable but more modest market share.
The automotive sector is the biggest global user of cobots, but electronics remains the largest in China. Around one-third of all collaborative robots sold in China in 2023 were for the electronics industry.
In 2024, price reductions in China, among other factors, led to global revenue growth from cobots remaining stuck in single digits. In Europe, revenues dropped due to macroeconomic challenges, while the US market faced economic uncertainty. Concerns over tariffs are continuing to constrain the US market.
“2029 cobot revenues are now expected to reach approximately $2.5bn,” says Interact Analysis research manager, Maya Xiao. “The core growth drivers remain labour shortages and rising labour costs, e-commerce expansion, the shift toward flexible manufacturing, and increasing cobot adoption in the service sector.
“These trends show no signs of weakening, underpinning a highly positive long-term outlook,” she adds. “Cobot shipments are expected to sustain a strong annual growth rate of 15–20% through to 2029 at least.”
