The global market for industrial robots

According to a report by the International Federation of Robotics (a professional non-profit organisation founded in 1987 to promote, strengthen and protect the robotics industry worldwide), 545,000 industrial robots were installed at enterprises around the world in 2022. By region, 74% of all newly installed robots went to Asia, 15% to Europe and 10% to the Americas. The world record of 500,000 units was exceeded for the second year running, in 2021 and 2022. The International Federation of Robotics forecast that the industrial robot market would grow by 7%, to more than 590,000 units worldwide in 2023.

In 2022 China installed 290,258 industrial robots, 53% of all installations worldwide. Robot installations in China have grown by an average of 13% a year (2017–2022). Japan ranks second after China by the size of its industrial robot market, with installations up 9% to 50,413 units in 2022. The peak, however, remains at 55,240 units in 2018.

It is worth noting that Japan is the world’s dominant robot manufacturer, with a 46% share of global production capacity. Japanese corporations account for about two-thirds of global robot sales revenue, and of the top five corporations only one is not Japanese — the Swedish-Swiss multinational ABB (Robotics & Discrete Automations).

South Korea ranks fourth after China, Japan and the US by the size of its robot market, with 31,716 units installed in 2022 — up 1% on 2021.

The European Union market remained the world’s second-largest for industrial robot installations in 2022, growing 5% (70,781 units). Within the EU, Germany holds 36% of the market with 25,636 units installed (up 1% on 2021), Italy 16% (up 8% to 11,475 units) and France 10% (up 13% to 7,380 units). In 2022 robot installations in Britain rose 3% to 2,534 units, less than a tenth of German sales.

The North and South American market is the world’s third-largest for industrial robot installations, growing 8% to 56,053 units in 2022 and exceeding the 2018 peak of 55,212 units. It is worth noting that the US market alone accounts for 71% of the combined market of the Americas. Robot installations in the US grew 10% to 39,576 units in 2022, though the peak was 40,373 units, reached in 2018.

It is notable that the highest levels of robotisation have been achieved in countries with high GDP per capita and low birth rates. Demographic problems in the developed countries of the West, in China and in Southeast Asia are forcing these economies to automate as many production operations as possible, thereby raising the productivity of labour and addressing labour shortages.

The global market for industrial robots

Russia’s industrial robot market lags far behind but is developing fast. According to open sources, the number of robots put into operation between 2010 and 2020 rose more than sixfold, from 230 to 1,410 units, putting the country 27th in the world. Robot density in 2023 stood at 11 robots per 10,000 workers in Russia, a colossal lag compared with the developed countries of Asia, Europe and America. It should be understood that those countries began actively automating production operations back in the 1980s and 1990s, which gave them their leading positions in the world.

On 25 October 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov announced the allocation of ₽300 billion for the development of industrial robots in Russia. The funds will go to state-owned enterprises. The focus is not only on traditional metalworking and metal-cutting machine tools but also on modern equipment for additive technologies and robotics. At present, 73 companies in Russia are engaged in the manufacture and integration of industrial robots.

By robot density, the countries with the most automated production are South Korea (1,012 units per 10,000 employees), Singapore (730 units), Germany (415 units) and Japan (400 units). Large-scale investment in automation technologies has given China fifth place in the world by robot density — 392 robots per 10,000 employees in 2022. Robot density in the US rose from 274 units in 2021 to 285 in 2022. The US ranked tenth in the world on this measure.