China Deploys 59 Percent of the World's Industrial Robots
This article is published in collaboration with Statista
by Felix Richter
In a year that saw a record number of 603,000 industrial robots installed worldwide, China continued to expand its lead in robotics deployment. According to World Robotics 2026, an annual state-of-the-industry report published by the International Federation of Robotics, the world’s largest manufacturing hub installed 354,000 units last year, adding to its already industry-leading operational stock of more than two million units. Having gradually built its lead from 32 percent in 2016 to 52 percent in 2022, China accounted for 59 percent of global installations in 2025, miles ahead of the United States and Japan.
“China's success in modernizing its industrial system is based on its national robotics strategy, which was initiated ten years ago,” says Jane Heffner, President of the International Federation of Robotics, said in a statement. “The recent update, launched as part of China's 15th Five-Year Plan 2026–2030, aims to focus its AI research on physical applications, with robots being the main drivers of economic growth.”
While China is far ahead of other countries in terms of the absolute number of industrial robots deployed, it was only ranked 22 in terms of “robot density”, a metric that the IFR defines as industrial robots installed per 10,000 workers in the manufacturing industry. Due to its unmatched manufacturing workforce of more than 120 million workers, China had deployed just 166 industrial robots per 10,000 workers in 2024. Countries like South Korea, Germany and Japan – all with strong automotive or electronics sectors but considerably smaller workforces – had much higher rates, with South Korea recording the world’s highest robot density by far at 1,220 robots per 10,000 employees.
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