What are the world’s largest industrial robots markets?

By 2020, more than 1.7 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world, paving the way for ever more flexible automation.

Data published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) shows that the strongest growth in industrial robots is in Asia, led by China. With sales of 87,000, China came close to matching the total sales volume of Europe and the Americas combined (97,300 units).

South Korea is the second largest market, driven by major investments by its electrical and electronics industry. About 41,400 units were sold in 2016, a rise of 8% compared to 2015. The country now has the highest level of robot density in the world, about 630 robots per 10,000 employees.

Sales of industrial robots in Japan increased by 10% to 38,600 units in 2016, the highest level of annual growth since 2006. The predominant robot manufacturing country, Japanese robot suppliers have more than doubled production from 73,900 units in 2010 to 152,600 in 2016 (more than 50% of global supply).

The US saw robot installation increase by 14% to a peak of 31,400 units in 2016, largely due to the ongoing trend to automate production in order to strengthen domestic competitiveness on the world stage.

The reshoring of production has seen US robot density expand significantly – particularly in the automotive sector. With a density of 1,261 installed robots per 10,000 employees, the US ranked second in 2016, after South Korea. Most of the industrial robots are imported from Japan, Korean and Europe.

Germany is the world’s fifth largest industrial robots market, and by far the largest in Europe. The annual supply and operational stock of industrial robots in 2016 had a share of 36% and 41% respectively of total robot sales in Europe. In 2016, the number of robots sold increased slightly to 20,039 units compared to 2015 (19,945 units).