The International Federation of Robotics has released its World Robotics 2023 Report, revealing a global installation of 553,052 industrial robots in 2022 with a 5-percent year-over-year growth rate.
Leading this growth is China, which remains the world’s largest market for industrial robots. In 2022, China set a new record with 290,258 units installed, a 5 percent increase from 2021’s figure of approximately 268,200 units. The 2021 figure itself represented a significant 57-percent jump compared to 2020. Remarkably, the number of industrial robots installed in China not only topped the global charts but also exceeded the combined installations in the rest of the world (approximately 263,000 units).
From 2017 to 2022, China’s annual robot installations have grown by an average of 13 percent, with both domestic and international suppliers expanding their production capacities in the country.
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Japan, which trails significantly behind China, installed 50,413 robot units in 2022, a 9-percent increase from the previous year but still below its peak in 2018. Despite this, Japan remains the leading global robot manufacturer, producing 46 percent of the world’s robots.
The United States ranked third with 39,576 units in 2022, followed by South Korea in fourth place with 31,716 units. Regionally, Asia dominated with 73 percent of the deployed robots, while Europe and the Americas had 15 and 10 percent, respectively.
The report forecasts a global economic slowdown in 2023, but the industrial robot market is expected to grow by 7 percent and potentially surpass 600,000 units worldwide by 2024.