Oct. 7, 2026, Frankfurt — The global operational stock of industrial robots increased by nine per cent to a record five million units in 2025, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) shared in their World Robotics 2026 Report . This was driven by an 11 per cent jump in annual installations, with factories worldwide installing more than 600,000 new units over the year. “Industrial automation is progressing at high speed,” said Jane Heffner, president of the IFR, in a media release. “The new mark of five million robots operational in factories worldwide is more than double the number seven years ago. The strongest growth is taking place in Asia, followed by Americas. Europe is moving ahead more slowly.” The Americas In Canada, robot installations were up five per cent to almost 4,000 units. The average annual growth rate from 2020 to 2025 was nine per cent (CAGR). Across the rest of North America, the United States surpassed Japan in 2025 to become the second largest market for industrial robots, following China. Installations of industrial robots grew by 12 per cent to almost 38,500 units, which is the third highest number recorded in the history of these statistics. In Mexico, robot installations declined by seven per cent to fewer than 5,200 units. This marks the third year of downswing. The Brazilian robotics market installed almost 4,300 new robots in 2025, up 38 per cent. This was driven by a surge in demand for robots from the automotive industry, which installed almost 2,100 units, a 212 per cent increase. Investments by Chinese car manufacturers in Brazil were most likely responsible for this. Asia China has further strengthened its position as the world leader in robot adoption. Annual installations grew by 20 per cent year-on-year and now account for 59 per cent of global deployments. The latest figures show that 354,000 industrial robots have been installed in 2025, exceeding last year’s annual total record by almost 60,000 units. Chinese manufacturers have sold more than foreign suppliers in their home country. Their installations rose by 15 per cent, reaching 195,000 units, a domestic market share of 55 per cent in 2025 compared to 57 per cent in 2024. Japan took a step back in 2025, despite being the second-largest market for industrial robots in Asia. The country installed 36,219 units in 2025, representing a 19 per cent decrease, and the country moved behind the U.S. globally. Demand for robots is expected to grow slightly, but a major recovery is unlikely in the short to medium term. The market in the Republic of Korea installed 30,000 units in 2025, down one per cent. Annual installations have remained flat, around 31,000 units, since 2019. The country remains the fourth largest market worldwide. However, new investments from the automotive industry will come into effect in 2027 and 2028, meaning demand for robots in Korea may break the established trend and grow in 2027. India installed almost 10,500 units in 2025, up 15 per cent, claiming sixth place worldwide, behind Germany. Although the volume of new installations is still relatively low compared to the top five established robot adopting countries, between 2020 and 2025 annual installations grew by 27 per cent on average per year (CAGR). Europe Germany is the fifth-largest robot market in the world, and by far the largest in Europe. In 2025, it had a 41 per cent share of the total installations in the EU. Between 2020 and 2025, annual installations across industries grew by two per cent on average per year (CAGR). However, sales fell eight per cent to fewer than 25,000 units in 2025. The automotive industry is the largest user of industrial robots in Germany, but its share is in retreat. The number of installations in Italy, the second largest European market, fell by 11 per cent to about 7,800 units. France is back in third place with almost 4,500 units, down eight per cent, ahead of Spain with about 4,300 units, down 15 per cent. Global outlook Global robot demand is expected to continue its long-term growth trajectory. Installations are forecast to rise by nine per cent to 655,000 units in 2026 and reach 806,000 units in 2029. Despite substantial regional differences, with countries such as China, the U.S. and India as strong growth markets, the global outlook remains positive. The need for more resilient supply chains and recent developments of trade and industrial policy in several major economies are resulting in increasing relocation activity in the manufacturing industries. Building manufacturing capacity in high-wage economies and countries facing labour shortages will drive the demand for automation technology. While this may shift the regional pattern of robot demand, there is no indication that the long-term growth trend in industrial robotics is coming to an end from a global perspective. Structural drivers such as demographic change will continue to support demand, while technological progress is expanding the range of technologically feasible and economically viable robot applications. In particular, advances in artificial intelligence, machine vision and sensing are increasing robot capabilities, while easier programming and system integration are reducing deployment costs and opening automation to new applications and customer groups.