Global Robot Fleet Hits 5 Million Units as Installations Surge

The global fleet of industrial robots working in factories has crossed a new milestone. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the operational stock of industrial robots rose 9% year over year to a record 5 million units in 2025. The organization, based in Frankfurt, Germany, attributed the growth to an 11% increase in annual installations, with factories worldwide adding more than 600,000 new robots last year.

"Industrial automation is progressing at high speed," said Jane Heffner, president of the IFR, noting that the 5-million mark is more than double the total recorded seven years ago. She added that Asia remains the fastest-growing region, followed by the Americas, while Europe's growth is more subdued.

Asia still leads, but the picture is shifting

China extended its position as the top robot adopter, with annual installations climbing 20% to 354,000 units — nearly 60,000 more than the year before — and now accounting for 59% of global deployments, per the IFR. Domestic Chinese suppliers sold 195,000 of those units, up 15%, giving them a 55% share of their home market, slightly down from 57% in 2024.

Japan installed 36,219 units in 2025, a 19% decline that pushed the country from second to third place globally, behind the United States. The IFR said Japan's demand is likely to grow only slightly in the near term. South Korea installed 30,000 units, down 1%, holding steady as the fourth-largest market; the IFR expects automotive investment arriving in 2027-2028 to potentially reverse a years-long flat trend. India installed nearly 10,500 units, up 15% and enough to take sixth place ahead of Germany, with a 27% compound annual growth rate from 2020 to 2025.

The U.S. overtakes Japan

In the Americas, the United States surpassed Japan to become the world's second-largest robot market, with installations rising 12% to almost 38,500 units — the third-highest figure the IFR has ever recorded for the country. Mexico saw its third consecutive year of decline, down 7% to fewer than 5,200 units, while Canada grew 5% to nearly 4,000 units, part of a 9% average annual growth rate since 2020. Brazil stood out with a 38% jump to almost 4,300 new robots, driven largely by its automotive sector, where installations surged 212% to roughly 2,100 units — growth the IFR linked to Chinese automakers investing in the country.

Europe grows more slowly

Germany remains Europe's largest robot market by far, representing 41% of installations across the European Union, though its 2025 volume actually fell 8% to under 25,000 units; longer-term, installations there grew at a 2% average annual rate from 2020 to 2025. Italy, the region's second-largest market, dropped 11% to about 7,800 units. France reclaimed third place with almost 4,500 units despite an 8% decline, edging out Spain, which fell 15% to roughly 4,300 units.

Long-term growth expected to continue

Looking ahead, the IFR forecasts global installations will rise 9% to 655,000 units in 2026 and reach 806,000 units by 2029, with China, the U.S., and India cited as particularly strong growth markets. The organization pointed to supply-chain resilience concerns, trade policy shifts, and geopolitical tensions as factors pushing manufacturers toward reshoring and nearshoring, which in turn is expected to boost automation demand even as it reshapes regional patterns. The IFR also expects continued advances in AI, machine vision, and sensing, alongside simpler programming and integration, to lower deployment costs and open automation to new applications.

Jon Quick, CEO of Launchpad Build AI, told The Robot Report that labor shortages are a major driver behind the trend, citing an expectation of roughly 2 million unfilled U.S. manufacturing and assembly jobs by 2030. "Let's have robots do the work that no one wants to do and the stuff that's dangerous," he said, adding that the industry isn't aiming to replace everything humans do.

As originally reported by The Robot Report, the findings come as the industry gears up for RoboBusiness 2026, taking place Oct. 20-21 in Santa Clara, California, where reshoring and automation will be a panel discussion topic.