Robotics industry statistics

Updated October 7, 2026

Verified robotics industry statistics for 2025 and 2026, drawn from the International Federation of Robotics' World Robotics 2026 releases published in September 2026, US government agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and NIOSH, and peer-reviewed journals. The figures cover industrial robot installations, operational stock and robot density, India, collaborative robots, service and humanoid robots, workplace safety and industrial exoskeletons. Each figure is reported as its source states it, with the year it refers to and a link to the original.

Industrial robots worldwide

• 603,000 industrial robots installed worldwide in 2025. Annual installations surpassed the 600,000-unit milestone for the first time in 2025, up 11% on 2024, according to the IFR President's Report for World Robotics 2026 (September 2026). Source: President's Report by Jane Heffner, World Robotics 2026 (24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 5.079 million industrial robots in operation worldwide in 2025. The global operational stock exceeded 5 million robots in 2025, totaling 5.079 million units (+9%), according to the IFR President's Report for World Robotics 2026. Source: President's Report by Jane Heffner, World Robotics 2026 (24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 354,000 industrial robots installed in China in 2025, 59% of global installations. China's installations grew 20% year on year in 2025, and Chinese suppliers held a 55% share of their home market (195,000 units), according to IFR World Robotics 2026 (September 2026). Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 38,500 industrial robots installed in the United States in 2025. US installations grew 12% to almost 38,500 units in 2025, making the United States the second-largest market after China and overtaking Japan, according to IFR World Robotics 2026. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 36,219 industrial robots installed in Japan in 2025. Japan's installations fell 19% in 2025, moving it from second to third place worldwide behind the United States, according to IFR World Robotics 2026. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• Fewer than 25,000 industrial robots installed in Germany in 2025. German installations fell 8% in 2025, but Germany remains the fifth-largest robot market in the world and by far the largest in Europe, according to IFR World Robotics 2026. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 655,000 industrial robot installations forecast worldwide for 2026 (forecast). In its World Robotics 2026 outlook (September 2026), IFR forecasts a 9% rise in global installations in 2026; this is a projection, not a measured figure. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 806,000 industrial robot installations forecast worldwide for 2029 (forecast). IFR's World Robotics 2026 outlook expects annual installations to reach 806,000 units in 2029, naming China, the US and India as strong growth markets; this is a projection. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 132 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees: global average robot density in 2024. In its April 2026 robot density release (2024 data), IFR put Western Europe at a record 267, the EU-27 at 231, North America at 204 and Asia at 131 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees. Source: Robot Density Surges in Europe, Asia, and Americas (press release, 8 April 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 1,220 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in the Republic of Korea, the world's highest robot density. Korea was followed by Singapore (818), Germany (449) and Japan (446), while the United States ranked 8th with 307, according to IFR's April 2026 robot density release (2024 data). Source: Robot Density Surges in Europe, Asia, and Americas (press release, 8 April 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)

India

• 10,500 industrial robots installed in India in 2025. India's installations rose 15% to almost 10,500 units in 2025, placing it sixth worldwide behind Germany, according to IFR World Robotics 2026 (September 2026). Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 27% average annual growth (CAGR) in India's industrial robot installations, 2020–2025. IFR World Robotics 2026 notes that India's installation volume is still low compared with the top five robot-adopting countries, but its growth between 2020 and 2025 is remarkable. Source: World Robotics 2026: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally (press release, 24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 52,570 industrial robots in operation in India in 2024. India's operational stock placed it 10th worldwide in 2024, while the five most automated countries run roughly 300,000 to two million industrial robots each, according to IFR's World Robotics 2025 India release (September 2025). Source: World Robotics 2025: India press release (25 September 2025) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 4,070 industrial robots installed by India's automotive industry in 2024. Automotive installations in India rose 15% in 2024, with parts suppliers installing 2,100 units (+40%) and car manufacturers 1,980 units (−3%), according to IFR's September 2025 India release. Source: World Robotics 2025: India press release (25 September 2025) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 45% automotive industry's share of India's industrial robot installations in 2024. IFR's World Robotics 2025 India release (September 2025) gives the automotive segment a 45% market share; in general industry, plastic and chemical products led with 600 installations (+33%). Source: World Robotics 2025: India press release (25 September 2025) (International Federation of Robotics)

Collaborative robots (cobots)

• 66,000 collaborative robots (cobots) installed worldwide in 2025. New cobot installations reached 66,000 units in 2025, according to the IFR President's Report for World Robotics 2026 (September 2026). Source: President's Report by Jane Heffner, World Robotics 2026 (24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 11% cobots' share of all industrial robot installations in 2025. Cobots represented 11% of all industrial robot installations worldwide in 2025, according to the IFR President's Report for World Robotics 2026. Source: President's Report by Jane Heffner, World Robotics 2026 (24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 7% growth in cobot installations in 2025, below the overall industrial robot market. The IFR President's Report (September 2026) notes that 2025 was the first time since IFR began tracking cobot statistics that the segment grew more slowly than the industrial robot market as a whole (+11%). Source: President's Report by Jane Heffner, World Robotics 2026 (24 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 75.7% of robot-related workers' compensation claims in Ohio (2001–2020) involved robotic arms for collaborative applications in a shared workspace. The finding comes from a 2026 study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine that analyzed Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation claims from 2001 to 2020. Source: Suresh V, Konda S, et al. Robot-Related Workers' Compensation Claims in Ohio, 2001–2020. Am J Ind Med 2026 (doi:10.1002/ajim.70067) (American Journal of Industrial Medicine (Wiley), via CDC Stacks)

Service and professional robots

• 250,000 professional service robots sold worldwide in 2025. Global sales of professional service robots rose 24% to almost 250,000 units in 2025, according to IFR World Robotics 2026 Service Robots (30 September 2026). Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 117,500 transport and logistics robots sold in 2025, the top professional service application. Transport and logistics robot sales rose 21% in 2025 and represent a 47% share of the professional service robot market, according to IFR (September 2026). Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 8,400 surgical robots sold in 2025. With 57% growth in 2025, surgical robots were the main driver of growth in the medical robotics market, according to IFR's World Robotics 2026 service robots release. Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 19% growth in medical robot sales in 2025. IFR (September 2026) reported double-digit growth in all three service robot segments in 2025: professional service robots +24%, medical robots +19% and consumer service robots +37%. Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 34.2 million consumer service robots sold worldwide in 2025. Overall sales of consumer robots rose 37% to almost 34.2 million units in 2025, according to IFR World Robotics 2026 Service Robots (September 2026). Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)

Humanoid robots

• 7,000 full-size humanoid robots (above 140 cm) sold worldwide in 2025. IFR's September 2026 service robots release puts 2025 sales at about 7,000 units and notes that most current applications remain specialized and often require human teleoperation. Source: World Robotics 2026 Service Robots: Global Sales of Professional Service Robots Surge 24% (press release, 30 September 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• 2026–2030 period of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which places humanoid robot commercialization towards its end. IFR (May 2026) reports that the plan sees commercialization of humanoid robots towards the end of the plan period, and that mass adoption as universal factory or household helpers will not happen in the near and medium term. Source: China Makes AI-powered Robots Core of National Strategy (press release, 5 May 2026) (International Federation of Robotics)
• Nearly 1 trillion yuan capital (US$138 billion) expected over 20 years for China's state-backed venture fund for robotics, AI and cutting-edge innovation. IFR (March 2025) reports that China's National Development and Reform Commission announced the fund, alongside a national initiative to position humanoid robots as a frontier technology. Source: China to Invest 1 Trillion Yuan in Robotics and High-Tech Industries (press release, 25 March 2025) (International Federation of Robotics)

Workforce and safety

• 41 robot-related workplace fatalities identified in the United States, 1992–2017. NIOSH's 'Robotics in the Workplace' overview (updated February 2024) cites a NIOSH analysis that identified 41 robot-related fatalities in the US between 1992 and 2017. Source: Robotics in the Workplace: An Overview (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC)
• 78% of US robot-related fatalities (1992–2017) involved a robot striking the worker while operating under its own power. Layne's 2023 study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine also found that most cases (83%) involved stationary robots and that many striking incidents occurred during robot maintenance. Source: Layne LA. Robot-related fatalities at work in the United States, 1992–2017. Am J Ind Med 2023;66(6):454–461 (American Journal of Industrial Medicine (Wiley), via CDC Stacks)
• 1,076 robot-related workers' compensation claims in Ohio, 2001–2020. The claims cost over $8.3 million, 91% of it from lost-time claims, and 75.1% of injuries occurred in manufacturing, according to a 2026 American Journal of Industrial Medicine study of Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation data. Source: Suresh V, Konda S, et al. Robot-Related Workers' Compensation Claims in Ohio, 2001–2020. Am J Ind Med 2026 (doi:10.1002/ajim.70067) (American Journal of Industrial Medicine (Wiley), via CDC Stacks)
• 946,290 US private-industry DART cases caused by overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions in 2023–2024. This was the leading cause of cases involving days away from work, job transfer or restriction (DART) over the two-year 2023–2024 period, ahead of contact incidents (860,050), according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 2026). Source: Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (news release, 22 January 2026) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• $73,900 median annual pay of US electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians (May 2025). The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook says these technicians test, operate or maintain robotic equipment, and projects 3% job growth for 2025–35 from 15,700 jobs in 2025, citing rising use of autonomous systems and robotics. Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Electro-mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Industrial exoskeletons

• 10–40% reductions in back muscle activity reported for passive industrial exoskeletons during dynamic lifting and static holding. This range comes from a 2016 peer-reviewed review in Ergonomics by de Looze and colleagues, which found that all passive exoskeletons retrieved were designed to support the low back. Source: de Looze MP, Bosch T, Krause F, Stadler KS, O'Sullivan LW. Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load. Ergonomics 2016;59(5) (doi:10.1080/00140139.2015.1081988) (Ergonomics (Taylor & Francis), via University of Limerick research repository)
• Up to 80% muscle activity reductions reported for active (powered) industrial exoskeletons. The same 2016 Ergonomics review concluded that lower body, trunk and upper body regions could all benefit from active exoskeletons. Source: de Looze MP, Bosch T, Krause F, Stadler KS, O'Sullivan LW. Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load. Ergonomics 2016;59(5) (doi:10.1080/00140139.2015.1081988) (Ergonomics (Taylor & Francis), via University of Limerick research repository)
• 26 industrial exoskeletons identified in a peer-reviewed review (19 active, 7 passive). The 2016 Ergonomics review by de Looze and colleagues found 40 papers describing 26 industrial exoskeletons, of which 13 had been evaluated for effects on physical loading, mainly muscle activity. Source: de Looze MP, Bosch T, Krause F, Stadler KS, O'Sullivan LW. Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load. Ergonomics 2016;59(5) (doi:10.1080/00140139.2015.1081988) (Ergonomics (Taylor & Francis), via University of Limerick research repository)