The industrial robotics sector has witnessed a transformative era, with China emerging as a pivotal player in the global arena.
Data from the International Robotics Federation (IFR) reveals a tripling of the operational stock of industrial robots over the past decade, culminating in nearly four million robots across various industries by the end of 2022.
Significantly, China has been at the forefront of this robotic revolution.
In 2022, it accounted for more than half of the world's newly installed industrial robots, a rapid ascent that is closing the gap with established leaders South Korea and Japan.
Notably, these two countries led in terms of robot density in 2021, with the highest number of robots installed per 10,000 workers in the manufacturing industry.
Record-setting year
The World Robotics report highlights a record-setting year in 2022, with 553,000 new industrial robot installations, pushing the global operational stock to 3.9 million.
China's contribution to this surge is unmatched, making it the largest market for industrial robots.
Japan, not far behind, added more than 50,000 new installations in 2022, securing its position as the second-largest market, closely followed by the United States and South Korea.
Furthermore, Japan holds the distinction of being the largest manufacturer of industrial robots, responsible for 46% of the global production in 2022.
Despite China's dominance in market size and growth, South Korea and Japan still lead in robot density.
South Korea boasted 1,000 installed robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers, compared to Japan's 399 and China's 322.
This data underscores a pivotal shift in industrial processes towards automation, with Asia, spearheaded by China, leading this global transformation.