2023 World Robotics Report: Asia Leading Europe and the Americas

Growth in all regions and major markets

The new World Robotics Report records a total of 553052 industrial robots installed in factories worldwide, a year-on-year increase of 5%. By region, 73% of newly deployed robots are installed in Asia, 15% in Europe, and 10% in the Americas.

For the second consecutive year, we have broken the world record of 500000 units, “said Marina Bill, President of the International Robotics Federation. By 2023, the industrial robot market is expected to grow by 7%, with over 590000 units globally“

China is by far the largest market in the world. The installation volume in 2022 was 290258 units, replacing the previous record in 2021 with a 5% increase. This latest growth is eye-catching, even surpassing the results of 2021, an increase of 57% compared to 2020. In order to serve this dynamic market, domestic and foreign robot suppliers have established production factories in China and continuously increased production capacity. The average annual installation of robots has increased by 13% annually (2017-2022).

The installation of robots in Japan has increased by 9% to 50413 units, surpassing the 49908 units before the 2019 pandemic. The peak level in 2018 remained at 55240 units. In the industrial robot market, Japan ranks second in scale after China. The average annual installation volume increases by 2% (2017-2022). Japan is the world’s leading robot manufacturing country, accounting for 46% of global robot production.

The market in the Republic of Korea has grown by 1%, with an installation volume of 31716 units in 2022. This is the second year of marginal growth after four years of decreased installation volume. South Korea remains the world’s fourth largest robot market, second only to the United States, Japan, and China.

Europe

In 2022, the European Union was the world’s second largest market, with an annual installation volume of 70781 units, an increase of 5%.

Germany is one of the top five global buyers, with a market share of 36% within the European Union. The installation volume in Germany decreased by 1% to 25636 units.

Italy followed closely, with a market share of 16% within the European Union and an 8% increase in installation volume, reaching 11475 units.

The third largest market in the European Union is France, with a market share of 10%, an increase of 13%, and an installation volume of 7380 units in 2022.

After Brexit, the installation of industrial robots in the UK increased by 3% in 2022, reaching 2534 units. But this is less than one tenth of Germany’s sales.

America

In the Americas, the installation volume increased by 8% in 2022, reaching 56053 units, exceeding the peak level of 55212 units in 2018. The United States is the largest regional market, accounting for 73% of the total installed capacity in the Americas in 2022. The installation of robots has increased by 10%, reaching 39576 units. This is only slightly lower than the peak level of 40373 units reached in 2018. The main driving force for growth is the automotive industry, with a 47% surge in installation volume (14472 vehicles). The share of the automotive industry has now rebounded to 37%, followed by the metals and machinery industry (3900 vehicles) and the electrical/electronics industry (3732 vehicles).

The other two main markets are Mexico (installation volume increased by 13%) (6000 vehicles) and Canada (demand decreased by 24%) (3223 vehicles). This is the result of a decline in demand in the automotive industry, which is the strongest purchaser.

Brazil is an important production base for automobiles and automotive components: the International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers (OICA) reports that 2