China's Robotics Boom Leaves All Other Nations Behind

China's industrial robotics sector has surged ahead in recent years, cementing its position as the global leader in both the installation and operational stock of industrial robots. According to the latest World Robotics report published by the International Federation of Robotics, China accounted for 54 percent of all new robot installations worldwide in 2024, with a record of 295,000 units installed. As our chart shows, this represents more than double the number installed by Japan, the United States, South Korea and Germany combined (almost 140,000 installations together), which are the other four robotic powers in the world.

This brings China's operational stock of industrial robots to over 2 million, representing nearly half of the global stock (4.66 million units in 2024). Compared to the second in the ranking, Japan (around 450,000 units in 2024), the Chinese industry now has more than four times as many robots.

The country's rapid adoption of automation is driven by ambitious state-backed initiatives, such as "Made in China 2025", launched a decade ago and constituting the cornerstone of its massive investment in robotics. In 2023, China reached the third rank in industrial robot density, with 470 operational robots per 10,000 employees, surpassing both Germany and Japan. Only Singapore and South Korea remained ahead (700 to 1,000 robots per 10,000 employees).

Furthermore, if Japan remains the largest manufacturer of industrial robots, according to IRF, accounting for 38 percent of global production in 2024, China is gradually gaining ground. For example, Chinese manufacturers have almost doubled their domestic market share over the last decade, now supplying nearly 60 percent of the robots installed in the country, compared to just under 30 percent ten years ago.