IFR: Global Robot Stock Hits 5 Million as China Takes 59%
IFR: working industrial robots hit a record 5 million in 2025. China took 59% of 600,000+ new installs, and the US passed Japan for second place.
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) said on September 24 that the global operational stock of industrial robots rose 9% to a record 5 million units in 2025, more than double the figure seven years earlier. Annual installations climbed 11% to more than 600,000 new units. China alone accounted for 354,000 of them, or 59%, while the US moved past Japan into second place. The figures come from IFR’s World Robotics 2026 release in Frankfurt.
The headline numbers
IFR President Jane Heffner framed the year in one line: “Industrial automation is progressing at high speed… The strongest growth is taking place in Asia, followed by Americas. Europe is moving ahead more slowly.” The country data backs that ordering.
| Country | 2025 installations | Change vs 2024 | Rank (IFR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 354,000 | +20% | 1 |
| United States | ~38,400 | +12% | 2 |
| Japan | 36,219 | -19% | 3 |
| Korea | ~30,000 | -1% | 4 |
| Germany | <25,000 | -8% | 5 |
| India | ~10,500 | +15% | 6 |
| Italy | ~7,800 | -11% | n/a |
| Mexico | <5,200 | -7% | n/a |
| France | ~4,500 | -8% | n/a |
| Spain | ~4,300 | -15% | n/a |
| Brazil | ~4,300 | +38% | n/a |
| Canada | ~4,000 | +5% | n/a |
Source: IFR World Robotics 2026 press releases, September 24, 2026. Values marked with ”~” or ”<” are IFR’s rounded phrasing (“almost”, “under”).
Arithmetic on IFR’s own figures: China’s 354,000 plus the US at roughly 38,400 comes to about 392,000, or around 65% of a global total of roughly 600,000. Two markets now account for two out of every three robots installed. That is Industrial Robotics Hub’s calculation, not an IFR statistic.
China: record volume, a slipping domestic share
China’s installations rose 20% and beat the previous record by almost 60,000 units. Chinese-brand suppliers installed 195,000 robots, up 15%, which is a 55% share of their home market. A year earlier that share was 57%. The reason, per IFR’s China release, is that foreign suppliers grew 27% in the country. The headline story of Chinese vendors dominating their market is true in volume, but in 2025 the foreign brands grew faster, and the share moved the wrong way for domestic players. For a fuller look at the vendor landscape, see our analysis of Chinese industrial robots in 2026.
The industry mix is also uneven. Electrical and electronics remained the largest customer at 96,400 units (+16%, a 27% share). Automotive set a record at 78,900 units (+38%), and metal and machinery reached 78,700 (+44%). The newer bets were volatile: food and beverage installations rose 86% in 2024 and then fell 37% in 2025, while textiles, which grew at a 115% compound annual rate from 2019 to 2024, dropped 92% in 2025. Heavy-industry demand is carrying the number; the emerging sectors are not yet a stable base. IFR’s outlook for China is 5% to 10% average annual growth through 2029, with the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) putting physical AI in focus.
The US passes Japan, on imported hardware
The US installed roughly 38,400 robots, up 12%, the third-highest year on record behind 2018 and 2022. Japan fell 19% to 36,219 and slipped from second to third. Korea held fourth at about 30,000 (-1%).
The US mix is narrower than the total suggests. Automotive remained the largest customer at 13,500 units (-1%). Metal and machinery fell 15% to 3,000, while food and beverage rose 30% to 2,900. IFR also cites growth in warehousing, logistics and medical applications. The caveat sits in the same release: most robots operating in the US are still imported from Japan and Europe, and IFR calls trade tensions a short-term burden. So the country that moved up the table did so largely on hardware built elsewhere. That connects to the question of where a robot’s manufacturer sits versus where it is deployed, which we examined in robot manufacturing country of origin and robot density versus manufacturing origin.
Europe and the rest of the Americas
Germany, at under 25,000 units (-8%), remains fifth globally and accounts for 41% of EU installations. Italy fell 11% to about 7,800, France 8% to about 4,500 and Spain 15% to about 4,300. Elsewhere in the Americas the picture split: Mexico slipped 7% to under 5,200, its third consecutive annual decline, while Canada rose 5% to almost 4,000. Brazil jumped 38% to almost 4,300, driven by automotive installations of almost 2,100 units (+212%). IFR says investment by Chinese carmakers in Brazil was “most likely” responsible, which is IFR’s inference rather than a confirmed attribution. India, at almost 10,500 (+15%), ranks sixth, behind Germany, and has grown at a 27% compound annual rate from 2020 to 2025.
IFR lists the drivers as resilient supply chains, trade and industrial policy including relocation, labor shortages, demographics, AI, vision and sensing, and easier programming.
The forecast is a projection
IFR expects installations to rise 9% to 655,000 in 2026 and reach 806,000 by 2029. Treat those as IFR’s projection, not data. Last year’s edition forecast 575,000 installations for 2025 from a 2024 base of 542,000; the actual result of more than 600,000 came in above that, so the federation’s near-term call was conservative this time.
Sources
- Five million robots now operate in factories globally — International Federation of Robotics, Sep 24, 2026
- World Robotics 2026: US industrial robot installations (press release) — International Federation of Robotics, Sep 24, 2026
- World Robotics 2026: China industrial robot installations (press release) — International Federation of Robotics, Sep 24, 2026
- Global robot demand in factories doubles over 10 years — International Federation of Robotics, Sep 25, 2025
- IFR: Global operational stock of industrial robots rose 9% to a record 5 million units in 2025 — The SC Xchange, Sep 24, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How many industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2025? +
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reports more than 600,000 new industrial robots installed in 2025, up 11% year over year. The global operational stock, meaning robots actually working in factories, rose 9% to a record 5 million, which IFR says is more than double the level seven years ago. IFR does not give a single exact installations figure in its main release, only 'more than 600,000'.
Did the US really overtake Japan in robot installations? +
Yes, by IFR's count. The US installed roughly 38,400 to 38,500 units (IFR's main release and its US-specific release differ by 100), while Japan installed 36,219, down 19%. That moved Japan from second to third place. IFR also notes that most robots operating in the US are still imported from Japan and Europe.
Are Chinese robot brands taking over their home market? +
Not faster than foreign suppliers, in 2025. IFR reports Chinese-brand suppliers installed 195,000 units in China, up 15%, for a 55% domestic share, down from 57% in 2024. Foreign suppliers grew 27% in China over the same period, so the domestic share slipped even as domestic volume rose.
What does IFR forecast for 2026 and beyond? +
IFR projects global installations rising 9% to 655,000 units in 2026 and reaching 806,000 by 2029. That is IFR's own projection built on member surveys and market assessment, not a measurement, and its 2025 forecast from last year (575,000) undershot the actual 2025 result.
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