South Korea - the country with the most robotic production, worldwide

South Korea and China are the countries that have made the most progress in the race to industrial automation in recent years, and China's huge investment in industrial robotics has made it one of the most automated nations on the planet in just a few years. .

A study by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), based on figures for the year 2022, taken over by Statista, shows that the country with the highest number of operational robots in the manufacturing industry is South Korea - 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees, after which followed by Singapore (730), Germany (415), Japan (397) and China (392).

In Europe, robot density has seen quite a jump in Swiss industry, with the ratio more than doubling between 2017 and 2022 - from 129 to 296 robots per 10,000 employees. The cited source mentions that France's manufacturing industry still has a lower level of robotization compared to most neighboring European industries: 180 robots per 10,000 employees, compared to 216 in Belgium and Luxembourg, respectively 219 in Italy.

• Asia, the largest industrial robotics market

Asia is the world's largest market for industrial robotics, with nearly three-quarters of all newly installed robots in 2022 being in this region, according to IFR.

According to the cited source, over 400,000 units were installed in Asia in 2022, up 5% compared to the previous year. More than 290,000 units were installed in China in 2022, and more than 550,000 worldwide - the highest number ever recorded (+5% compared to 2021). Thus, China ranks first in the world by the number of installed robots, followed by Japan, with over 50,000 newly installed units (+9%). Japan recorded a continuous recovery after the pandemic downturn (in 2020), with profile installations returning to 2019 levels. In third position is the South Korean market, with almost 32,000 units (+1%).

In Europe, the second largest regional market in the matter, approximately 84,000 new robot units were installed in 2022 (+3% compared to 2021). Germany was the largest European market in this segment, with more than 25,000 robots installed, even if the figure decreased by 1% compared to 2021. The next largest markets in the region were Italy, with 11,000 units (+8%) and France, with 7,000 units (+13%). Meanwhile, in the two Americas (North and South), the United States attracted 71% of robot installations (40,000; +10%), followed by Mexico (6,000; +13%) and Canada (3,000; -24%) ).

According to the IFR, China, Japan, the US, South Korea and Germany together had 79% of global robot installations in 2022 (438,000 units). Globally, the main customer industries for robotics were electronics (28% of all newly installed robots), automotive (25%), metal and machinery (12%), plastics and chemicals (4%), food and beverage (3%).

• ABB dominates the industrial robotics market

The global industrial robotics market will reach sales of 8.5 billion euros in 2024, according to estimates by Statista Market Insights, which mentions that the two largest segments in the field are robots for the electronics industry and those for the automotive industry. Analyst forecasts show that the industrial robotics market is slated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9% over the period 2024-2028, largely driven by demand from China, which is responsible for the bulk of the sector's revenue .

Among the giants of industrial robotics, Japanese, Swiss and German companies are strongly represented, notes the quoted source. The Swiss-Swedish group ABB currently dominates the industrial robotics market, with a share of 21% worldwide in 2022, ahead of the German company KUKA (9%) and the Japanese companies Kawasaki (9%), Fanuc (8% ), Mitsubishi (5%) and Yaskawa (5%). Seiko Epson Japan has a share of 3%, Omron Adept USA, 3%, Stäubli Switzerland - also 3%.