Robotics Statistics (2023): Key Insights and Industry Growth Predictions

One word can easily sum up the modern Industrial Revolution—robotics. Recent years have seen a major influx of robotic technology in every possible industry. In fact, the Global Non-Industrial Robotics Market is expected to exceed $230 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

Furthermore, 2022 saw more than half a million industrial robots being installed in various industries around the world. This has been a 31% year-on-year growth rate since 2015. Keep reading for an in-depth look at the most impressive statistics that help define the evolution of robotics.

Key Stats of Various Robotics Industries

Here’s a comprehensive summary of the most interesting statistics surrounding global robotics.

Source: statista.com, banklesstimes.com, statista.com, gitnux.com, globenewswire.com, euronews.com, businesswire.com, inc.com, zippia.com, and  techjury.net,

Robotics Industry Size & Growth

It’s estimated that the stock of operational robots around the globe has hit an all-time high record of about 3.5 million units in 2023. This in turn means that the Global Robotics Market has been valued at about $65.3 billion. Furthermore, 74% of all industrial robots installed globally have originated from Asia.

That said, the leading robotics companies responsible for this surge in robot sales and installations are listed:

• ABB: Zurich, Switzerland
• Epson America Inc: Tokyo, Japan
• Fanuc: Yamanashi, Japan
• Kawada Robotics Group: Nanto, Japan
• Comau: Turin, Italy

Source: ifr.org and strategicmarketresearch.com

Top 10 Countries With The Highest Robot Density

Anyone with even a mild interest in current events will tell you that the robot industry is accelerating at an incredible rate. According to the World Robot Report released in 2021, there are an estimated 126 robots per 10,000 employees across various manufacturing industries globally.

That said, it may leave you wondering which countries currently have the highest robot density. Here are the latest stats to answer that question.

Furthermore, a few interesting facts about robotics in these 10 countries include the following:

• The Republic of Korea has held the number one position since 2010 and exceeds the global average seven-fold. Robot density has shown a steady increase of 10% every year since 2015.
• Singapore has shown a rapid increase of 27% per year since 2015, which is why they’re able to outrank countries such as Japan and the USA.
• EU countries such as Denmark and Italy have a considerably higher degree of modern automation in their extensive manufacturing market.
• The U.S. has seen a sharp increase in robot sales by at least 15% every year between 2017 – 2020.
• In Taiwan, the increase in the robotics industry hasn’t stemmed from a need to keep up with global trends, but rather to deal with a shortfall of human workers.

Source: ifr.org and plantautomation-technology.com

Robotics Statistics by Sector/Industry

As we’ve already mentioned, there isn’t any significant industry that doesn’t already use robotic solutions in one form or another. Here’s a breakdown of the five most significant robot adoptions thus far.

Source: robotiq.com

Robot Density in the Automotive Industry

According to the latest International Federation of Robotics Report, released in March 2023, the automotive industry is the highest robot density globally. The operational stock of about one million units makes this at least one-third of the global robot density.

• Robotics in the automotive industry can be seen in the top car-producing economies. Here’s a breakdown of how their current robotics statistics line up.
• The Republic of Korea has an average of 2,867 industrial robots across all automotive companies.
• Germany’s car companies have seen an impressive 1,500 robotic units with the U.S. boasting 1,457 and Japan following closely with 1,422.
• Despite being the world’s largest car manufacturer, China only has a robot density of 772 units. They are however working very hard to reach their competitors by increasing their units to 61,598.

Source: ifr.org

Electric Vehicles

In an attempt to reduce global carbon emissions, political leaders together with The European Union have announced goals to end the sale of air-polluting vehicles by the end of 2035. With that in mind, robot technology is being relied on to pick up the slack and make this goal a reality.

With the one million robots working in the electric vehicle manufacturing industry, it’s easy to have crucial assembly tasks handed off to them. This has seen production of electric vehicles rise by 4 times in the last two years.

Source: robohub.org

Top 5 Trending Industries That Will Use the Most Robots in the Next 5 to 10 Years.

While industries across the board currently have some robotic involvement in the day-to-day running as well as their future growth plans, some sectors are geared to use robotics more than others.

The top five trending industries that you can expect to see a spike in robotic involvement are listed below.

1. Automotive: As we’ve already mentioned, the automotive industry has seen a massive surge in robotics for various applications and tasks. With the increase in electric vehicle manufacturing, this industry alone is expected to grow by at least 3.5% by the end of 2023.
2. Medical: The medical robots market exceeded $9.5 billion in revenue in 2022. This is because medical robots assist and simplify a host of surgical procedures. Additionally, they enable surgeons to operate using more precise and less invasive methods.
3. Pharmaceutical: While it may seem linked to the medical sector, robotics in the pharmaceutical industry is anticipated to reach at least $357.9 million by 2030. The tops robotic applications in the pharmaceutical industry include picking and placing, quality control during the medicine manufacturing process, and machine tending.
4. Agricultural: The agricultural robot market is set to surpass $81 billion by 2028. Within this industry, robots can perform different applications which would ordinarily be very labor-intensive. Some of these include monitoring crops and measuring and maintaining the pH levels in the soil. Simpler tasks such as picking and packing fruits and vegetables will also be done quicker, increasing overall food productivity.
5. Military: Robotics and their various applications have a global market size of $17 billion. Experts predict a growth of over 7% from 2021 to 2027. As lifeless technologies, military robots can perform a variety of hazardous tasks that would ordinarily be life-threatening to humans. By assisting with labor-intensive tasks, their involvement can reduce the risks of accidents, injury, and even death of their human counterparts.

Source: statista.com, gminsights.com, howtorobot.com, globenewswire.com, and gminsights.com

Vertical Robotics Stats

Vertical robots are specifically used for complex assembly and manufacturing operations. Essentially their optimized arm lengths and compact bodies enable these robots to cover a large work area and complete a much larger load capacity. In addition to being designed to withstand almost any environmental conditions, these robots are suitable for applications that include transporting machine parts and even assembling electrical components.

In 2022, the investment in vertical robotics reached $6.9 billion. This was only a slight improvement to the $6.0 billion in 2021. The 2021 jump was almost double the $3.0 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2019 and $2.2 billion in 2018.

Source: fprimecapital.com

Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles, or driverless cars, also rely on highly advanced robotic applications to function. One of the attributes that make robotics extremely effective in this industry is that they can use infrared or ultrasound sensors to improve accuracy and precision in production and actual driving.

In 2022, autonomous vehicle investment dropped to $4.1 billion U.S. dollars compared to a more impressive $9.7 billion in 2021. This, on the other hand, was an increase from the $8.2 billion in 2020 and 2019. Before that, 2018 saw a low $4.0 billion.

Source: forbes.com

The Bottom Line

With the statistics highlighted in this article, it’s clear that the robotics industry is only going to grow from strength to strength. With robotic innovation across all industries, the global market is set to reach its market value goal way ahead of schedule!

If you share a keen interest in the robotics industry, we trust you’ve found this article informative! Please share these interesting statistics with friends, family, and colleagues who share your interest in the global robotics trends.