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Five million industrial robots now work in factories worldwide

RoboResale

Factories installed more than 600,000 robots in 2025, 11% more than the year before. China alone took about 59% of them.

Two yellow FANUC welding robots working on a steel frame
Photo: Phasmatisnox, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The world's stock of working industrial robots grew 9% in 2025 to a record 5 million, according to the International Federation of Robotics' World Robotics 2026 report, published on 24 September.

Factories installed more than 600,000 new robots during the year, 11% more than in 2024.

China leads by far

China installed about 354,000 robots, roughly 59% of the world's total and a record of its own. Growth was strongest in Asia, then the Americas, while Europe grew more slowly. The EU's stock of working robots passed 700,000.

Every robot installed today is a used robot in ten or fifteen years.

What comes next

The IFR expects installations to keep climbing, to about 655,000 robots in 2026.

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