IFR: 517,385 new industrial robots installed worldwide in 2021

The number of new industrial robots installed in factories around the world in 2021 reached 517,385, a year-on-year increase of 31%, a record high. It exceeded the 22% of robot installations before the epidemic in 2018. The global inventory of operating robots set a new record of about 3.5 million units.

Asia

Asia remains the world’s largest market for industrial robots. In 2021, 74% of all newly deployed robots were installed in Asia (70% in 2020).

Installations in China, the region's largest adopter, grew strongly by 51% to 268,195 units.

Japan remains one of the largest markets for industrial robots after China, with installations growing 22% to 47,182 units in 2021.

South Korea is the world's fourth-largest robot market. In 2021, robot installations grew by 2% to 31,083 units.

Europe

Robot installations in Europe grew by 24% to 84,302 units in 2021. Demand from the automotive industry was stable, while demand from general industry grew by 51%. Germany is the world's fifth largest robot market, accounting for 28% of total European installations. Italy accounts for 17% and France for 7%.

In 2021, the number of robots installed in Germany increased by 6% to 23,777.

Italy is the second largest robot market in Europe after Germany. The main growth driver from 2016 to 2021 is the general industry, with an average annual growth rate of 8%.

In 2021, the French robotics market ranked third in Europe in terms of annual installations and operational stock, behind Italy and Germany. In 2021, robot installations grew by 11% to 5,945 units.

Industrial robot installations in the UK fell 7% to 2,054 units.

America

In 2021, 50,712 industrial robots were installed in the Americas, a 31% increase over 2020. This is a significant recovery from the 2020 pandemic decline.

In 2021, the number of new installations in the United States increased by 14% to 34,987 units.