25 Revolutionary Robotics Industry Statistics [2023]: Market Size, Growth, And Biggest Companies

Research Summary. Whether the average person realizes it or not, robots are becoming more and more of a part of daily life and industry, whether that’s in surgery, on a website, or on a manufacturing floor. Here are the key statistics about the robotics industry:

• 88% of companies plan to invest in adding robotics to their organizations.

• There are about 3 million industrial robots in use across the globe.

• Roughly 400,000 new robots enter the market every year.

• The global market value of the industrial robotics industry is $43.8 billion, by revenue.

• The CAGR of the North American robotics industry’s revenue is 11.67% through 2026.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Employer | Industry/Sector | Benefits and Challenges | Types | Trends and Projections

General Robotics Industry Statistics

• The average robot density in the U.S. is 228 units per 10,000 employees.

• The U.S. saw 34,987 industrial robots installed in 2021.

• 517,385 industrial robots were installed around the world in 2021.

Robotics Industry Employer Statistics

• Honda Motor is the biggest robotics company in the world.

  The company has a revenue of $142.4 billion, and it employs nearly 220,000 people.

  Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Honda Motor is known for creating robots to assist people who can’t walk on their own and a robot that can interact with people by recognizing emotions and communicating with sound, movement, and facial expressions.

Biggest Robotics Companies in the World

Company	Revenue (In Billions Usd)	Market Cap (In Billions Usd)
Honda Motor	142	42
Siemens AG	97	75
Sony	79	78
Denso Corp	47	227
Midea Group	39	52

• There are about 132,500 robotics engineers in the U.S.

  This occupation is projected to grow by 6.4% from 2016 to 2026. Most currently employed robotics engineers work in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio.

• From March 2020 to March 2021, venture firms invested $6.3 billion in robotics companies.

  This is a much larger amount than the $4.3 billion they invested the year before.

  $1.9 billion went to industrial robotics firms, many of which are working on automating warehouses, surgeries, or recycling systems. This $1.9 billion is a significant increase from the $300 million this sector received just six years earlier in 2015.

Robotics Statistics by Industry/Sector

• The automotive industry uses the most industrial robots of any industry.

  This industry had almost 900,000 robots in use as of 2017, with more being installed every year.

  Following the automotive industry is the electrical and electronics industry with almost 600,000 industrial robots and the plastics and chemicals industry with about 200,000.

  Other industries that use a significant number of robotics include:

  • Metal products

  • Other manufacturing branches

  • Industrial machinery

  • Food and beverages

  • Basic metals

  • Glass and mineral products

  • Education/research/development

• In 2021, the automotive industry installed 9,782 robotic units, and the metal and machinery industry installed 3,814 robotic units.

  This was a decline of 7% from the year before in the automotive industry and an increase of 66% in the metal and machinery industry, cementing its place as the industry with the second-highest robot demand. The electronics/electrical industry held that title in 2020.

• The U.S. Department of Defense has been given $7.5 billion to spend on robotics in 2021.

  Most of this funding will go toward unmanned vehicles that operate in the air, on land, or at sea.

  87% of the total funds will go to the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps, while the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Special Operations Command, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense will receive the remaining 13%.

Benefits and Challenges of Robotics Integration

• Implementing robots saves companies up to about 20% in costs.

  In 2016, this number was 15.8%, and it is expected to hit 22% by 2025.

• It’s estimated that by 2025, robots will displace 85 million jobs currently held by humans.

  However, it’s estimated that this change will also open up 97 million different jobs for humans. Since robots usually cover basic tasks that come with entry-level positions best, they’ll free companies to create more paid high-level roles.

  This is a benefit for younger workforce members, as many of them will now be able to start their careers in jobs that require more creativity and provide higher salaries than most entry-level positions currently do.

• The cost of robotic units is the top challenge for companies trying to implement robots.

  16% of respondents listed this as their top challenge, and 53% listed this as their top five challenges.

  Following cost is a lack of homogenous programming platforms or interfaces, integrators working across locations and industries, and a general lack of experience with automation.

Types of Robotics

• The majority of robots are industrial robots.

  These machines do all kinds of work for humans: Build cars, manufacture parts, and even perform surgeries.

• 55% of companies surveyed use collaborative robots.

  This means that these organizations use robots designed to work with or alongside humans instead of industrial robots designed to work without human contact.

  These come behind 87% of companies that use traditional industrial robots, 74% that use AGVs (automated guided vehicles), and 63% that use cells (a robotic system made up of a robot and a human controller to perform tasks such as packaging or assembly).

• 15.1% of all general surgeries performed in 2018 were robot-assisted.

  This may be a comparatively small percentage, but it is significantly higher than the 1.8% robot-assisted in 2012.

  The benefits of robots in surgery are controversial, however, with some saying the high cost isn’t worth it and that medical facilities are opting for more invasive procedures than are necessary for the name of using robots. Others say that robotically performed surgeries require less recovery time and greatly reduce the risk of infection in patients.

Robotics Industry Trends and Projections

• The revenue of the North American robotics industry is expected to have a CAGR of 11.67% from 2019-2026.

• Robot density in the U.S. has grown from 189 robots per 10,000 employees in 2016 to 228 robots per 10,000 employees in 2019.



• 2020 saw new robotic installations slow by 8%, making it the second year this statistic has declined after steadily growing for eight years.

• It’s estimated that in 2024, global industrial robot shipments will reach 518,000, up from 394,000 in 2020.

• From 2011 to 2021, annual installations of industrial robots around the world increased from 166,000 to 517,000.

  

Robotics Industry FAQ

1. What is the role of robotics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

   The role of robotics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is to provide new ways to integrate different technological systems and humans. Since the Fourth Industrial Revolution is focused on integrating technologies, robots will play a large part in it.

   Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are just a few of these technologies that scientists are using in conjunction with each other, and often they do this within a single machine they call a robot.

2. Who is leading in robotics?

   Honda Motor, Siemens AG, Sony, Denso Corp., and Midea Group is leading in robotics. These companies have the highest revenues of any robotics company in the world.

   All are headquartered in Japan except Siemens AG (Germany) and Midea Group (China).

   As far as countries with the most annual installations of industrial robots, however, China takes the lead with 1.684 million installed in 2020. Japan, the U.S., and Korea follow with 38.7 million, 30.8 million, and 30.5 million, respectively.

3. What jobs are going to be replaced by robots?

   Repetitive jobs are going to be replaced by robots. In some settings, robots are also replacing jobs requiring more reasoning, but this is rarer.

   Jobs such as making french fries at fast-food restaurants, welding, driving trains, and answering basic customer service queries are relatively easy for robots to take over, leaving the more managerial and other creative, advanced roles open for humans.

4. What are the five major fields of robotics?

   The five major fields of robotics are operator interface, mobility or locomotion, manipulators and effectors, programming, and sensing and perception. Those who work in robotics usually choose from one of these fields to specialize in.

   Since robots are so varied and complex, they need a team of people to design, build and program them. As a result, many jobs are considered a part of the robotics industry.

5. How big is the robotics industry?

   The robotics industry has grown very big over time, with approximately 3 million industrial robots in use across the globe, and an industry worth $43.8 billion.

   As more robots are produced and automation becomes a cheaper investment for companies (saving them up to 20% in costs), the size of the industry will continue to grow. By 2025, robots may displace up to 85 million jobs currently held by humans.

   With that in mind, as long as there’s continued demand for robots, the industry will continue to grow larger.

6. How fast is the robotics industry growing?

   The robotics industry is growing at a relatively fast rate, with a projected CAGR of 11.67% from 2019 through 2026. By 2024, global industrial robot shipments are expected to reach 518,000, up from 394,000 in 2020.

   The industry’s growth has also started to recover from 2020, with yearly new robot installations increasing from 8% to 13% in 2021. This marks improved but continued growth within the past eight years.

7. Are robotics engineers in demand?

   Yes, robotics engineers are in demand. Seeing as these professionals are skilled in designing prototypes, testing machines, and maintaining vital software, the number of jobs available will also grow when the robotics industry grows.

   The job market for this profession is expected to increase by 6.4% through 2026. While this level of job growth isn’t anything out of the ordinary (average job growth in the U.S. is between 5-8%), it’s still healthy. Overall, the field will need 12,500 new engineers over the next ten years.

Conclusion

Robots are increasingly becoming an integral part of the industry, with robots designed to build and test cars, perform complex and dangerous welding techniques, and fry french fries. Others clean hospitals, answer customer service questions and even perform surgeries.

Companies are leaning into robotics, as in the U.S., there is an average of 228 robotic units per 10,000 employees and approximately 30,800 new industrial robots installed in the country in 2020.

It’s estimated that by 2025 robots will take over 85 million jobs currently held by humans, although many people say this is a positive thing and will open up more creative and managerial jobs for humans to take.

Robots save companies money – up to 20% of their overall costs. However, one of the biggest hurdles to companies implementing more robotics is their high up-front cost.

The U.S. isn’t the only one implementing more and more robots, though. There were 394,000 robots shipped around the world in 2020, and the U.S. falls behind both China and Japan as far as the number of robots installed that year.

References

1. Statista. “Global Size of the Market for Industrial Robots Between 2019 and 2027.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

2. International Federation of Robotics. “Robot Race: The World’s Top 10 Automated Countries.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

3. International Federation of Robotics. “IFR Presents World Robotics 2021 Reports.” Accessed on March 7, 2023.

4. Global Newswire. “Future Growth: Global Industrial Robotics Market Expected to Generate a Revenue of $85.2 Million by 2026, Growing at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2019-2026.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

5. Statista. “Worldwide Installations of Industrial Robots From 2004 to 2020, with a Forecast Through 2024.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

6. Insider Monkey. “5 Biggest Robotics Companies in the World.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

7. CareerExplorer. “The Job Market for Robotics Engineers in the United States.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

8. Forbes. “Robotics Firms Garnered $6.3 Billion in Venture Funding During the Pandemic Year.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

9. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. “Which Countries and Industries Use the Most Robots?” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

10. National Defense. “Pentagon Gets $7.5 Billion for Unmanned Systems.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

11. Business Wire. “Replacing Humans with Robots Will Result in a 21.85% Increase in Savings by 2020, Says Technavio.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

12. Harvard Business Review. “Why Robots Won’t Steal Your Job.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

13. McKinsey & Company. “Industrial Robotics: Insights into the Sector’s Future Growth Dynamics.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

14. MedTech Dive. “Robotic Surgeries Surge to 15% of all Procedures, Despite Limited Evidence.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

15. Cision. “The $13Bn Industrial Robotics Market in North America, 2026 – Experiencing a CAGR of 11.67% From 2019.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

16. International Federation of Robotics. “Robot Density Rises Globally.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

17. Medium. “The Role of AI and Robotics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

18. Robotics Technician Training Online Education Program. “Understanding the 5 Primary Areas of Robotics.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

19. Robotics Technician Training Online Education Program. “Understanding the 5 Primary Areas of Robotics.” Accessed on December 10, 2021.

20. International Federation of Robotics. “World Robotics Report: ‘All-Time High’ with Half a Million Robots Installed in one Year.” Accessed on March 7, 2023.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.