FOCUS ON ROBOTICS
“ The International Federation of Robotics’ has released its‘ World Robotics 2026 Report’, with the latest market statistics on global robotics’ adoption.”
RISE OF THE ROBOTS
We present global market forecasts, key trends, advanced technologies and new requirements for industrial robotics.
Image: Shutterstock. com.
The global operational stock of industrial robots surged 9 % to a record fivemillion units in 2025, according to the recently released‘ World Robotics 2026 Report’ from the International Federation of Robotics( IFR). This was driven by an 11 % jump in annual installations. Factories worldwide installed more than 600,000 new units over the year.
“ Industrial automation is progressing at high speed,” commented Jane Heffner, President of the International Federation of Robotics.“ The new mark of five million robots operational in factories worldwide is more than double the number seven years ago. The strongest growth is taking place in Asia, followed by Americas. Europe is moving ahead more slowly,” she continued.
Structural drivers such as demographic change will continue to support robotics’ demand, said the IFR, while technological progress is expanding the range of technologically feasible and economically viable robot applications. Advances in artificial intelligence, machine vision and sensing are increasing robot capabilities, while easier programming and system integration are reducing deployment costs and opening automation to new applications and customer groups.
An eye on Asia
China has further strengthened its position as the world leader in robot adoption.
According to the new IFR report, annual installations grew by 20 % year-on-year and now account for 59 % of global deployments. The latest figures show that 354,000 industrial robots were installed in 2025 – exceeding last year’ s annual total record by almost 60,000 units.
“ Chinese manufacturers have sold more than foreign suppliers in their home country. Their installations rose by 15 %, reaching 195,000 units – a domestic market share of 55 % in 2025, compared to 57 % in 2024,” explained the IFR.
48 | ismr. net | ISMR October 2026