World Robotics Report 2023: Asia leads Europe and the Americas
Growth in all regions and major markets
The new World Robotics Report records the number of industrial robots installed in factories worldwide at 553,052 units, an increase of 5% year-on-year. By region, 73% of newly deployed robots were installed in Asia, 15% in Europe and 10% in the Americas.
“The world record of 500,000 units has been broken for the second year in a row,” said Marina Beer, president of the International Federation of Robotics. “By 2023, the industrial robot market is expected to grow by 7 percent to more than 590,000 units worldwide. ”
Asia, Europe and the Americas – Overview
China is by far the largest market in the world. The number of installations in 2022 was 290,258, replacing the previous record for 2021 with a 5% increase. This latest increase is remarkable and even exceeds the results of 2021, which represents a 57% increase compared to 2020. To serve this dynamic market, domestic and foreign robot suppliers have set up production plants in China and are constantly increasing their capacity. Average annual robot installations are growing by 13% annually (2017-2022).
Robot installations in Japan rose 9 percent to 50,413 units, surpassing the 49,908 units installed before the 2019 pandemic. The 2018 peak level remained at 55,240 units. In the industrial robot market, Japan is second only to China and ranks second in size. Annual installations grow by an average of 2% per year (2017-2022). Japan is the world’s leading robot manufacturer, accounting for 46% of global robot production.
The market in the Republic of Korea grew by 1%, with 31,716 installations in 2022. This is the second year of marginal growth after four years of declining installations. South Korea remains the world’s fourth-largest robot market, behind the United States, Japan and China.
Europe
In 2022, the EU was the world’s second largest market, with annual installations reaching 70,781 units, an increase of 5%.
Germany is one of the top five global purchasers, with a market share of 36% within the EU. Installations in Germany fell 1% to 25,636 units.
Italy is close behind, with a 16% market share within the EU and an 8% increase in installations to 11,475 units.
The third largest market in the EU is France, which has a 10% market share and a 13% increase with 7,380 installations in 2022.
In post-Brexit Britain, the installation of industrial robots increased by 3% to 2,534 units in 2022. But that is less than a tenth of German sales.
America
In the Americas, installations grew 8% to 56,053 units in 2022, surpassing the peak of 55,212 units in 2018. The United States is the largest regional market, accounting for 73% of the total installed capacity in the Americas in 2022. Robot installations increased 10 percent to 39,576 units. This is only slightly below the peak of 40,373 units reached in 2018. The main growth driver was the automotive sector, which saw a 47% surge in installations (14,472 units). The share of the automotive sector has now recovered to 37%, followed by the metal and machinery sector (3,900 units) and the electrical/electronics sector (3,732 units).
The other two major markets were Mexico (up 13% in installations) (6,000 units) and Canada (down 24% in demand) (3,223 units). This is the result of falling demand from the automotive sector, the strongest buyer.
Brazil is an important production base for cars and auto parts: The International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers (OICA) reports that 2.4 million vehicles were produced in 2022. This shows the huge potential for automation in the country. However, annual robot installations in Brazil have grown rather slowly, with cyclical ups and downs, with 1,858 robots installed in 2022, a 4 percent increase over the previous year.
outlook
2023 will be marked by a slowdown in global economic growth. Robot installations in 2023 are not expected to follow this pattern. There is no sign that the overall long-term growth trend will end any time soon – quite the opposite is the case, with global installations expected to reach 600,000 units by 2024.
