Record Number of Industrial Robots in Use on US Factory Floors

The International Federation of Robotics’ (IFR) new World Robotics report registered 381,964 industrial robots in use on U.S. factory floors in 2023 — an increase of 10% over the prior year. The report stated that annual installations reached 37,587 units in 2023, down 5% but still making it the third best result in U.S. history.

The U.S. accounted for 77% of total installations in North America in 2023, according to IFR, placing it third in the world behind Japan and China. IFR noted that a sizable number of investments have been announced by the automotive industry, which should stimulate demand for robots going forward.

The automotive industry remains the largest U.S. market for industrial robots, accounting for 33% of total installations in 2023. Canadian automotive industry installations grew 95% to a new peak level of 2,500 units installed 2023. In Mexico, automotive demand surged in 2021 and 2022, before declining by 5% to 4,087 units in 2023.

Global Outlook: Robots on the Rise

The new World Robotics report recorded 4,281,585 units operating in factories worldwide — an increase of 10%, as annual installations exceeded half a million units for the third consecutive year. By region, 70% of all newly deployed robots in 2023 were installed in Asia, 17% in Europe and 10% in the Americas. China is by far the world’s largest market, with the 276,288 industrial robots installed in 2023 representing 51% of global installations.

Japan remained the second largest industrial robot market with installation of 46,106 units in 2023 (down 9%). South Korea, which is the fourth largest robot market in the world in terms of annual installations — after the U.S., Japan and China — trended sideways in 2023 with installations of 31,444 units down 1% year on year. India remains one of the fastest growing emerging Asian economies, with robot installations up by 59% to 8,510 units in 2023 — a new high.