South Korea Tops IFR Industrial Robot Density Rankings at 1,066 Robots per 10,000 Workers
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South Korea ranked first globally for industrial robot density in manufacturing, with 1,066 operational robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Singapore followed at 873, Germany at 469 and Japan at 452. The global average reached a record 152 robots per 10,000 employees. IFR president Jane Heffner said the measure enables comparisons by adjusting operational robot counts for manufacturing employment.
IFR reported rising robot density across Europe, North America and Asia from 2020 to 2025. The European Union’s density increased 35% to 240 units per 10,000 employees, while North America rose 24% to 214. Asia climbed 47% to 144. Five EU countries—Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia and the Netherlands—ranked among the world’s 10 most automated manufacturing economies. The United States ranked eighth globally at 323 robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers; Canada recorded 242 and Mexico 64.
China’s robot density increased 147% between 2020 and 2025, reaching 193 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, while the country ranked 19th globally. IFR said its calculation used employment data from China’s National Economic Census, conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics. The reported figures provide a basis for tracking how manufacturing employment and robot installations shape country rankings; no further timeline or milestone was disclosed.
Original report
South Korea Leads IFR’s Global Robot Density Rankings as Manufacturing Automation Expands
AIInsider · Greg BockThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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