Sales of service robots up 30% worldwide, agricultural robots +21%
Sales of professional service robots increased by 30% worldwide. More than 205,000 units were registered by IFR’s statistics department in 2023. Nearly 80% of the robots came from the Asia-Pacific region with 162,284 units sold. Europe followed with 33,918 units and the Americas with 8,927 units sold. This is according to the World Robotics 2024 Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
The service robotics industry is on the move: more and more robots are serving on factory floors, in shopping centers or helping with deliveries on the street
Sales of agricultural robots show strong growth (+21%), with almost 20,000 units sold in 2023. The shortage of human labor in times of severe demographic change and the demand for more sustainable precision agriculture make service robots a key player in this market.
More than one in two professional service robots sold in 2023 were built for the application class Transportation and Logistics. Sales grew by 35%, with nearly 113,000 units sold in 2023. As the industry suffers from a significant labour shortage, there is a strong demand for technological support. For example, one of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers is loading and unloading, where robotic applications offer dedicated solutions for automation. Making the application easy to use and understand for non-technical staff is key to adoption.
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Most companies in the US
The United States is home to the largest number of service and medical robot manufacturers in the world, with 199 companies headquartered there. 66% of these manufacturers produce professional service robots, 27% consumer service robots and 12% medical robots.
China ranks second with a total of 107 service and medical robot manufacturers. The proportion of companies offering professional service robots is even higher than in the US, at 80%. A total of 34% offer consumer robots and only 5% medical robots.
Germany ranks third with 83 companies. Like China, it has a very high proportion of professional service robot manufacturers, with a share of 79%. A total of 17% offer consumer applications and 12% medical robots.
