Industrial automation continues to expand globally, with the number of robots operating in factories reaching more than five million units. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the global operational stock increased 9% last year to approximately 5.08 million robots.

The milestone highlights how deeply automation has become embedded in modern manufacturing. The industry’s expansion has also accelerated in recent years, with the operational stock now more than double its level seven years ago. Growth has been strongest in Asia, followed by the Americas, while Europe has progressed at a slower pace.

Annual Installations Cross 600,000

The pace of new deployments also strengthened. Industrial robot installations increased 11% to 603,000 units during the year, taking annual installations above 600,000 for the first time.

The figures suggest that automation investment is continuing even as manufacturers operate in an environment shaped by changing production costs, technological development and evolving global supply chains. The scale of the installed base also means that robotics is no longer limited to isolated applications but represents a significant part of industrial production infrastructure.

Europe Takes a More Cautious Path

Europe’s automation expansion has been more measured. The European Union’s operational stock surpassed 700,000 robots for the first time in 2025, reaching approximately 712,000 units. That represented 84% of all robots operating across Europe.

The increase represents substantial long-term investment. The EU’s operational stock has grown by more than 80% since 2015, when approximately 390,000 industrial robots were in operation. However, the latest installation figures point to a slowdown in new investment.

New EU Installations Decline

New industrial robot installations across the EU fell 11% in 2025 to about 60,500 units. That decline contrasts with the acceleration recorded in other regions and leaves the bloc with a five-year compound annual growth rate of roughly 3%.

The difference between the expanding installed base and weaker new installations is an important feature of Europe’s current automation landscape. Manufacturers have already built a substantial robotics infrastructure, but the latest figures indicate that the pace of additional deployment has moderated.

Asia Remains the Main Growth Engine

The global figures point to a widening regional difference in automation momentum. Asia remains the strongest source of growth, while the Americas are also expanding faster than Europe. The result is an increasingly important role for robotics in the competitive structure of global manufacturing.

For investors and industrial companies, the five-million-robot milestone provides a useful measure of how quickly automation has moved from a specialized technology toward a mainstream production tool. The next phase will depend not only on how many additional robots are installed, but also on how manufacturers deploy increasingly advanced automation technologies across their operations.