Robotics market
Electronics passed automotive as the top robot buyer in 2024
For years the automotive industry drove robot demand. In 2024 that lead flipped: electronics took 24% of the world's new installations and automotive 23%.
It's a narrow margin, about a percentage point, and the two have traded places several times. The IFR calls 2024 the year electronics reclaimed the lead.
This page traces the industry shares out of the 542,076 robots installed in 2024, and flags how thin the electronics edge really is.
Data covers Global robot installations by customer industry, 2024 (World Robotics 2025). Published 2026-07-22. Last reviewed 2026-07-22. Last updated 2026-07-22. Edited by Mike Ramsey / Reliable Media.
The figures and where they come from
Each figure is rated for how safely you can cite it today. Ratings judge current usability, not whether a number was ever correct.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Citation Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 542,076 units | Total installations (2024) | [B] | High | The 2024 install base the industry shares are drawn from. |
| 24% | Electronics share of installs (2024) | [B] | High | The electrical/electronics industry, the largest customer industry in 2024, up 1 percentage point. |
| 23% | Automotive share of installs (2024) | [B] | Medium | Automotive's share in the executive summary lead. The report's detailed chapter lists 24%, so the gap behind electronics is narrow. |
| 16% | Metal and machinery share (2024) | [B] | High | The third largest customer industry in 2024, up 2 percentage points. |
| 5% | Plastic and chemical products share (2024) | [B] | High | Fourth among classified customer industries in 2024. |
| 14% | Installs with no industry recorded (2024) | [B] | Medium | About 14% of 2024 installs carry no customer-industry information, so the shares describe the classified remainder. |
Why the numbers disagree
The lead is close enough that rounding and revisions can flip it. Electronics was 24% and automotive 23% in the executive summary lead, a gap of about one percentage point out of 542,076 installs. A small change either way could swap them.
The two industries have switched positions repeatedly. Calling one 'the' top robot buyer as if it were settled misses that the ranking is close and moves year to year.
A big chunk of installs carry no industry label. About 14% of 2024 installations have no customer-industry information, so the shares are drawn from the portion that's classified.
How to cite these figures
Say electronics led in 2024 at 24% of installations, just ahead of automotive at 23%, and call the margin narrow.
Anchor the shares to the base: 542,076 robots installed in 2024.
Name the next tier if it helps: metal and machinery at 16%, plastic and chemical products at 5%.
Where people go wrong
Treating automotive as the permanent top robot customer. Electronics led in 2024, and the two keep trading places.
Reporting the electronics lead as decisive. It was about one percentage point, 24% to 23%.
Forgetting the unclassified share. About 14% of 2024 installs have no industry recorded, so the percentages describe the labeled remainder.
How we checked
The industry shares come from the executive summary of World Robotics 2025: Industrial Robots. We confirmed the 24%, 23%, 16%, 5%, and 14% shares and the 542,076 install total in that document.
We use the executive summary's lead figures, where electronics is 24% and automotive 23%. The same document's detailed chapter lists automotive at 24%, which is why we treat the gap as narrow rather than clean.
We report the unclassified 14% alongside the industry shares so the percentages aren't read as covering every installed robot.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [B]International Federation of Robotics (IFR)2025
IFR, Executive Summary, World Robotics 2025: Industrial Robots
https://ifr.org/img/worldrobotics/Executive_Summary_WR_2025_Industrial_Robots.pdf
Common questions
- Which industry installs the most robots?
- Electronics, as of 2024. It took 24% of new installations worldwide, just ahead of automotive at 23%, per the IFR.
- Isn't automotive the biggest robot user?
- It was for years, and it's still close. In 2024 electronics led at 24% and automotive was 23%. The two have swapped places several times.
- How big was the electronics lead?
- About one percentage point, 24% to 23%. The executive summary lists automotive at 23% in its lead and 24% in its detailed chapter, so treat the gap as narrow.
- What are the next biggest robot-buying industries?
- Metal and machinery at 16%, then plastic and chemical products at 5%. About 14% of installs have no recorded industry.
More data, traced to source
- Where the world's new robots go: by region and by industry
Asia takes 74% of the world's new robot installations, Europe 16%, the Americas 9%. Within the US, automotive leads at 13,700 of 34,300 units. Where robots actually go, traced to source.
- China builds most of the world's robots: 556,000 made in 2024
China produced 556,000 industrial robots in 2024, up 14.2%, and installed 295,000 of the world's new ones. The country both makes and buys more robots than anywhere else, traced to the source figures.
- Robot installations did not set a record last year: they peaked in 2022
Coverage calls each year's robot installations a record. They are not. Installations peaked in 2022 at 552,946 units, and both 2023 and 2024 came in below that, with the next record forecast for 2028.