Robotics market
EU robot installations fell 11% as the bloc's robot stock passed 700,000
60,500 robots installed across the European Union, 11% fewer than the year before. In the same year the EU's working robot stock passed the 700,000 milestone, reaching 712,000.
Both are true because one is a flow and the other a stock. Annual installations dipped while the cumulative fleet kept growing, up more than 80% since 2015. Germany installed 24,800 robots, 41% of the EU total, followed by Italy at 7,800.
This page traces the EU figures to IFR's EU-27 release and keeps the European Union separate from Europe as a whole, which takes in non-EU markets and produces larger numbers.
Data covers Industrial robot installations and operational stock in the EU-27 in 2025 (IFR World Robotics 2026 EU-27 release, September 2026). Published 2026-10-06. Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Last updated 2026-10-06. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60,500 (-11%) | EU-27 installations | [A] | High | Annual flow: robots added during the year. |
| -11% | Change from the previous year | [A] | High | IFR calls it a short-term contraction. |
| 712,000 | EU-27 operational stock | [A] | High | Up more than 80% from 390,000 in 2015. |
| Over 700,000 | Stock milestone | [A] | High | The fleet kept growing even as yearly installations fell. |
| 84% | EU share of Europe's operational robots | [A] | High | Europe as a whole is larger than the EU-27; keep the two apart. |
| 24,800 (41% of EU) | Germany | [A] | High | The largest market in the EU and the fifth-largest in the world. |
| 7,800 (13% of EU) | Italy | [A] | High | Second-largest EU market. |
| 14,900 (-25%) | EU automotive installations | [A] | High | Down 25%. See the next row for its standing among customer industries. |
| Largest, about a quarter | Automotive standing among EU customers | [A] | High | IFR says the segment remains the EU's largest customer market despite the fall. |
| +3% a year | Average growth, 2020 to 2025 | [A] | Medium | The long-run trend, which the single-year fall interrupts rather than reverses. |
| 457,315 (+14%) | Asia installations, for comparison | [A] | High | From the same release. |
| 57,044 (+14%) | Americas installations, for comparison | [A] | High | From the same release. |
Why the numbers disagree
Flow and stock move differently. Installations are the robots added in a year; the operational stock is everything still working. A market can install fewer robots than last year and still end the year with more in service, which is what happened in the EU.
Europe and the European Union are different denominators. IFR's EU release covers the 27 member states, which hold 84% of Europe's operational robots. Figures for Europe as a whole include non-EU countries and are larger, so they should not be set against EU numbers.
Short-term and long-term point opposite ways. The 2025 change was minus 11%, while installations grew 3% a year on average from 2020 to 2025. IFR also notes that Europe is not investing as fast as Asia and North America. In 2025, installations rose 14% in both Asia and the Americas.
How to cite these figures
Cite 60,500 industrial robots installed in the EU-27 in 2025, down 11%, from IFR World Robotics 2026. Say EU-27, not Europe.
Pair the flow with the stock: 60,500 installed against an operational stock of 712,000. The contrast is the story.
For Germany, cite 24,800 installations and a 41% share of the EU market.
Where people go wrong
Reading the 11% fall as a shrinking robot fleet. The EU's operational stock still grew, past 700,000.
Comparing EU-27 figures with Europe-wide figures from other releases. They cover different sets of countries.
Swapping the long-run average for the single-year change. One is plus 3% a year, the other minus 11% in one year.
How we checked
Every figure comes from IFR's World Robotics 2026 release on the EU-27, published alongside its global release. The Asia and Americas totals appear in the same document and are included for comparison only.
The stock comparison, 712,000 in 2025 against 390,000 in 2015, is IFR's own; we quote it rather than computing growth ourselves.
Germany's 2025 figure appears here because IFR reports it within the EU total. Our page on Germany's 2024 installations stays as the record for that year.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]International Federation of Robotics (IFR)September 24, 2026
IFR, "European Union's Industrial Robot Stock Hits Record 700,000 Units" (World Robotics 2026 EU-27 release)
https://ifr.org/downloads/press_docs/EN-2026-SEP-14-IFR_Press_Release_WR-EU-27.pdf
Common questions
- How many robots did the EU install in 2025?
- 60,500 industrial robots across the 27 member states, an 11% contraction, according to IFR World Robotics 2026.
- How many industrial robots are in operation in the EU?
- 712,000 at the end of 2025, past the 700,000 milestone and up from 390,000 in 2015. That is 84% of all operational industrial robots in Europe.
- Which EU country installs the most robots?
- Germany, with 24,800 installations in 2025, 41% of the EU total and the fifth-largest market worldwide. Italy follows with 7,800.
- Is EU robot demand falling?
- It fell 11% in 2025, led by automotive, down 25%. Over 2020 to 2025 installations still grew 3% a year on average, and IFR notes Europe is not investing as fast as Asia and North America.
More data, traced to source
- Europe installed 85,000 industrial robots in 2024, down 8%
Europe installed 85,000 industrial robots in 2024, an 8% drop, with the European Union accounting for 67,800 of them. These are annual installations from the IFR World Robotics yearbook, separate from the total operational fleet.
- Germany installed 26,982 robots in 2024, still Europe's largest
Germany installed 26,982 industrial robots in 2024, down 5%, and stayed the largest robot market in Europe and the fifth-largest in the world, per the IFR World Robotics yearbook. The ranking held even as the raw count slipped.
- The world's operational robot stock passed 5 million
The number of industrial robots in operation worldwide rose 9% to a record 5 million, more than double the count seven years earlier, per IFR World Robotics 2026. That running stock is separate from the more than 600,000 installed in the year.
- The US overtook Japan to become the world's No. 2 robot market
US factories installed 38,400 industrial robots, up 12%, passing Japan for second place behind China, per IFR World Robotics 2026. IFR's June preliminary figure was 38,000, and its global release rounds the total to almost 38,500.
- Where the world's new robots go: by region and by industry
Asia took 74% of the world's new robot installations in 2024, Europe 16%, the Americas 9%. The United States installed 34,200 robots in 2024, and around 40% of them went to automotive. Where robots actually go, traced to source.