Robotics market
Japan's robot installations fell 19%, dropping it to third place
36,219 robots installed, 19% fewer than the year before. Japan's 2025 decline was steep enough to move it from the world's second-largest robot market to third, behind China and the United States.
The change of rank came from both directions: US installations rose 12% in the same year. IFR expects Japanese demand to grow slightly but says a major recovery is unlikely in the short to medium term. Japan remains the second-largest market in Asia, after China.
This page traces the Japanese figure and the ranking change to IFR's release, and keeps installations in Japan apart from robots built by Japanese manufacturers, which is where the two most often get confused.
Data covers Industrial robot installations in Japan in 2025 (IFR World Robotics 2026, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36,219 (-19%) | Installations in Japan | [A] | High | IFR's US release rounds the same total to 36,200. |
| Third | Japan's world rank | [A] | High | Down from second place in 2024. |
| almost 38,500 (+12%) | The market that passed Japan | [A] | High | IFR's US release gives the final US figure as 38,400. |
| 30,000 (-1%) | Korea, the next market down | [A] | High | Fourth worldwide and only about 6,000 units behind Japan. |
| No major recovery soon | IFR outlook for Japan | [A] | Medium | IFR expects slight growth rather than a rebound. |
Why the numbers disagree
Third place is a statement about Japan's home market, not its robot industry. These figures count robots put to work in Japanese factories. Japan's robot makers are measured separately, by production and exports, and a weak home market can sit alongside a strong manufacturing base.
The rank change has two causes. Japan fell 19% while the US rose 12%. Quoting either movement alone overstates its role in the swap.
One year is not a trend. IFR's outlook expects slight growth rather than continued decline, though not a major recovery in the short to medium term. The 19% fall describes 2025, not a settled trajectory.
How to cite these figures
Cite 36,219 industrial robots installed in Japan in 2025, down 19%, from IFR World Robotics 2026.
Name the year with the rank. Japan was third in 2025 installations, after being second in 2024.
Keep installations in Japan separate from production by Japanese makers. They measure different things and will not match.
Where people go wrong
Calling Japan the world's second-largest robot market without a year. That held for 2024; the United States passed it in 2025.
Reading a home-market decline as a decline in Japan's robot industry. Installations measure domestic demand only.
Treating the 19% fall as the new normal. IFR expects slight growth, though not a major recovery soon.
How we checked
The Japanese figure, the ranking change and the outlook all come from IFR's World Robotics 2026 global release. We quote its unrounded 36,219 and note that the US release gives 36,200.
Our page on Japan's 2024 installations keeps its figures and now dates its ranking claims, so the two pages describe consecutive years rather than contradicting each other.
Korea appears because it sits close behind Japan, which shows how tightly the second tier of markets is now bunched.
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, "Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally" (World Robotics 2026 industrial robots release)
https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/five-million-robots-now-operate-in-factories-globally
Common questions
- How many robots did Japan install in 2025?
- 36,219 industrial robots, a 19% decrease, according to IFR World Robotics 2026.
- Where did Japan rank in 2025?
- Third in the world by installations, behind China and the United States. It had been second in 2024.
- Why did Japan fall to third?
- Two movements together: Japanese installations fell 19% while US installations rose 12%, to almost 38,500 in IFR's global release.
- Will Japanese demand recover?
- IFR expects demand to grow slightly but says a major recovery is unlikely in the short to medium term.
More data, traced to source
- Japan installed 44,500 robots in 2024, second only to China
Japan installed 44,500 industrial robots in 2024, a slight 4% decrease, which kept it the world's second-largest market that year. This counts robots installed in Japan, separate from robots produced by Japanese makers.
- Japan builds robots for export, not for home
Japan is the world's robot workshop, and most of what it makes leaves the country. In the big welding applications, Japanese makers ship several times more robots abroad than at home.
- Japan's robot factories: 176,215 built and 182,464 ordered
Japan is the world's dominant maker of industrial robots. Its makers built 176,215 units and took orders for 182,464 in the latest year, both down from the year before. The source figures, in units and yen.
- 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.
- Korea's robot industry passed 6 trillion won in sales
Korea, the world leader in robot density, has a domestic robot industry of 2,509 firms that has passed 6 trillion won in sales. The source figures behind a market that is rarely traced in Western coverage.