Robotics market
Japan built 207,004 robots in 2025, up 17.5%, as exports jumped 28.2%
207,004. That's how many robots were produced in Japan in 2025, according to the Japan Robot Association, up 17.5% on 2024. Orders rose faster still, 20.0% to 218,987 units.
The growth went abroad. Exports climbed 28.2% to 173,323 units, while shipments to customers inside Japan fell 18.3% to 37,816. Domestic shipments to motor vehicle and auto parts makers dropped 26.4%.
This page traces the totals to JARA's 2025 results and sets them beside IFR's separate count of robots installed in Japan, which measures something different.
Data covers Orders, production and shipments of robots by Japanese makers in calendar 2025 versus 2024 (JARA 2025 results), with IFR's 2025 installation count for Japan for comparison. Published 2026-10-16. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Last updated 2026-10-16. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 207,004 (+17.5%) | Robots produced in Japan, 2025 | [A] | High | Production in units, up from 176,215 in 2024. JARA's totals cover members and non-members and include dedicated surface-mount and bonding machines. |
| ¥945,269 million (+21.0%) | Production value, 2025 | [A] | High | About ¥945 billion, up from ¥781,075 million. |
| 218,987 (+20.0%) | Orders received, 2025 | [A] | High | Orders in units, up from 182,464 in 2024. |
| ¥1,045,605 million (+25.7%) | Order value, 2025 | [A] | High | Just over ¥1 trillion in orders. |
| 211,139 (+16.4%) | Total shipments, 2025 | [A] | High | Domestic shipments plus exports. |
| 173,323 (+28.2%) | Exports, 2025 | [A] | High | Exports were 82.1% of unit shipments in 2025, up from 74.5% in 2024. |
| 37,816 (-18.3%) | Shipments inside Japan, 2025 | [A] | High | Down from 46,267 in 2024. |
| 9,511 (-26.4%) | Domestic shipments to motor vehicle and auto parts makers | [A] | High | A slice of the 37,816 domestic shipments, from JARA's table by customer industry. |
| 18,315 (+33.6%) | Spot welding robots shipped, 2025 | [A] | High | Exports of spot welding robots rose 51.1% to 16,677 while domestic shipments fell 38.5% to 1,638. |
| 36,219 (-19%) | IFR: industrial robots installed in Japan, 2025 | [B] | High | IFR counts robots installed in Japan from any maker. JARA counts what Japanese producers ship. Shown side by side only. |
Why the numbers disagree
JARA and IFR measure different things. JARA reports orders, production and shipments by robot makers in Japan, wherever the robots end up. IFR counts industrial robots installed in Japan, whoever made them. So Japan's production can climb 17.5% in the same year IFR records a 19% fall in installations at home.
JARA's totals are broader. Its tables cover JARA members and non-members and, per the release's own note, include dedicated surface-mount and bonding machines. Check that scope before comparing JARA's totals with any count of industrial robots.
Unit and yen growth differ. Production rose 17.5% in units and 21.0% in yen, and orders 20.0% in units and 25.7% in yen, so quote the measure you mean.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as JARA 2025 results: 207,004 robots produced in Japan in 2025, up 17.5%, and 218,987 ordered, up 20.0%.
Pair the export figure with the domestic one so the split is clear: 173,323 exported, up 28.2%, against 37,816 shipped inside Japan, down 18.3%.
If you set JARA's domestic shipments beside IFR's 36,219 installations, say that they come from different surveys with different scopes, and don't subtract one from the other.
Where people go wrong
Treating JARA production as robots installed in Japan. Most of it was exported: 82.1% of 2025 unit shipments.
Calling 2025 a boom for Japanese factories. Domestic shipments fell 18.3% and IFR's installation count fell 19%.
Comparing JARA's totals with IFR's industrial robot figures as if they used one definition. JARA's include dedicated surface-mount and bonding machines.
How we checked
Orders, production, shipments, exports and the industry breakdown come from JARA's calendar-2025 results tables, which compare 2024 and 2025 for JARA members and non-members. The PDF's text layer lists the 2024 value, the 2025 value and the change in that order, which is how each figure is quoted.
The installation figure comes from IFR's World Robotics 2026 release and appears only for comparison. We do no arithmetic between the two sources.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]Japan Robot Association (JARA)2026
Japan Robot Association (JARA), "2025 Results: Orders, Production and Shipments of Manipulators and Robots" (CY2025, PDF)
https://jara.jp/e/data/dl/year/IR_CY2025_e.pdf - [B]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 produce in 2025?
- 207,004 robots, up 17.5% from 176,215 in 2024, according to the Japan Robot Association's 2025 results. Production value rose 21.0% to ¥945,269 million.
- How many robots did Japan export in 2025?
- 173,323 units, up 28.2%, per JARA. Exports made up 82.1% of unit shipments.
- Why did Japan's production rise while installations in Japan fell?
- Because the growth went to export customers. JARA's domestic shipments fell 18.3% to 37,816, and IFR counts 36,219 industrial robots installed in Japan in 2025, down 19%.
- Are JARA and IFR figures comparable?
- Only loosely. JARA counts what makers in Japan order, produce and ship, including dedicated surface-mount and bonding machines. IFR counts industrial robots installed in a country from any maker.
More data, traced to source
- 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.
- 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 installations fell 19%, dropping it to third place
Japan installed 36,219 industrial robots, down 19%, and slipped from second to third in the world behind China and the United States, per IFR World Robotics 2026. IFR does not expect a major recovery soon.
- FANUC has shipped a million industrial robots since 1977
FANUC passed a cumulative one million industrial robots shipped in August 2023. It took 40 years to reach the first 500,000 and six more to double it. The milestone figures, from FANUC's own release.