Robotics market
Medical robot sales jumped 91% to about 16,700 units in 2024
Medical robots were the fastest-growing corner of the robot world in 2024. Sales rose 91% to about 16,700 units.
The IFR now counts medical robots as their own category, apart from professional service robots. Within it, surgery robots grew 41% and rehabilitation and therapy robots 106%.
As with all IFR service data, these are sample figures from a survey of suppliers, so read them as direction and magnitude, not a full-industry census.
Data covers Global medical robot sales, 2024 (World Robotics 2025 Service Robots). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| about 16,700 units | Medical robots sold (2024) | [C] | Medium | IFR sample figure for 2024 medical robot sales. Now counted as a separate category. |
| +91% | Medical robot growth, year over year | [D] | Medium | The standout growth rate in the 2024 service data, on a small base. |
| +41% | Surgery robot growth (2024) | [C] | Medium | Demand for surgery robots rose 41% in 2024. |
| +106% | Rehabilitation and therapy robot growth (2024) | [C] | Medium | Rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy robots more than doubled in 2024. |
| +610% | Diagnostics and lab robot growth (2024) | [C] | Medium | Robots for diagnostics and medical laboratory analysis grew 610% off a very small base. |
| more than 199,000 units | Professional service robots (2024, for separation) | [D] | Medium | The professional service total, shown to make clear the 16,700 medical units are counted separately. |
Why the numbers disagree
The 91% is a growth rate on a small base, about 16,700 units, so it swings hard. A big percentage on a low count looks dramatic but represents a modest number of machines next to industrial robots.
Medical robots are now a separate category from professional service robots. Older figures that folded them together won't match, and the 199,000 professional service total doesn't include the 16,700 medical units.
It's sample data. The IFR surveys suppliers and doesn't project the result to the whole industry, and the sample changes each year, so the growth rates carry real uncertainty.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as medical robot sales up 91% to about 16,700 units in 2024, per the IFR.
If you break it down, note surgery robots up 41% and rehabilitation and therapy robots up 106%.
Call it a separate category from professional service robots, and flag it as IFR sample data.
Where people go wrong
Reading 91% as a large absolute market. It's growth on about 16,700 units, small next to industrial robots.
Folding medical into the professional service total. The IFR now counts them separately, so 16,700 sits outside the 199,000 professional figure.
Treating the sample as a full-industry census. The IFR does not project the service data to the whole market.
How we checked
The medical figures come from the IFR World Robotics 2025 Service Robots press release and executive summary. We confirmed the about 16,700 unit count and the 91% growth rate in those sources.
The sub-category rates, surgery up 41%, rehabilitation and therapy up 106%, and diagnostics up 610%, come from the press release. The 199,000 professional service figure, shown to keep the categories separate, comes from the executive summary.
We flag the sample caveat because the IFR states the service and medical data is a supplier sample and isn't projected to the whole industry.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [C]International Federation of Robotics (IFR)October 7, 2025
IFR, "Service Robots See Global Growth Boom" (World Robotics 2025 service robots press release)
https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/service-robots-see-global-growth-boom - [D]International Federation of Robotics (IFR)2025
IFR, Executive Summary, World Robotics 2025: Service Robots
https://ifr.org/img/worldrobotics/Executive_Summary_WR_2025_Service_Robots.pdf
Common questions
- How fast are medical robot sales growing?
- Sales rose 91% in 2024 to about 16,700 units, the fastest-growing part of the IFR's service robot data.
- Is 16,700 units a big market?
- It's small next to industrial robots, which are counted in the hundreds of thousands per year. The 91% is strong growth on a low base.
- Are medical robots counted with service robots?
- The IFR now counts them as a separate category. The 16,700 medical units sit outside the 199,000 professional service total.
- Which medical robots grew fastest?
- Diagnostics and lab robots grew 610% off a tiny base, rehabilitation and therapy robots 106%, and surgery robots 41%, per the IFR.
More data, traced to source
- Professional service robots hit about 200,000 units in 2024
Sales of professional service robots reached almost 200,000 units in 2024, up 9%, with logistics robots the biggest slice. It's IFR sample data, not a full-industry total. This page traces it.
- 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.
- 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.