Robotics market
North American robot orders rose 6.6% in 2025 to 36,766 units
North American companies ordered 36,766 robots worth $2.25 billion in 2025, up 6.6% in units over 2024. After a flat, slow 2024, that is a real rebound.
The source is A3, the Association for Advancing Automation, which tracks quarterly and annual orders for the region. The 2024 story is on our existing orders page; this one covers the full 2025 numbers.
The headline growth is genuine, and it is easy to overstate. Orders are not installations, one quarter is not a trend, and units and dollars move differently. This page traces the figures and flags each of those.
Data covers A3 North American robot order data, full-year 2025 (with Q4 2025 detail). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36,766 robots | Robots ordered, full-year 2025 | [A] | High | The full-year 2025 North American order count, up 6.6% in units over 2024. This is the annual figure to quote. |
| $2.25 billion | Order value, full-year 2025 | [A] | High | Dollar value of 2025 orders. Track whether a headline cites units or dollars, since they can move at different rates. |
| +6.6% vs 2024 | Year-over-year change, units | [A] | High | Units grew 6.6% over 2024. The same 6.6% also describes Q4 unit growth in the release, so check which period a source means. |
| 10,325 robots | Robots ordered, Q4 2025 | [A] | Medium | A single quarter, worth $579 million. Quarterly totals swing hard, so treat one quarter as a data point, not a trend. |
| 7,212 units (19.6% of orders) | Collaborative robots, full-year 2025 | [A] | Medium | Cobots were 7,212 units in 2025, or 19.6% of all robots ordered and a smaller 10.7% of revenue. A3 first split cobots out in Q1 2025, so the annual series is new. |
| 28.6% of units (2,953 robots) | Cobot share of Q4 2025 orders | [A] | Medium | In Q4 2025 cobots hit 28.6% of units, 2,953 robots, and 14.7% of quarterly revenue. The share is climbing quarter to quarter but is still a minority of orders. |
Why the numbers disagree
Units versus dollars again. A3 reports both, and 2025 unit growth (6.6%) does not have to match revenue growth. A story leading with one and charting the other looks contradictory even when both are right.
Year versus quarter. The annual figure (36,766) is stable; quarterly counts like Q4's 10,325 are volatile, driven by a few large orders landing in one period. The 6.6% figure describes both 2025 units and Q4 units, which invites mix-ups.
Orders versus installations, and the region. A3 counts orders across North America, including Canada and Mexico, not US installations. Orders lead deployment and are not the same as robots on the floor.
How to cite these figures
For a stable number, cite the annual: 36,766 robots worth $2.25 billion ordered in North America in 2025, up 6.6% in units, per A3.
State units or dollars, and do not pair a unit count with a dollar growth rate in one sentence.
For cobots, use the full-year share: 7,212 units, or 19.6% of 2025 orders. The Q4 share (28.6%) is higher but is a single quarter.
Where people go wrong
Reading Q4's 10,325 units or the 28.6% cobot share as the annual story. Quarters are noisy and run higher or lower than the year.
Calling North American orders US orders. A3's region includes Canada and Mexico.
Treating orders as installed robots. A3 counts what was ordered, which leads deployment and can differ in total.
How we checked
The figures trace to A3's full-year 2025 order release, published on automate.org. We confirmed 36,766, $2.25 billion, 6.6%, 10,325, $579 million, 7,212, 19.6%, 2,953, and 28.6% appear in that release before publishing.
We separated annual figures from single quarters and labeled each, since A3's own release uses 6.6% for both 2025 units and Q4 units. We took cobot shares directly from the release.
A3 is the standard reference for North American robot demand. We treat it as authoritative for order volume while noting it does not measure installed base or the wider economy.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]Association for Advancing Automation (A3)February 6, 2026
Robot Orders Grow 6.6% in 2025 as General Industries Drive Broader Automation Adoption (A3 full-year 2025 order data)
https://www.automate.org/robotics/news/robot-orders-grow-6-6-in-2025-as-general-industries-drive-broader-automation-adoption
Common questions
- How many robots did North America order in 2025?
- 36,766, worth $2.25 billion, according to A3. That was up 6.6% in units over 2024, a rebound after a flat 2024.
- Who publishes these numbers?
- A3, the Association for Advancing Automation. It is the standard source behind US trade coverage of robot orders, whether or not an article names it.
- What share of 2025 orders were cobots?
- Collaborative robots were 7,212 units, or 19.6% of all robots ordered in 2025, and 10.7% of revenue. In Q4 2025 alone, cobots were 28.6% of units.
- Do orders mean robots installed?
- No. A3 counts orders, which lead installations, and covers North America including Canada and Mexico, not US deployments.
More data, traced to source
- North American robot orders: the quarterly number every trade outlet quotes
Every US robotics headline about orders traces to one source: the quarterly data from the Association for Advancing Automation. Here are the figures, and how to read them without getting the story wrong.
- Cobots are about 10% of robot installations, not the majority
Collaborative robots get outsized attention, but they were 10.5% of the industrial robots installed worldwide in 2023. Cobots are a tenth of the market, not the future-is-here majority the coverage implies.
- 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.