Robotics market
Professional service robots hit about 200,000 units in 2024
Professional service robots are a smaller world than factory robots. About 200,000 sold in 2024, against roughly 542,000 industrial installs the same year.
Logistics dominates the category: 102,900 transport and handling robots sold, more than half the total. And the rent-don't-buy model is growing, with the robot-as-a-service fleet up 31%.
One caveat runs through all of it. These are IFR sample figures from a survey of suppliers, so they track the direction of the market, not a full-industry census.
Data covers Global professional service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| almost 200,000 units | Professional service robots sold (2024, press) | [C] | Medium | IFR press figure. Sample data, not projected to the whole industry. |
| more than 199,000 units | Professional service robots sold (2024, summary) | [D] | Medium | The executive summary's precise count. Same survey the press rounds to almost 200,000. |
| +9% | Growth, year over year | [C] | Medium | Sales grew 9% in 2024, on the IFR supplier sample. |
| 102,900 units | Transportation and logistics units (2024) | [C] | Medium | The largest application group, up 14%. More than half of all professional service robots sold. |
| +31% | Robot-as-a-service fleet growth (2024) | [C] | Medium | The RaaS fleet grew 31% in 2024 as firms rented rather than bought. |
| about 542,000 units | Industrial installs (2024, for scale) | [A] | High | Factory robot installs the same year, shown to size the service category against industrial. |
Why the numbers disagree
Service and industrial robots get lumped together, but they're counted differently and at very different scale. Professional service sales were about 200,000 in 2024; industrial installs were about 542,000. Don't add them or treat them as the same series.
The press rounds to almost 200,000; the executive summary registers more than 199,000. Same survey, one rounded and one precise, so a 200,000 cite and a 199,000 cite aren't in conflict.
The IFR is explicit that service robot data is a sample and isn't projected to the whole industry, and the sample changes each year. So year-to-year comparisons and the absolute total both carry more uncertainty than the industrial figures.
How to cite these figures
Cite the total as about 200,000 professional service robots sold in 2024, up 9%, and call it IFR sample data.
Lead with logistics: 102,900 units, the largest application group.
If you mention business models, note the robot-as-a-service fleet grew 31%.
Where people go wrong
Adding service robots to industrial installs. They're separate counts on different bases, about 200,000 versus about 542,000.
Presenting the total as a full-industry figure. It's a supplier sample the IFR does not project to the whole market.
Treating 200,000 and 199,000 as different results. One is the press rounding, the other the executive summary's precise count.
How we checked
The totals come from the IFR World Robotics 2025 Service Robots press release, which reports almost 200,000 units, and the executive summary, which registers more than 199,000. We confirmed both strings in their sources.
The 9% growth, the 102,900 logistics units, and the 31% RaaS fleet growth come from the press release. The industrial contrast figure of about 542,000 comes from the IFR's industrial press release.
We flag the sample caveat prominently because the IFR states the service data isn't projected to the whole industry and the sample composition varies each year.
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 - [A]International Federation of Robotics (IFR)September 25, 2025
IFR, "Global Robot Demand in Factories Doubles Over 10 Years" (World Robotics 2025 industrial press release)
https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/global-robot-demand-in-factories-doubles-over-10-years
Common questions
- How many service robots were sold in 2024?
- About 200,000 professional service robots, up 9%, per the IFR. The executive summary registers more than 199,000.
- Is that bigger than industrial robots?
- No. Professional service sales were about 200,000; industrial installs were about 542,000 the same year. They're separate counts on different bases.
- What kind of service robot sells most?
- Transportation and logistics robots, at 102,900 units in 2024, more than half the professional total.
- Can I treat these as full-industry totals?
- No. The IFR says the service figures are a supplier sample and aren't projected to the whole industry, and the sample changes each year.
More data, traced to source
- Medical robot sales jumped 91% to about 16,700 units in 2024
Medical robot sales rose 91% to about 16,700 units in 2024, the standout growth story inside the IFR's service robot data. It's 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.