Sales of Service Robots up 30% Worldwide

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Sales of professional service robots increased by 30% worldwide. More than 205,000 units were registered by IFR's statistics department in 2023. Nearly 80% of the robots came from the Asia-Pacific region with 162,284 units sold. Europe followed with 33,918 units and the Americas with 8,927 units sold. This is according to the World Robotics 2024 Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

"The service robotics industry is on the move: more and more robots are serving on factory floors, in shopping centers or helping with deliveries on the street," says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics.

Top applications for professional service robots by units sold

More than one in two professional service robots sold in 2023 were built for the application class Transportation and Logistics. Sales grew by 35%, with nearly 113,000 units sold in 2023. As the industry suffers from a significant labour shortage, there is a strong demand for technological support. For example, one of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers is loading and unloading, where robotic applications offer dedicated solutions for automation. Making the application easy to use and understand for non-technical staff is key to adoption.

A shortage of skilled workers is also driving demand for automation in outdoor environments without public traffic. Robot types in this class range from automated conventional vehicles, such as forklifts or tractors, to customized solutions, often with a weatherproof enclosure for the goods being transported.

Hospitality robots are becoming increasingly popular: More than 54,000 units (+31%) were sold in 2023. Robots for mobile guidance, information and telepresence account for the majority of these robots. As the sector is evolving rapidly, some key applications have emerged, such as food and beverage preparation, as well as guidance and information points in public environments.

Sales of agricultural robots show strong growth (+21%), with almost 20,000 units sold in 2023. The shortage of human labor in times of severe demographic change and the demand for more sustainable precision agriculture make service robots a key player in this market.

The market for professional cleaning robots grew by 4% to almost 12,000 units sold. The main application is floor cleaning. This represents approximately 70% of the units sold in this application group.

In accordance with ISO standard the World Robotics 2024 yearbook considers medical robots as a third category alongside service robots and industrial robots: Sales of medical robots increased by 36% to around 6,100 units in 2023. Sales of rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy robots were up 128%. Demand for surgery robots rose by +14% and sales of robots for diagnostics increased by +25%.

Top 3 countries of Service and Medical Robot Suppliers

The United States is home to the largest number of service and medical robot manufacturers in the world, with 199 companies headquartered there. 66% of these manufacturers produce professional service robots, 27% consumer service robots and 12% medical robots.

China ranks second with a total of 107 service and medical robot manufacturers. The proportion of companies offering professional service robots is even higher than in the US, at 80%. A total of 34% offer consumer robots and only 5% medical robots.

Germany ranks third with 83 companies. Like China, it has a very high proportion of professional service robot manufacturers, with a share of 79%. A total of 17% offer consumer applications and 12% medical robots.

From a regional perspective, the majority of service and medical robot manufacturers are based in Europe with a global market share of 44%, Asia with 29% and the Americas with 25%.

Please note: World Robotics Service Robots report is sample data. Data is NOT projected to the whole industry. Sample composition varies each year. Compiling or comparing data from different World Robotics Reports is strongly discouraged. All numbers at World Robotics Service Robots 2024 report are based on a sample of 298 service robot producers.