Published : 20/11/2025
China has become the world's largest manufacturer of robots and possesses the world's largest robot market, with its industry developing rapidly.
Government policy support, a complete industrial system, and continuous corporate innovation are all indispensable to the booming development of China's robot industry.
Let's take a look at how China's robots have ascended to the number one spot in the world.
China's industrial robots become mainstay
Today, China has the world's largest robot market. According to a report by Morgan Stanley, China's robot market reached 47 billion USD (approximately 335.3 billion RMB) in 2024, accounting for 40% of the global total.
It is expected to double again by 2028, increasing to 108 billion USD (approximately 770.6 billion RMB).
Not only does China have a huge market, it is also the world's largest production base for robot products, accounting for 55% of global output.
What is more noteworthy is that the localisation rate of China's robot industry is as high as 90%.
This means China has a high level of domestic mastery of robot technology and components, with low dependence on imported components.
Among the many fields of robot, industrial robot is the mainstay of the entire robot industry. In this regard, China is manufacturing and installing industrial robots at a pace far exceeding that of other countries.
First, let's see how many industrial robots China has manufactured.
China has been the world's largest market for industrial robots for 12 consecutive years. The production output of industrial robots increased from 33,000 units in 2015 to 556,000 units in 2024, which means it has grown by about 16 times in less than 10 years.
Secondly, China not only manufactures a vast number of robots, but also extensively deploys industrial robots in factories.
A report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) stated that 300,000 new robots were installed in Chinese factories in 2024, surpassing the total of the rest of the world.
The density of China's industrial robot leaped from 97 units per 10,000 people in 2017 to 470 units per 10,000 people in 2023, an increase of nearly five times.
After adopting robot technology, enterprises have seen a 30% increase in labour productivity.
Meanwhile, in addition to a mass installation of industrial robots, they are also widely used in many fields in China.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2023, the application of industrial robots currently covers 60 major industry categories and 168 sub-categories of the national economy.
Read more: How do China's industrial robots accelerate smart manufacturing?
Of course, besides industrial robots, other robots such as service robots, special-purpose robots, robot dogs have also achieved large-scale application in fields like warehousing and logistics, education and entertainment, cleaning services, security and inspection, and medical rehabilitation.
In 2024, China's production of service robots was 10.519 million units, a year-on-year increase of 34.3%.
Besides large-scale application, innovation in China's robot industry is also at the forefront of the world.
The number of patent applications for robots in China has ranked first globally for many consecutive years, accounting for 2/3 of the world's total applications in 2024.
Strong support from government policies and innovative environment
Why have China's robots experienced vigorous development and continuous industrial innovation in recent years? Behind this is the strong support from national policies.
The 14th Five-Year Plan for the Robot Industry Development (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) clearly states the need to promote the high-quality development of the robot industry, advance its high-end and intelligent development, and achieve breakthroughs in key technologies and components.
It also aims to accelerate the resolution of issues such as insufficient technological accumulation, a weak industrial foundation, and a lack of high-end supply.
The Plan proposes that by 2035, the comprehensive strength of China's robot industry will reach a world-leading level, and robots will become an important component of economic development, people's lives, and social governance.
Huge demand and numerous application opportunities
Besides policies support, the huge practical demand and application opportunities have also provided fertile ground for the growth of China's robots.
The exacerbation of an ageing society and rising labour costs have led to an increased demand for robots like elderly care service robots.
In recent years, robots have entered more emerging application scenarios, such as in the fields of healthcare, logistics, services, and agriculture.
The rich application scenarios have become a catalyst for the rapid iteration of China's robots, especially driving breakthroughs in humanoid robots.
Read more: Chinese humanoid robots' new skills: Backflips, cycling and doing housework
Robot industrial parks spread across the country
In addition to strong policy support and the cultivation of rich application scenarios, the advantage of a complete industrial chain is also an indispensable part of the rapid development of China's robot industry.
Robot industrial parks have been built in many cities in China, capable of producing robots at a low cost and on a large scale, with prices up to 10 times cheaper than their American counterparts.
Today, robot industrial parks are highly concentrated in several of China's major manufacturing and economic centres, such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Bohai Rim region.
According to statistics from the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, industrial robot production of Guangdong exceeded 240,000 units in 2024, ranking first in the country for five consecutive years and accounting for 44% of the national market.
One in every three industrial robots in the country is made in Guangdong. Among them, Shenzhen has gathered the most and top robot enterprises in the province.
In the future, with the deep integration of China's robots with technologies such as AI and 5G, the industry will move towards being more high-end and intelligent.
China's robots must overcome shortcomings in core technologies and break free from the reliance on imported key components to compete with top international enterprises in high-end robotics and intelligence levels, thus assist China in achieving the transformation from a "manufacturing country" to a "intelligent manufacturing powerhouse".
Read more: What can China's robot dogs do?