I, Robot: 10 Facts
The automotive industry dominates the ever growing field of robotics.
November 28, 2014
1. South Korea employed 437 robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers as of 2013 — the highest robot density in the world.
2. South Korea has held the top spot since 2011, when it overtook Japan.
3. Japan’s industrial robot density in 2013 was 323 per 10,000 workers.
4. Third-ranked Germany had 282 robots in use per 10,000 workers — the highest rate in Europe.
5. One of the things South Korea, Japan and Germany all have in common is a huge automotive industry.
6. The automotive industry is the largest user of industrial robots. Other robot-intensive industries include electronics, metals, plastics and food.
7. China — the world’s largest producer of cars — currently has 281 robots per 10,000 automotive industry workers.
8. In all other industries, China’s robot industry rate was only about 14 per 10,000 workers.
9. The United States employed 152 robots in all industries per 10,000 workers in 2013.
10. While the U.S.’s robot density is just about a third of South Korea’s, it is almost three times the global rate of 62 robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers.
Source: World Robots 2014, International Federation of Robotics, with analysis by The Globalist Research Center
Takeaways
The automotive industry is the largest user of industrial robots worldwide.
China — the world's largest producer of cars — currently has 281 robots per 10,000 automotive industry workers.
The US employed 152 robots in all industries per 10,000 workers in 2013, tripling the global average.
