China’s huge investment in industrial robotics has allowed it to become one of the most automated nations on the planet in the space of just a few short years. According to the latest study by the International Federation of Robotics, the number of operational robots in Chinese manufacturing reached a ratio of 322 units per 10,000 employees in 2021, exceeding the robot density in U.S. industry for the first time (274 units per 10,000 employees). China now ranks fifth in the world, behind South Korea (1,000 per 10,000 employees), Singapore (670), Japan (399) and Germany (397).

As the following infographic shows, China and South Korea are the countries that have made the most progress in the race to industrial automation in recent years. In Europe, robot density has seen a pretty big jump in Swiss industry, with the ratio almost doubling between 2017 and 2021 – from 129 to 240 robots per 10,000 employees. In France, the manufacturing industry still had a lower level of robotization than most of its neighboring countries: 163 robots per 10,000 employees in 2021 – compared to 217 in Italy, 198 in Belgium/Luxembourg and 167 in Spain, respectively.