Robotics refers to the design, manufacturing and utilization of robots for tasks (in hardware and software) that have traditionally been performed by humans.

A Robot Takeover

Automation has been one of the most noteworthy trends in the world, with 31% businesses having fully automated at-least one business function as of 2020, according to McKinsey.

Additionally, businesses that had no plans to automate operations were reduced to 16% in 2020, from 20% in 2018. Further, according to the World Economic Forum, more than half of the jobs in the workflow will be performed by robots and algorithms by 2025.

Conventional wisdom suggests that robot-takeover of jobs won’t bode well for human workers. However, it has been argued that the reverse is true, with robots reducing humanity’s physical and mental labor while creating new jobs in the process.

The World Economic Forum forecasts suggest that automation will create 97 million new jobs for humans by 2025.

Driving Factors

Robotics offers various advantages in the workflow including consistent product/service quality in manufacturing, reduction in operating costs and lead times, and higher production output and efficiency.

Another key driving factor is long-term adaptation to the aging human population. In 2020, the number of people who were 60 years or older, outnumbered children that were less than 5 years of age.

Those aged 65 or above, comprised 1 in 11 people in the world in 2019. Their population is projected to reach 1.5 billion in 2050, per the UN figures, with every 1 in 6 people being 65 years or older.

Automation and robotics will play an important role to compensate for the availability of fewer people of working age in the coming decades.

In fact, the future is being played out in Japan, where people who are aged 65 years or older, make up 29% of the country’s population as of 2021. This has led Japan to early-adopt robotics and automation to remain competitive, with 631 robots for every 10,000 humans in the workforce in the country.

The necessity of automation has also made Japan pretty much a superpower in robotics. The country is the largest manufacturer and exporter of industrial robots in 2022.

Robotics Industry Outlook

The global robotics market is projected to reach $215 billion in value by 2030, growing at a solid CAGR of 23% according to Market Research Future. The industrial automation market, on the other hand, is much bigger but largely overlaps with the robotics market.

According to Precedence Research, the automation industry was valued at $197 billion in 2021 and is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 8.59%, to a market value of $413 billion by 2030.

Major players in the two sibling industries include Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK), Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX), Boston Dynamics, Fanuc Corporation (TOKYO:6954.T), Seiko Epson Corporation (TOKYO:6724.T) and Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM).

Some of the leading countries in robotics are Japan, Singapore and the US. Below, we list the 12 most advanced countries in robotics.

Our Methodology

For our list of the most advanced countries in robotics, we’ve ranked them based on their technology scene in robotics as well as their level of automation. We’ve used data from the International Federation of Robotics, especially for the robot density in the manufacturing workforce.

Here are the 12 most advanced nations in robotics.

12. China

China, like other East Asian countries, is one of the most advanced countries in robotics. According to data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the Chinese market added over 240,000 new robot units in 2021, an increase of 44% as compared to the year 2020. The country had 187 robots working in the manufacturing sector for every 10,000 humans in the same year.

This suggests that a significant number of factories in China have implemented automation technologies, including industrial robots, in their operations.

Automation in the country is covering for the labor shortage due to an aging population while also creating new jobs. For instance, 18 professions were announced by the Chinese Ministry for Human Resources and Social Security. One of these included the ‘Robotics Engineering Technician’, a job for R&D in control algorithms and operating systems for robots.

Siasun Robot&Automation Co.,Ltd. (SHENZHEN:300024.SZ) is one of the leading robotics companies in China.

11. The Netherlands

The Netherlands is located in Northwestern Europe. It is known for high levels of automation as well as numerous robotics companies. As of 2021, the country’s robot density in the manufacturing workflow is 224 robots for every 10,000 human workers, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

The Netherlands is one of the pioneers in the most advanced robotics systems to date and is producing leading research from institutes like Radboud University. The country is also implementing AI and robotics technology to modernize industries like Agriculture, with its Wageningen UR being the top institute innovating in robotics for agriculture.

10. Denmark

Denmark is a European country in the Scandinavian region. It is one of the most developed countries in terms of science, technology, GDP per Capita and other indicators. As of 2021, Denmark has 234 robots in the manufacturing-sector workforce for every 10,000 humans.

One of the key players in the Danish robotics industry is the Danish Technological Institute, which conducts research and development in a wide range of areas related to robotics and automation, including collaborative robots, service robots, and manufacturing automation.

The institute also works closely with industry partners and has a number of commercial projects in development.

Another important player in the Danish robotics industry is Universal Robots, a leading manufacturer of collaborative robots (also known as cobots). Based in Odense, Denmark, the company has developed a range of cobots that are used in a variety of applications, including assembly, welding, packaging, and material handling.

9. Switzerland

Switzerland is ninth on the list of most advanced countries in robotics. There are 240 robots for every 10,000 human workers in the manufacturing industry in the country as of 2021. It is also home to some of the most noteworthy robotics companies in the world, like ANYbotics.

Some of the key players in the robotics industry in Switzerland include ABB, which is a global leader in industrial robotics and automation, and Swisslog, which specializes in logistics automation solutions.

Switzerland is also home to a number of research institutions and universities that are actively involved in robotics research and development. These include the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, which has a well-recognized robotics program.

8. Sweden

Sweden is another one of the most advanced countries when it comes to robotics. As of 2021, there are 321 robots per 10,000 humans in the manufacturing labor-force in the country.

Sweden has a number of research institutions and universities that are involved in automation R&D. These include the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which has a renowned automation program, and the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, which has a strong focus on automation and control systems.

Sweden made headlines for Eve, a lab robot that is extensively used in automating research processes in the country.

Apart from its own robotics companies, Sweden also benefits from the presence of American companies like Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK), Cognex Corporation (NYSE:CGNX) and Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA).

7. United States

The United States is one of the most advanced western nations in robotics. Its robots to human workers ratio is lower than Germany’s, at 274 robots per 10,000 humans, but the country makes up for it with advanced robotics technology.

Some of the top tech corporations in the US like Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) and Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) are highly focused on robotics.

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) primarily develops high-end GPUs, which have been found to have many applications for robotics and machine learning. Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) and Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX), on the other hand, are two of the premier automation companies in the US with a global presence.

There has been a record adoption of industrial robots in the US in the past decade. In 2019, however, the trend started slowing down and the decline continued well into 2020, with 8% fewer installations than the previous year. The slow down can largely be attributed to the pandemic and factory closures due to lockdowns.

6. Hong Kong, SAR

Hong Kong has an advanced manufacturing and research infrastructure, which the country has used to advance in robotics among many other fields. There are 304 robots in Hong Kong for every 10,000 human workers as of 2021. Given its population, the number of robots amounts to over 224,000.

Insight Robotics and Rehab Robotics are two of the most prominent robotics startups in Hong Kong. The small nation also hosts Hanson Robotics, the designer and manufacturer of Sophia, the Robot.

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