The future holds many secrets, but one of them isn’t the fact that there will be more and more robots out there, most of them taking jobs away from humans, especially in these 8 countries that produce the most robots in the world. That’s mainly because just as you produce them, you don’t just sell them all to other countries, you also keep a lot of them for your own factories.
With the rise and rise of technology, it’s only natural that we’re going to see more and more jobs going to robots, especially in those jobs where precision is needed and where machines can work faster than humans. It’s something that many people hate, of course, but this is the world we live in, the present, and certainly the future we’re all going to live through.
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There are many companies out there creating these robots, many of whom are quite successful. Of course, once they manage to create a great product, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes and buys it. And since we’re talking about factories, they’re going to be buying in bulk. It’s a big investment to make, but one that pays off in just a few years. On top of not taking sick days off and being able to work around the clock, the industrial robots can be more precise than men, something that’s highly appreciated by employers. Don’t miss our article on 11 Best Countries in Robotics if you are interested to find out which country has the most robots.
These industrial robots are reshaping the manufacturing industry, performing jobs that are often dangerous for human workers, more accurately than they ever could, if set up correctly.
For today’s list, we checked out the worth of the robotic exports for the world’s countries, as well as the approximate numbers for the number of robots in use across the country, although the numbers for the latter, coming from Bank of Merrill Lynch come from 2012 and are a bit outdated. We ordered both lists, handed out points and calculated the scores. That being said, here are the 8 countries that produce the most robots in the world.
8. Canada
Score – 6
First on our list is Canada, a country whose industry has been working to include more and more industrial robots. In 2015, not only did Canada manage to put loads of robots in its own factory, but it also exported quite a few of them, with the total sum rising to $61.2 million, equal to 1.5% of the total industrial robots exports.
Back in 2012, data from Merrill Lynch indicates the country had over 18,300 deployed robots in its factory, but the number has risen quite a bit since then. In fact, robot sales surged by 49% in 2015, to a new peak, the IFR reports.
7. South Korea
Score – 7
Back in 2012, South Korea which ranks 7th on our list of countries that produce the most robots in the world, had nearly 139,000 operational robot units, although the number has certainly risen quite a bit since then. One proof of this is the fact that the country’s massive investments in the domain have led to exports in total worth of $235.6 million in 2015, which is about 5.7% out of the total industrial robots exports.
In fact, the country has vouched to invest quite a bit in robotics in the next few years. According to the South Korean trade ministry’s announcement back in October, about $445 million will be pumped into the industry in the next five years, a big chunk being directed towards funding corporate research and development centers in search for new talent. This sets South Korea apart from other nations where investments are mostly from the private sector. The country’s trade minister Joo Hyung-hwan, however, believes this to be a new technology frontier that will eventually give a fresh boost to the manufacturing sector.
6. France
Score – 7
Over in Europe, up next on our list of countries that produce the most robots in the world is France. While we may not know exactly how many robots are deployed in the country’s many factories anymore (as the number stood at 34,000 in 2014), one thing we do know – the value worth of the country’s exports for industrial robots. What’s the number, you ask? Well, it’s $209.4 million, which is enough to put France on the fifth spot at a global level for the 2015 year.
In recent years, the industrial robotics market in the country has stagnated, but estimates indicate an increase to 119 million Euro by 2020, an annual growth rate of a mere 1.5%. By comparison, in other countries such as Japan, China, USA,and South Korea, the jump will be of some 9.5%.
5. China
Score – 10
It’s really no surprise that China is on this list of countries that produce the most robots in the world considering that they’re automating most of everything nowadays. Back in 2012, data shows that China had over 96,000 operational robot units deployed across the country. Not only does the country create industrial robots for itself, but also for other nations. In fact, exports in this industry reached $144.4 million in 2015.
While the fact that these robots are replacing the workforce may seem like a problem in the United States, in China things are different. In fact, it seems that here the factories actually count on robots as the workforce shrinks. As the cheap and hardworking employees focus on different jobs, robots are taking over in order to keep the industry alive.
Not only is China looking to buy more robots, but it’s on a race against time to do so as the number of workers is said to fall below 800 million by 2050 following the 2010 peak at 900 million.
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4. Italy
Score – 12
We are continuing our list of countries that produce the most robots in the world with Italy, that may not seem to fall into the same line as other countries on our list for some reason, but has in fact earned its spot fair and square. Not only has the industry’s activity skyrocketed in recent years, but it managed to raise its export values to $326.1 million in 2015, putting it on the third spot at a global level. Since 2011, Italy’s industrial robots exports grew by 99.8%.
The International Federation of Robotics also mentions there are quite a few machines working in factories across Italy. So many, in fact, that there are 159 industrial robots for every 10,000 people employed in manufacturing.
Robot investments continued to rise in 2015, the IFR writes in a report, which is great news because in previous years the exports lagged behind due to the critical economic situation.
3. USA
Score – 15
When it comes to the United States which ranks 3rd on our list of countries that produce the most robots in the world, you’d expect bigger numbers when it comes to industrial robots, but numbers indicate that in 2012, there were only 168,623 such operational robot units deployed here. On the other hand, the value worth of the exports in this domain has reached $180.1 million in 2015.
Many factories across the United States have crossed over to industrial robots, trying to produce more in less time. While factories are working at full speed, many people have lost their jobs. Some have lost their workplace due to budget cuts, while others have done this because one of these robots has taken over the position they previously held. In fact, some 85 percent of job losses has happened due to these machines replacing human workers.
2. Germany
Score – 17
The largest market for industrial robots in Europe is Germany, a country that ranks second on our list of countries that produce the most robots in the world. It is a country that also ranks second at a global level when it comes to exports of such machines. In fact, the exports were valued at $590.9 million in 2015 or 14.2% out of the overall industrial robots exports.
The IFR also writes in a report that there are 261 industrial robots for every 10,000 people working in manufacturing in Germany, which is quite a high number. Back in 2012, Merrill Lynch put the number of robots at close to 162,000 in Germany, a number that has obviously grown quite a bit since then.
1. Japan
Score – 20
At the top of our list of 8 countries that produce the most robots in the world, we find none other than Japan, the country you were expecting to see here ever since you started reading this article .That’s because Japan in well known for automating right about everything, so there’s really no surprise that it’s going to lead the charts when it comes to industrial robots.
According to 2012 data from the IFR Japan had 310,508 industrial robots in its factories, a number that has grown exponentially since then. So much it has grown that nowadays, the IFR notes there are 339 industrial robots for every 10,000 people employed in manufacturing, which surely means there are a lot of people that are no longer getting jobs in this industry.
Japan also leads the list of the world’s largest exporters of industrial robots with a value of $1.4 billion. That’s 34.5% of the 2015 total of industrial robots exports at a global level.
That being said, the numbers are only going to grow going forward, with many more countries adding industrial robots to their factories, looking to increase production and minimize risks. It’s going to be a long way to go and human workers aren’t going to disappear from factories because they’re still much needed, but certainly there’s going to be less of them in future decades.
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