Robot Race: China Installs 300,000 New Factory Robots in 2024—Where Does India Stand?
China’s factories installed nearly 300,000 new industrial robots in 2024, more than the rest of the world combined, catapulting the country to the top spot in global automation. Thanks to state-backed policies and massive investment in both domestic manufacturing and robotics, China now operates more than two million factory robots—double its total from just three years ago, and more than the rest of the world combined. This dominance isn’t just about numbers; for the first time, Chinese robot companies sold more robots within China than foreign competitors, capturing 57% of the local market—a major milestone for the country’s ambitions in tech self-reliance.
The scale and speed of China’s automation surge is rewriting the rules for global manufacturing. In 2024, factory floors from Shenzhen to Chengdu integrated robots for automotive, electronics, metals, and logistics applications, tackling roles from welding and assembly to packaging and inspection. What’s fueling China’s robot revolution? A shrinking workforce, rising labour costs, and the push for resilience against global supply chain disruptions have all combined to create a perfect storm of tech adoption. Even as China’s population is dropping—by 1.39 million last year alone—automation is keeping its factories productive, competitive, and future-ready.
India, in comparison, installed only 9,100 robots in 2024, marking a 7% annual growth—enough to make India the world’s sixth-largest market for new robot installations, yet still trailing dramatically behind China’s scale. Most Indian robot deployments were in the automotive sector, which accounted for 45% of new installations, followed by the rubber, plastics, and metal industries. India’s robot density remains one of the lowest in the world: seven units per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2023, compared to China’s 772, South Korea’s 2,867, and the global average of 141.
Despite the contrast, India is on a high-growth path, with robot installations breaking records and the operational stock nearly doubling since 2018. Production-linked incentives for electric vehicles and batteries are set to drive further expansion in the coming years, though experts expect some contraction by 2026 when current incentives phase out.
China’s robotics juggernaut is a wake-up call to governments, educators, and industry leaders worldwide. For India, it’s both a challenge and an opportunity: boosting investment, policy support, and workforce training in robotics will be key to closing the gap and ensuring competitiveness in a future shaped by AI Evolution and automation.
