More than half of the world's new industrial robots went to China in 2024. Chinese companies installed 295,000 units at home that year, 54% of the global total, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Two years earlier, China's operational fleet already exceeded 2 million machines — about 4.5 times the size of Japan's, the No. 2 operator. Industry revenue climbed past 300 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) last year, data from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows, with a five-year average annual growth rate above 20%. Industrial robot exports rose 49% in 2025, making China a net exporter for the first time. Local manufacturers now hold a majority of the domestic market, a field Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA controlled until 2024. BYD's Xi'an plant runs thousands of robotic arms on EV assembly lines with near-total independence in key components. Shanghai's Yangshan Port, the world's largest automated terminal, operates with minimal human intervention via automated guided vehicles and remote-controlled gantry cranes. Guangdong regulators recently approved 48 'robot+' deployment scenarios covering manufacturing, logistics and services. Unitree, the Chinese quadruped and humanoid robot maker, went public last month and ended its first trading day worth more than 1,200 times its trailing earnings.
Half of 2024's new industrial robots went to China
Chinese companies installed 295,000 new industrial robots at home in 2024, a figure the International Federation of Robotics puts at 54% of the global total for the year.
Two years earlier, China already ran more than 2 million industrial robots. That fleet was roughly 4.5 times the size of Japan's, the No. 2 operator.
Local makers claim the home market
Revenue in China's robotics industry passed 300 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Five-year average annual growth came in above 20%.
Exports moved in the same direction. Industrial robot exports grew 49% in 2025, making China a net exporter of industrial robots for the first time. Domestic manufacturers now hold a majority of the home market, which Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA had dominated before 2024.
Factories, ports and public listings
BYD's Xi'an factory operates thousands of automated robotic arms on electric-vehicle assembly lines, with key components close to fully self-developed. Shanghai's Yangshan Port, the world's largest automated terminal, runs almost entirely on automated guided vehicles and remotely controlled gantry cranes, with minimal human intervention.
Guangdong regulators recently approved 48 "robot+" deployment scenarios spanning manufacturing, logistics and services.
Unitree, the Chinese quadruped and humanoid robot company, went public last month. By the end of its first trading day, its valuation exceeded 1,200 times its trailing earnings.
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