Investment in automation within the European automotive sector remains robust, with 23,000 industrial robots installed across the continent in 2024, according to preliminary data released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
This figure marks the second-highest annual total in the past five years.
Europe’s automotive manufacturing is among the most automated in the world.
Six European countries ranked in the global top ten for robot density in the automotive sector in 2023. Switzerland led the rankings with 3,876 robots per 10,000 factory workers, followed by Slovenia in third place (1,762 units), Germany in sixth (1,492 units), Austria in eighth (1,412 units), Finland in ninth (1,288 units), and the Benelux countries in tenth (1,132 units).
With the exception of Switzerland, all top-performing countries in this field are EU member states. The European Union’s dominance in automation extends beyond the automotive sector, accounting for approximately 85% of all regional robot installations in 2024.
Germany, one of the world’s five largest robot markets, represented roughly 30% of Europe’s total installations. Italy followed with 10%, and Spain accounted for about 6%.
Between 2019 and 2024, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for industrial robot installations across Europe stood at 3%.
Takayuki Ito, president of the International Federation of Robotics, said: “Car makers are accounting for around a third of annual manufacturing installations in Europe. In terms of automation activity, the combined number of 23,000 European robot installations in the car sector was ahead of the 19,200 units installed in North America in 2024.”
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