Almost 10% Of South Korea's Workforce Is Now A Robot

The use of robots in factories around the world has more than doubled in the last seven years, with South Korea topping the list of countries with the highest robot density, according to a report.

China has also surpassed Germany and Japan in the use of robots in 2023, an annual survey by the International Federation of Robotics shows.

South Korea is the main adopter of industrial robots with 1,012 per 10,000 employees, and has increased its use of robots by 5% each year since 2018, the IFR found.

China, with 470 robots per 10,000 employees, has overtaken Germany and Japan, and landed in third place behind Singapore, which has 770 robots per 10,000 employees.

Robot density illustrates the degree of automation adoption in global manufacturing, said Takayuki Ito, the president of IFR.

"China's massive investment in automation technology has achieved this high robot density despite a huge manufacturing workforce of around 37 million people," Ito said in a statement.

"Robot density serves as a useful barometer for comparing the level of automation in manufacturing between countries," Ito added.

Germany came in fourth place with 429 robots per 10,000 employees, followed by Japan with 419 units per 10,000 employees.

The United States ranked 10th with 295 robots per 10,000 employees.

Globally, average robot density soared to 162 units in 2023, more than doubling the 74 from seven years ago.