Robot Density · 2024
166
▲ 16.9% vs 2023 (142)
#23 Worldwide
AV Fleet Units · est.
38000
#2 Worldwide
Supercomputers · TOP500
31
#4 Worldwide
Automation Score
190.9
Global Rank #19

Robot density: IFR World Robotics 2024 (via Our World in Data), refreshed automatically.
Note on China: we publish the IFR/Our World in Data series for consistency with every other country on this site. IFR's own press releases have cited a substantially higher density for China (roughly 470 per 10,000) using a different manufacturing-employment denominator. China's manufacturing workforce base is disputed and has been revised, so figures for China vary widely between sources — treat this reading as one methodology among several. Supercomputer count: TOP500 list, June 2026, refreshed automatically — a count of 0 means no system on the current list. AV-fleet figures are modeled estimates pending a live feed.

China Automation Analysis

China's industrial robot density reached 166 robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers in 2024, up from 142 in 2023 — a 16.9% year-over-year increase. That places it #23 of 53 countries we track. Both figures come directly from IFR World Robotics via Our World in Data.

Growth of this kind typically reflects capital investment in automated production lines rather than a shrinking manufacturing workforce — density rises when robot installations outpace employment. Read it alongside the live deployment signals below, which capture the specific installations and contracts driving the trend. On high-performance computing, China has 31 systems on the current TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers.

Note: the autonomous-vehicle fleet figure shown above is a modeled estimate — no authority publishes verified per-country AV fleet counts — and is excluded from the Automation Score, which uses only measured robot density and live signal activity.

Latest Automation Signals in China

Automation, robotics and AI developments detected in China by our Signal Engine, which scans industry press and news feeds hourly. Showing the 8 most recent of 974 tracked for China.

LEADERSHIP 2026-11-06
China blocks SoftBank’s US$5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics division - SCMP
FINANCIAL 2026-11-05
SoftBank’s proposed $5.4B acquisition of ABB Robotics blocked by China
LEADERSHIP 2026-11-05
China blocks SoftBank’s US$5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics division - South China Morning Post
DEPLOYMENT 2026-11-05
Shenzhen's AI robotics company Astribot to scale up business - China Daily Global Edition
DEPLOYMENT 2026-11-05
"An 8-Hour Shift Is No Problem" ... Robot Deployed at Chinese Auto Plant - 아시아경제
LEADERSHIP 2026-11-05
China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion takeover of ABB's robotics division: Report - The Economic Times
FINANCIAL 2026-11-05
Billionaire Humanoid Maker Is Youngest Newcomer Among China’s Richest Despite Post-IPO Stock Dive - Forbes
FINANCIAL 2026-11-04
China Robot Funding Slows to $1.6 Billion as Shakeout Fears Grow - Bloomberg
All deployment signals → All financial signals → All hr/layoffs signals → All leadership signals →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does China rank in automation?

China ranks #19 of 53 countries on the Roboradar24 Automation Score, which anchors to measured IFR robot density and adjusts it by recent automation-signal activity.

How many robots are in China?

China has 166 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees (2024 data), up from 142 in 2023. Source: IFR World Robotics via Our World in Data.

Is China's data live?

The automation signals on this page are scraped hourly and are genuinely live. Robot density comes from the IFR World Robotics dataset, which is published annually — we re-fetch it automatically so the figure updates as soon as IFR releases new data.

Compare China

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