How China Aims to Lead Global Robotics by 2025: A Five-Year Plan Unveiled

On December 28, China announced a five‑year plan to become a global robot innovation hub by 2025. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology projects an average 20% annual growth in robot industry revenue from 2021 to 2025.

According to foreign reports, the Chinese robot sector expanded at a 15% compound annual growth rate from 2016 to 2020, with last year’s revenue surpassing RMB 1 trillion (US$15.69 billion) for the first time.

Data from the ministry show that China’s robot density in manufacturing reached 246 units per 10,000 workers last year, twice the global average. Officials aim to double this figure by 2025.

Minister Wang Weiming emphasized the push for breakthroughs in precision reducers, high‑performance servo motors, intelligent integrated joints, and smart controllers—core components considered essential for advanced automation.

The goal is for these domestically produced key parts to match the performance and reliability of foreign advanced products by 2025.

The government also plans to deploy high‑end robots across industries such as automotive, aerospace, rail, logistics, and mining.

In the first eleven months of this year, China produced 330,000 industrial robots, a 49% year‑over‑year increase.

The 2021 World Robot Report notes that the global average robot density in manufacturing is 126 units per 10,000 employees, up from 66 in 2015. The top three countries by robot density are South Korea (932), Singapore (605), and Japan (390), followed by Germany and Sweden.

Regionally, Asia/Australia leads with an average density of 134 units, Europe follows with 123, and the Americas with 111.

The report highlights China’s robot density growth as the most dynamic worldwide, rising from 49 units per 10,000 workers in 2015 to 246 in 2020, moving the country up to ninth place globally.

Japan remains the world’s largest industrial robot manufacturer, accounting for 45% of global supply with a production capacity of 174,000 units last year. India set a new record of about 26,300 units, a 15% increase, and expects the number of robots in Indian factories to double within five years.