25 September 2026 | News
The World Robotics report recorded 24,842 new industrial robot installations in German factories. This is 41% of the total number in the European Union. The largest customer remains the automotive industry, though its share is in retreat.
“Industrial automation in Germany is on a high level,” says Jane Heffner, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “The country’s annual installations are the fifth largest worldwide, following the Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan and China. Between 2020 and 2025, annual installations across industries grew on a compound annual growth rate of 2% on average per year. However, sales fell 8% in 2025, mainly due to shrinking demand from the manufacturing industry.”
Customer Industries
Germany's automotive industry remains the largest customer market, accounting for 23% of total installations, equating to 5,785 units. This share is substantially lower than in 2020, when the segment represented 40%. Lower-than-expected demand, especially for electric vehicles, and national and international political uncertainty made the industry put investment projects on hold and consider capacity reduction. Globally, Germany is the fourth largest producer of passenger cars.
The metal and machinery industry has a share of 21% with 5,272 installations in 2025 – down 13%. Installations in the plastic and chemical products industry has a share of 12% with 2,989 units – down 5%.
Robot production and exports
Industrial robot production in Germany decreased by 24% to 23,710 units in 2025.
Exports of industrial robots from Germany fell by 37% to 15,096 units in 2025. Next to production relocation, another important factor is the large number of international robot suppliers that use Germany as their European distribution hub. Currently, weak demand in Europe is driving down re-exports to other European markets, as well as imports to German distribution centres.
Outlook
The overall robot demand in the German market is expected to see another contraction in 2026. There is consensus among experts that installation numbers will rise from 2027 onward.
