NO-SWEAT SHOPS:

[T]he population decline will also make automation an absolute necessity - as has happened in Japan. It will widen China's already large lead in the deployment of industrial robots and the industrial internet of things, helping to create an enormous market for service robots.

This process is already well underway. Over the past decade, installations of industrial robots in China have increased by 10.7 times, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Compare that with 68% growth in Japan, 67% growth in the US, 20% growth in Germany and 19% growth in South Korea.

In just a few years, China has become the world's largest user of industrial robots by a very wide margin. In 2021, China accounted for 52% of total worldwide installations. Trailing far behind, Japan accounted for 9%, the US for 7%, South Korea for 6% and Germany for 5%. Viewed by region, Asia accounted for 74% of the total, Europe for 16% and the Americas for 10%.

At the end of 2021, the total worldwide installed base of industrial robots was almost 3.5 million units - with more than one million, or close to 30%, deployed in China. That compares with 12% in Japan, 10% in South Korea, 9% in the US and 7% in Germany.

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