Articulated Robot Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, By Payload (Up to 16.00 kg, 16.01–60.00 kg), By Function (Handling, Welding, Dispensing, Assembly), By Industry (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Metal & Machinery, Food & Beverages), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 27.18 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	12.42%
Fastest Growing Segment	16.01–60.00 kg
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 54.87 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Articulated Robot Market will grow from USD 27.18 Billion in 2025 to USD 54.87 Billion by 2031 at a 12.42% CAGR. Articulated robots are industrial mechanical systems characterized by rotary joints that replicate the range of motion and versatility of a human arm. These machines are integral to modern manufacturing and are primarily driven by the escalating necessity to mitigate global labor shortages and the simultaneous demand for high-precision production in the automotive and electronics sectors. This momentum is further supported by the strategic push for reshoring manufacturing operations to ensure supply chain stability. Illustrating this robust demand, the International Federation of Robotics reported that in 2024, approximately 542,000 industrial robots were installed worldwide. This figure underscores the critical role that automation infrastructure plays in sustaining industrial growth and operational resilience.

Despite this upward trajectory, the market encounters a significant obstacle regarding the substantial capital expenditure required for deployment. The high initial costs associated with purchasing, integrating, and maintaining these advanced units often present a formidable financial barrier for small and medium enterprises. Consequently, this economic constraint limits the accessibility of articulated robotics for budget-sensitive organizations and remains a primary challenge that could impede the broader expansion of the market into diverse industrial applications.

Key Market Drivers

The surge in demand from the automotive manufacturing sector serves as a primary catalyst for the articulated robot market, largely fueled by the global transition to electric vehicles and the modernization of assembly lines. Manufacturers are aggressively integrating high-payload and welding robots to handle complex battery packs and lightweight chassis components, necessitating rapid automation upgrades to ensure supply chain resilience. This sector-specific intensity is evident in recent procurement trends; according to the Association for Advancing Automation, May 2025, in the 'Industrial Robot Sales in North America' report, automotive OEMs ordered 3,668 units in the first quarter of 2025. This significant investment underscores the critical reliance on articulated systems to maintain production velocity and adhere to evolving vehicular safety and efficiency standards.

Simultaneously, the expansion of the electrical and electronics industry propels market growth, driven by the need for extreme precision in assembling microcomponents and printed circuit boards. As devices become smaller and more complex, articulated robots equipped with advanced sensors are essential for tasks that exceed human dexterity and consistency. According to the International Federation of Robotics, July 2025, in the 'World Robotics 2025' preliminary results, the electrical and electronics sector in Japan installed approximately 14,000 industrial robots in 2024, maintaining its status as a leading adoption vertical. To satisfy this escalating global appetite for automation across these key sectors, manufacturing output is scaling rapidly; according to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2025, China produced 595,000 industrial robots in the first nine months alone, reflecting the massive industrial infrastructure supporting this market.

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Key Market Challenges

The substantial capital expenditure required for the acquisition and integration of articulated robots serves as a formidable restraint on market expansion. Advanced robotic systems necessitate not only significant upfront purchasing costs but also considerable ongoing investments in programming, safety integration, and specialized maintenance. This financial burden is particularly acute for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often lack the liquidity to absorb long return-on-investment periods. Consequently, many smaller manufacturers are forced to defer or abandon automation initiatives, effectively concentrating the market share within a limited circle of large-scale industrial conglomerates and stalling widespread adoption across cost-sensitive sectors.

This economic friction directly impacts market performance metrics, often neutralizing the demand from key industries. For instance, high borrowing costs and tight capital budgets have visibly slowed procurement activities in major regions. According to the Association for Advancing Automation, in 2024, total robot orders in North America remained virtually stagnant, recording a marginal increase of only 0.5% in units compared to the previous year. This negligible growth underscores how financial barriers can stifle momentum, preventing shipment volumes from aligning with the theoretical operational needs of the manufacturing industry.

Key Market Trends

The integration of Generative AI for natural language programming is fundamentally altering the usability and accessibility of articulated robots. By enabling operators to issue commands and generate complex code structures through conversational prompts, this technology dramatically lowers the technical barrier to entry and mitigates the prevailing shortage of skilled programmers. This shift from proprietary coding to intuitive interaction is rapidly accelerating capital allocation towards advanced software solutions; according to Rockwell Automation, June 2025, in the '10th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report', organizations investing in generative and causal AI increased 12% year-over-year, signaling a decisive move from experimental pilots to scalable factory deployment.

Simultaneously, the development of high-payload and industrial-grade collaborative robots is expanding the operational envelope of fenceless automation. Unlike early cobots restricted to light assembly, these robust systems now possess the torque and reach necessary for heavy-duty tasks such as palletizing and machine tending while maintaining safety standards that allow for human proximity. This evolution has successfully merged industrial-grade power with collaborative flexibility, driving significant market penetration; according to the Association for Advancing Automation, August 2025, in the 'First Half 2025 Robotics Industry' report, collaborative robots accounted for 23.7% of all robot units ordered in North America during the second quarter of 2025.

Segmental Insights

Based on recent market analysis, the 16.01–60.00 kg payload segment is identified as the fastest-growing category within the Global Articulated Robot Market. This rapid expansion is primarily driven by the automotive sector's increasing requirement for handling electric vehicle battery modules and sub-assemblies, which demand higher load capacities than lightweight models can provide. Furthermore, general manufacturing industries are heavily investing in this mid-range class for versatile applications such as arc welding, machine tending, and material handling. These robots offer an optimal balance of power, reach, and speed, making them indispensable for flexible production lines in modern industrial facilities.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific leads the Global Articulated Robot Market, a position underscored by data from the International Federation of Robotics. This dominance stems from the region's dense concentration of manufacturing activities, particularly within the automotive and electronics sectors which heavily utilize automated assembly. Strategic government support further accelerates this adoption, exemplified by China’s "Made in China 2025" initiative and Japan’s "New Robot Strategy." These regulatory frameworks incentivize industrial modernization to counter rising labor costs and ensure production consistency, establishing the region as the primary hub for robotic integration.

Recent Developments

• In November 2024, Fanuc America introduced the M-950iA, a heavyweight industrial articulated robot capable of handling payloads up to 500 kilograms. Unlike traditional parallel-link heavy lifters, this new model featured a serial-link construction that provided a significantly wider range of motion, making it highly suitable for manipulating large items like electric vehicle batteries and construction materials in tight workspaces. The General Manager of the Robot Application Segment stated that the robot's high rigidity and extended reach ensured precise performance even under strong external forces. This development addressed a critical need in the market for adaptable, high-capacity robots that could perform demanding material handling and process applications with speed and accuracy.
• In October 2024, Yaskawa Motoman announced the launch of the Motoman NEXT platform for the North American market, representing a major advancement in adaptive industrial automation. This new robot architecture was designed to operate autonomously in unstructured environments by integrating advanced AI computing capabilities for human-like perception and judgment. The launch included a lineup of new articulated manipulators with payload capacities ranging from 4 kilograms to 35 kilograms, all compatible with the new intelligent control system. The Product Manager at the company highlighted that this technology allowed robots to adjust to changes in their surroundings in real-time, thereby expanding the potential applications for articulated robots beyond traditional pre-programmed tasks.
• In October 2024, Universal Robots unveiled the UR AI Accelerator, a specialized hardware and software toolkit developed to fast-track the creation of AI-powered collaborative robot applications. Powered by advanced accelerated computing libraries, this solution was designed to facilitate the integration of physical AI into cobot operations, enabling capabilities such as autonomous path planning and complex object recognition. The toolkit was introduced to assist both commercial developers and researchers in reducing the deployment time for intelligent automation systems. The company emphasized that this innovation provided an extensible platform that would make sophisticated AI features more accessible to the global articulated robot market, specifically for collaborative tasks.
• In May 2024, ABB Robotics significantly expanded its large robot portfolio by launching the IRB 7710 and IRB 7720 articulated robotic arms at the Automate trade show. These new industrial robots were engineered to address the demanding requirements of automotive assembly, modular construction, and electric vehicle battery manufacturing. The company introduced sixteen new variants which, when combined with other models, offered a comprehensive range of payload capacities from 70 kilograms to 620 kilograms. This strategic product release aimed to provide manufacturers with increased flexibility and precision, enabling efficient handling of heavy components and supporting the growing market demand for modular automation solutions in complex production environments.

Key Market Players

• ABB Ltd.
• FANUC Corporation
• KUKA Aktiengesellschaft
• Yaskawa Electric Corporation
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• DENSO Corporation
• Seiko Epson Corporation
• Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

By Payload	By Function	By Industry	By Region
Up to 16.00 kg 16.01-60.00 kg	Handling Welding Dispensing Assembly	Automotive Electrical & Electronics Metal & Machinery Food & Beverages	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Articulated Robot Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Articulated Robot Market, By Payload:

• Up to 16.00 kg
• 16.01-60.00 kg

• Articulated Robot Market, By Function:

• Handling
• Welding
• Dispensing
• Assembly

• Articulated Robot Market, By Industry:

• Automotive
• Electrical & Electronics
• Metal & Machinery
• Food & Beverages

• Articulated Robot Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE